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Pioneers beat Westminster in Hinkle’s debut

By Jordan Holland 8 min read

Antwon Johnson didn't get the start at quarterback, but the senior from Monaca, Pa., put his best foot forward and found a way to make an impact in Marietta College's season opener.

Johnson, who began the 2025 campaign as the Pioneers' starting QB before suffering a season-ending injury, found the end zone twice while running backs Benny Lewis and Zion Jackson-Wilborn rushed for 100-plus yards each as Marietta College delivered first-year head coach Tom Hinkle his first win with a 34-24 victory over Westminster Thursday at Don Drumm Stadium.

"It’s fantastic," Johnson said. "When I first got here, Coach Hinkle was a big advocate for me, always supporting me in everything I did. He told me from the jump in the spring and the summer, 'It might not go your way, but I need you to be the best version that you could be.' So that’s what I took into my work during the offseason. I just worked as hard as I could and put my best foot forward."

The QB battle between Johnson and junior Joe Tenta was neck-and-neck throughout camp, but Hinkle knew Johnson would end up being a playmaker for the Pioneers regardless of his position.

"Those two are the best teammates that anyone could ask for," said Hinkle, a 2016 MC graduate. "They were in a battle. They wanted the same spot. One guy -- only one guy -- can be out there for us. Antwon is such a team player and such a good leader for us that he said, 'Hey, I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team.' I’m so proud of both of those guys for how they handled this whole whole situation."

Tenta finished 15 for 27 for 193 yards and two touchdowns -- the first a 12-yarder to Johnson to get the Pios on the board. Tenta was intercepted once by Lamont Austin.

Lewis and Jackson-Wilborn spearheaded a Marietta ground attack that churned out 259 yards on 44 carries. Lewis had 122 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts while Jackson-Wilborn added 101 yards and a TD on 14 rushes.

"Those guys are -- they’re the toughest kids that I know," Hinkle said. "They’ll get hit in the backfield, they’ll get back up and they keep the pile moving. We were leaning on them and we were getting the forward push."

The Titans took a 3-0 lead on Mitchell Tingley's 32-yard field goal in the first quarter.

The story for Marietta's offense in the first half was not finishing drives. The Pioneers routinely drove deep into Westminster territory, but came up empty on three field goal attempts.

Finally, the Pioneers punched one into the end zone on their final drive of the half.

The drive started on Marietta's own 23, but a pair of carries by Lewis netted 23 yards to gather some momentum for MC. Jackson-Wilborn took a Tenta screen pass 37 yards to Westminster's 12-yard line. Tenta's spike killed the clock with 21 seconds left, and one play later Marietta's QB connected with Johnson in the end zone for a 12-yard scoring strike. The Pioneers' celebration drew a 15-yard penalty, leading to a missed extra point and making the score 6-3 at halftime.

The Pioneers took that momentum into their opening drive of the third quarter. A 26-yard run by Lewis followed by Jackson-Wilborn's 12-yard carry put Marietta into the red zone. On third-and-12 from the 20, Tenta found Chrys Taylor for a 15-yard completion and a first down. Two plays later, Johnson took a direct snap and found the end zone from 3 yards out at the 10-minute mark to stretch the lead to 13-3.

Of his touchdown grab, Johnson said, "We ran our four verticals concept. Safety came down, played on top of me, got around him, bended it, went up for the ball, and just, good ball, good catch, touchdown Pios."

The Titans' ensuing possession stalled after a Bryant Young sack, and Marietta's offense went back to work. A screen pass to Lewis gained 23 yards to move the ball to Westminster's 40. On the next play, Tenta dropped back and threw a bomb to Dalton Miller, who led MC with 62 yards on four receptions. Miller laid out, snagged the ball and held on for a 40-yard touchdown. Nathaniel Demuth's extra point made it 20-3 with 2:35 left in the third.

Westminster finally punched back on Sean O'Shea's 3-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth period. A 34-yard pass from O'Shea to Lawrence Grayson set up the TD.

Mike Banks gained 49 yards on the ensuing kick return, and a Westminster penalty added 15 yards to put the Pios at the 26-yard line. Marietta needed just three plays to find the end zone, with Jackson-Wilborn's 5-yard touchdown run capping the drive to make it 27-10 with 13:40 left in the game.

The Titans cut it back to a two-possession game, 27-17, on Quentin Goode's 40-yard touchdown pass to Micah Brown with 9:02 remaining.

