GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College defense recorded seven quarterback sacks and three takeaways Saturday afternoon while also holding visiting Saint Vincent to minus-13 rushing yards as the Wolverines rolled to a 49-0 victory in Presidents' Athletic Conference play at Robert E. Thorn Field.
No. 22 Grove City improved to 8-0 overall and in conference play. It is the first 8-0 start in program history, which dates back to 1892.
The Wolverines also scored on special teams as senior cornerback Gabe Dunlap (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) returned a third quarter punt 40 yards for a touchdown. Offensively, Grove City piled up 482 total yards on 71 plays.
Three Grove City quarterbacks combined to throw five touchdown passes. Junior Logan Pfeuffer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) completed 12 of 24 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Ayden Gutierrez (Morrisdale, Pa./West Branch) tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Gavin Mauger (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview) in the fourth quarter to close the scoring. Earlier in the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Ethan Wiley (Mercer, Pa./Mercer) fired a 79-yard scoring strike to freshman wide receiver Seth McGroerty (Middletown, Del./Red Lion Christian, Pa.)
Senior wide receiver Scott Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch) caught eight passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Ryan Lenhart (New Castle, Pa./Shenango) opened the scoring by catching a nine-yard touchdown pass from Pfeuffer with 2:29 left in the first quarter.
Junior running back Nico Flati (Aliquippa, Pa./West Allegheny) pushed the lead to 14-0 by scoring on a one-yard touchdown run with 12:41 left in the second quarter. Flati ran for 144 yards on 24 carries, his second straight 100-yard game.
Fraser caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 7:08 left in the half, extending the lead to 21-0. Grove City gained possession at the Saint Vincent 29 after sophomore linebacker Ben Bladel (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) stripped quarterback Austin Slye and sophomore linebacker Jack Jollie (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Trafford) recovered the ball.
Fraser's nine-yard touchdown reception with 2:15 left in the third quarter opened the second half scoring. Dunlap's punt return with eight seconds left in the third quarter pushed the lead to 35-0. It is the first punt return touchdown for the Wolverines since Jimmy Bailey's school-record 88-yard runback 12 years ago against Westminster.
Dunlap and graduate student linebacker Ryan Fleming (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) both intercepted passes. Fleming, Jollie, sophomore safety Keagan Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch), sophomore end Jordan Karczewski (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley), junior linebacker Seth Rosenberry (Elliottsburg, Pa./West Perry) and sophomore linebacker Micah Walizer (Loganton, Pa./Central Mountain) all recorded sacks.
Dunlap and Jollie both had seven tackles. Rosenberry recorded five stops.
Sophomore kicker Caleb Kuechly (West Chester, Ohio/Mars Hill) went 6 for 6 on extra points. Freshman Connor Flemm (Leechburg, Pa./Kiski Area) kicked the seventh conversion.
Grove City finished with 219 rushing yards and 263 passing yards. The Wolverines had 23 first downs.
The Wolverines will host Bethany at 1 p.m. next Saturday on Senior Day. A win will give Grove City at least a share of the conference title. Due to tiebreakers, a win will also clinch Grove City's first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament berth in football.
Grove City 8-0 For First Time In Program History
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231021_36pv.xml
2023
St. Vincent
0
Grove City
49
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent (2-5) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 18 Grove City (8-0) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
Oct 21, 2023