Sep 4, 2025 4 min read

By John Sacco

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

Zayne Cawley has clearly established himself as a top running back in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and in NCAA Division III over the past two seasons

But his aim is not a rushing championship, it is a PAC title. Cawley knows the Waynesburg University football team needs to win the games it should win and to reign supreme in games they will be considered underdogs.

To pull those wins off, the Yellow Jackets will need Cawley at his best – which is plenty good enough.

“We have a new offensive coordinator,” Cawley said. “But we are kind of keeping the same offense except our new offensive coordinator (Phil Hamilton) wants to kind of open the offense up a little bit more,” Cawley said. “We’ll be a little bit more unpredictable this year. We’re really going to use the running game like we always do but we hope it opens the passing game.

“We have a lot of seniors. … So, instead of us being young and playing against older guys, this time we’re the older guys who have a lot of experience.”

Cawley (5-7, 185), from Huntingtown, Md., was All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference first team in 2024. He also led the conference in rushing yards and was second in yards per carry. He rated in the top 20 nationally in both categories. He gained 1,225 yards on 219 attempts (5.6 yards per carry and 122.5 yards per game). Cawley caught 21 passes.

Cawley rushed for more than 100 yards seven times in 2024 and ran for a season-high 249 yards and three touchdowns in a Homecoming victory over Bethany. He led all Division III rushers that week. Against Allegheny, Cawley rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-41 victory over Gators.

Cawley’s 1,225 rushing yards are third-most by a Yellow Jacket in a single-season dating back to 1961. Only Robert Heller in 2007 (2,176 yards) and Ryan Abels in 2005 (1,299 yards) had more. Cawley eclipsed 2,000 career rushing yards last season and ranks 10th in team history with 2,090.

Waynesburg opens the season Saturday against No. 25-ranked John Carroll at John F. Wiley Stadium. Kickoff is 1 p.m.

Cawley will certainly be a focal point

“He’s effective for different reasons,” Yellow Jackets head coach Dr. Cornelius Coleman said. “I’ve been around a lot of good players in the running back position. There are obviously reasons that stand out for him. When he first got here and he had older guys in front of him, he learned early what it meant to be a college athlete. He learned how to take care of his body. He learned how to properly watch film and he learned how to set adequate goals for himself. When he received reps, whether it was offense, special teams, or whatever, he truly learned how to break down the stigma and evaluate the game and get better.

“He just didn’t look at all the positives but he looked at the negative plays and he wanted to understand what it was that he needed to do to grow. When he had the opportunities, he just made the most of them. We can talk about his sophomore campaign, where he only started three games but still rushed for almost 800 yards. Last season, he was one of the best.”

Opponents are certainly aware of Cawley’s importance to Waynesburg’s success,

“The big thing for him is his vision as a ball carrier, just being able to read the defense by finding the opening, exploding and to be able to push through,” said Dan Vogt, Grove City’s defensive coordinator. “He really gets to the next level with speed and great vision.

“He’s an explosive back and that offensive line paved the way for him. Waynesburg did a nice job up front.”

Said Andrew DiDonato, the Wolverines’ head coach: “The first time we saw (Cawley) against us, I thought he was a running back you could build an offense around. As soon as I saw him, I was like, ‘Waynesburg has the guy.’ I thought this kid could be as good as any running back in the PAC.”