Lewis went over the 100-yard mark with a 32-yard scamper on the ensuing possession, and the junior running back later punctuated the drive with a 3-yard touchdown to make it 34-17 with 3:48 on the clock.

Goode found the end zone again, this time with his legs on a 17-yard jaunt, to round out the scoring. An onside kick ensued, but the Pioneers secured it to put a bow on the win.

"What makes it special is I know how hard these guys work," Hinkle said. "I see them in the weight room every day, sacrificing their summers, doing all the little things that it takes to be a champion. They wanted this thing bad, and they deserve this."

The Pioneers are at home again next Saturday when Ohio Northern visits for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

"Wins are really hard to come by at this level, especially when you play an opponent like Westminster, who’s picked third in their conference, and I don’t think they’ve had a losing season since 2014," Hinkle said. "We don’t schedule a cupcake opener. We’re gonna go play the best teams in the country, and that’s the only way to get to the top."

Goode finished 14 for 27 passing for 215 yards for Westminster. Lawrence Grayson had a game-high 64 yards on four catches. The Titans were limited to just 24 yards on 29 rush attempts.

"We see them every day in practice and they make it a nightmare for our offense," Hinkle said of his defense. "When we get to go out and play other teams, our guys have already been thrown in the fire. Our defense flies around. Coach (Austin) Cordova has got those guys playing at a really high level. There’s a lot of talent out there."

Caldwell product Ethan Crock was a force defensively for Marietta, registering three sacks. Taison Starr tallied a team-high 12 tackles.

Johnson carried five times for 16 yards and caught two passes for 21 yards. Don't be surprised to see him air it out at some point this season, too.

""I told the coaches, 'No matter the outcome of the quarterback battle or anything like that, Coach, I’m an athlete for you,'" Johnson said. "I got to give my best to the team. That’s what I owe when I committed here, and that’s what I owe now."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

At Don Drumm Stadium

Marietta 34, Westminster 24

W (0-1) 3 0 0 21 -- 24

M (1-0) 0 6 14 14 -- 34

W: Mitchell Tingley 32 field goal, 3:53 1st

M: Antwon Johnson 12 pass from Joe Tenta, kick failed, :15 2nd

M: Johnson 3 run, Nathaniel Demuth kick, 10:00 3rd

M: Dalton Miller 40 pass from Tenta, Demuth kick, 2:35 3rd

W: Sean O'Shea 3 run, Tingley kick, 14:56 4th

M: Zion Jackson-Wilborn 5 run, Demuth kick, 13:40 4th

W: Micah Brown 40 pass from Quentin Goode, Tingley kick, 9:02 4th

M: Benny Lewis 3 run, Demuth kick, 3:48 4th

W: Goode 17 run, Tingley kick, 1:07 4th

Team stats

Westminster: First downs: 16; Rushes-yards: 29-24; Passing yards: 274; Total yards: 298; Passing: 18-34-0; Fumbles-lost: 1-0; Penalties-yards: 10-82; Punts-average: 6-38.2

Marietta: First downs: 27; Rushes-yards: 44-259; Passing yards: 193; Total yards: 452; Passing: 15-28-1; Fumbles-lost: 1-0; Penalties-yards: 9-93; Punts-average: 2-28.5

Individual stats

Westminster: Rushing: Geno Perry 10-19; Sean O'Shea 10-15; Quentin Goode 7-(-7); Passing: Goode 14-27-0, 215 yards, TD; O'Shea 4-7-0, 59 yards; Receiving: Simeir Wade 2-66; Lawrence Grayson 4-64; Micah Brown 2-42, TD; J. Barksdale 2-40; Perry 2-18; Brock Covell 1-17; Q. Cotton 1-14; Eduardo Torres 2-13

Marietta: Rushing: Benny Lewis 16-122, TD; Zion Jackson-Wilborn 14-101, TD; Cayden Carroll 8-20; Antwon Johnson 5-16, TD; Nas Foster 1-0; Passing: Joe Tenta 15-27-1, 193 yards, 2 TDs; Receiving: Dalton Miller 4-62, TD; Jackson-Wilborn 1-37; Chrys Taylor 3-33; Lewis 1-23; Johnson 2-21, TD; Louis Goodnow 2-12; Foster 2-5

Next game: Ohio Northern at Marietta, 2 p.m. next Saturday

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