Game Leaders
Team Stats
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Time of Poss.
LATROBE, Pa. – The Grove City College football team rallied from a 24-14 deficit in the second half Saturday afternoon to pull out a 41-29 win at Saint Vincent in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at Chuck Noll Field.
Junior running back Clayton Parrish (Mercer, Pa./West Middlesex) ran for 143 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 25 carries while senior wide receiver Cody Gustafson (Newburg, Pa./Shippensburg) hauled in eight passes for 157 yards and a pair of scores.
Defensively, Grove City (6-1, 5-1 PAC) limited Saint Vincent to 40 rushing yards on 24 attempts. The Wolverines forced Saint Vincent to turn over the ball on downs three times in the fourth quarter.
Grove City trailed 24-14 but cut the lead to three when Gustafson caught a 65-yard touchdown strike from senior quarterback Josh Ehst (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) on the second play of the scoring drive.
Following a Saint Vincent field goal, the Wolverines surged ahead by scoring on each of their next three possessions. Parrish gave Grove City its first lead of the game, 28-27, when he scored on a two-yard run with 13:47 left. That run came on 4th-and-goal.
Saint Vincent drove to the Grove City 34 on the subsequent drive. On fourth down, senior defensive end R.J. Debo (New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton) sacked Saint Vincent quarterback Brady Walker for a 14-yard loss. Eight plays later, Parrish scored on a 13-yard touchdown run. Senior kicker Nick Morrow (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) drilled the extra point, pushing the lead to 35-27.
Grove City then sealed the win with 1:16 left as Parrish scored on a 12-yard run. Saint Vincent blocked the conversion and Jaden Pratt returned it for a defensive two-point conversion.
Saint Vincent took a 7-0 lead with 5:28 remaining in the first quarter when Walker threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Kaelib McElroy. Grove City forged a 7-7 tie with 1:15 remaining as Ehst threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Gustafson.
Saint Vincent took a 17-7 lead with 9:29 left in the first half when Joanes Polynice returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown. Parrish's first touchdown of the game cut the margin to 17-14 with 5:29 left in the half.
Ehst completed 10 of 23 passes for 180 yards. Freshman Nico Flati (Aliquippa, Pa./West Allegheny) added 58 rushing yards on a dozen carries. Senior linebacker Parker Kilgore (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) led Grove City with 11 tackles. Debo and senior cornerback Branden Caffrey (Ashburn, Va./John Champe) both had seven tackles.
Grove City outgained Saint Vincent, 363-275. The Wolverines had a 21-14 edge in first downs. Walker completed 22 of 39 passes for 235 yards.
Grove City will have its open week next Saturday. The Wolverines host conference leader Washington & Jefferson (6-0, 5-0 PAC) at 1 p.m. October 30.