BEAVER FALLS, Pa. -- The Grove City College football team improved to 6-0 overall and in Presidents' Athletic Conference play Saturday afternoon by rolling to a 48-21 road victory over Geneva at Reeves Field.
The Grove City defense held Geneva's triple-option attack to 79 rushing yards and 213 total yards. The Wolverines also recorded their first defensive touchdown of the season as senior linebacker Cole DeFillippo (Jeannette, Pa./Penn Trafford) returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Offensively, senior running back Clayton Parrish (Mercer, Pa./West Middlesex) charged through the Geneva defense for a season-high 139 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Junior quarterback Logan Pfeuffer threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns while senior wide receiver Scott Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch) caught six passes for 149 yards.
Grove City finished with 483 total yards and 25 first downs. The Wolverines also held a 36:49-23:11 edge in time of possession.
Fraser's 62-yard touchdown catch from Pfeuffer 3:32 into the game gave Grove City an early 7-0 lead. Geneva tied the game with 2:26 left in the quarter as Darin Myers scored on a one-yard sneak.
The Wolverines then asserted control of Saturday's game by scoring 34 straight points. Pfeuffer fired a 44-yard touchdown strike to freshman wide receiver Daniel Sullivan (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) with 11 seconds left in the first quarter, breaking the 7-7 tie. Sophomore kicker Caleb Kuechly (West Chester, Ohio/Mars Hill) added the extra point to give Grove CIty a 14-7 lead.
DeFillippo's interception return pushed the lead to 20-7 with 11:46 remaining in the first half. Parrish closed the first-half scoring with a one-yard touchdown run at the 7:33 mark of the second quarter.
That 63-yard touchdown drive started at the Wolverine 37 after senior cornerback Gabe Dunlap (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) intercepted a pass.
Grove City opened the second half with a seven-play, 55-yard touchdown drive, capped by Parrish's 29-yard touchdown sprint three minutes into the third quarter. The lead swelled to 41-7 with 6:45 remaining in the period when senior wide receiver Ryan Heckathorn (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pfeuffer.
Heckathorn finished with four catches for 78 yards.
Sophomore running back Ian Demeri (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Trafford) closed the scoring with 1:25 left in the game as he scored on a one-yard plunge.
Sophomore linebacker Ben Bladel (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) recorded two sacks for Grove City. He also had a forced fumble and nine total tackles. Junior safety Jason Muench (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) also had nine stops and a forced fumble. Dunlap had eight tackles.
Geneva quarterback Brutus Ogilvie completed 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards. Logan Kent led Geneva with 60 rushing yards. Grove City held Geneva to a long run of 13 yards in the game.
The Wolverines entered Saturday's game ranked No. 23 in the D3football.com Top 25. Grove City continues its two-game road swing next Saturday at Allegheny. Kickoff will be 4:05 p.m. in Meadville.
No. 23 Grove City Rolls to 6-0
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231007_h3b3.xml
2023
Grove City
48
Geneva
21
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18 Grove City (6-0) | 13 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 48 |
| Geneva (1-4) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Oct 07, 2023