GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Sophomore Justin Huss (Derry, Pa./Derry) accounted for a pair of first half touchdowns and the W&J defense picked up Grove City quarterback Josh Ehst four times in a 28-24 victory Saturday afternoon in a Presidents' Athletic Conference game at Robert E. Thorn Field in Mercer County.
W&J improves to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the PAC. Grove City drops to 6-2 overall and 5-2 in the league. The Wolverines' two losses have come by a combined five points.
The win was the ninth straight for W&J in the head-to-head series with Grove City. Head coach Mike Sirianni is now 17-1 all time against the Wolverines.
W&J scored on its opening possession, as sophomore quarterback Colton Jones (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) connected with senior wide receiver Payton Skalos (Cranberry Twp, Pa./Seneca Valley) for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cap a seven-play, 58-yard drive. Sophomore kicker Sean Disbrow (Sykesville, Md./Liberty) converted the PAT to give W&J a 7-0 lead with 12:40 to play in the opening quarter.
Grove City responded with a score of its own a little less than five minutes later when Ehst connected with Ryan Heckathorn for a 13-yard scoring strike. W&J reached the end zone again on its ensuing possession, a 39-yard pass from Jones to senior wide receiver Andrew Wolf (Louisville, Ohio/Hillsdale) set up with a first and goal at the Grove City two-yard line. Junior running back Joey Koroly (Washington, Pa./Trinity) rushed into the end zone on the next play to help W&J retake a 14-7 lead at the 5:01 mark.
W&J took advantage of a personal foul penalty early in the second quarter. The personal foul penalty, which occurred on a third down play, gave the Presidents an automatic first down at the Grove City 19. Huss rushed 19 yards into the end zone to help extend W&J's lead to 21-7 with 14:15 to play in the quarter.
The Wolverines cut the Presidents' lead in half with a prolonged touchdown drive that spanned more than five minutes in length. Ehst rushed 14 yards to cap a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive that brought Grove City within a touchdown at the 8:54 mark.
Huss, who returned a pair of kickoffs for 84 and 68 yards respectively in last week's game, was at it again Saturday. Huss raced 90 yards on the ensuing kickoff to push W&J back in front by a pair of scores. His second kickoff return for a score this season extended the W&J lead to 28-14 midway through the second quarter. Grove City advanced the ball to the W&J 12-yard late in the half but was unable to come away with any points.
A 32-yard field goal by Nick Morrow accounted for the lone points of the third quarter, as the Wolverines trailed 28-17 heading to the fourth. Grove City running back Zach Trusky raced 23 yards to cut the W&J lead to 28-24 with 7:57 to play. An interception by R.J. Debo gave Grove City possession trailing by just four points with 6:07 to play. However, three plays later senior cornerback Nick Freiwald (Clairton, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) stepped in front of an Ehst pass for his team-leading fifth interception of the season.
W&J was able to move the chains three times and take more than four minutes of time off the clock. Grove City would take over at its own 17-yard line with just 42 seconds to play. Ehrlich intercepted Ehst on a 3rd and 24 play with just nine seconds remaining, which sealed the victory for W&J.
Jones completed 24 of 36 pass attempts for 225 yards in his first collegiate start. Koroly carried 16 times for 80 yards and a score. Wolf hauled in six catches for 84 yards.
Ehrlich finished with two interceptions and eight tackles. Senior safety Max Garda (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) recorded a game-high 12 stops while senior linebacker Sean Doran (New Castle, Pa./Neshannock) finished with 10 stops. Freiwald filled the stat sheet with eight tackles, an interception and five pass breakups.
Grove City held a 24-17 edge in first downs and slightly outgained W&J, 381-330. The Wolverines owned a 36:16-23:44 advantage in time of possession and finished 8-of-17 on third downs.
W&J travels to Carnegie Mellon (6-2, 6-1 PAC) for a critical conference matchup with the Tartans on Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gesling Stadium in Pittsburgh.
No. 24 W&J uses strong first half to edge Grove City, 28-24
/seasons/2021/boxscores/20211030_nkpa.xml
2021
Washington and Jefferson
28
Grove City
24
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington and Jefferson (7-1) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Grove City (6-2) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
Oct 30, 2021