GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College football team maintained possession of the prestigious Mercer County Cup by rolling to a 59-7 win Saturday afternoon over visiting Thiel at Robert E. Thorn Field in the 40th Mercer County Cup game. Grove City earned its seventh straight Cup victory and now leads the Cup series, 28-12.
The Grove City defense recorded six sacks and forced three turnovers in Saturday's Presidents' Athletic Conference victory. Junior cornerback Boden Davidson (Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian) intercepted two passes, returning the first one 21 yards for a touchdown on the first scrimmage play of the game.
Junior linebacker Caleb Brubaker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) set up a Grove City touchdown with a 31-yard interception return. He also blocked a punt in Saturday's victory.
Junior linebacker Ben Bladel (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) recorded a pair of quarterback sacks. The Wolverines also received sacks from senior defensive end Bryce Spolnik (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette), junior safety Ryan Montgomery (Harrisville, Pa./Slippery Rock), junior linebacker Brock Belmont (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) and freshman linebacker Danny Franco (Mars, Pa./North Catholic).
Overall, Grove City limited Thiel to 36 rushing yards and 151 total offensive yards.
Senior quarterback Logan Pfeuffer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) completed 13 of 19 passes for 211 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Senior wide receiver Scott Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch) caught eight passes for 128 yards and three scores.
After Davidson gave Grove City (6-1, 6-1) a 7-0 lead 14 seconds into the game, Grove City doubled its lead on its first offensive possession as Fraser hauled in a 46-yard touchdown catch from Pfeuffer.
Senior running back Nico Flati (Aliquippa, Pa./West Allegheny) pushed the lead to 21-0 with 12:29 left in the first half as he scored on a five-yard touchdown run. His run capped a 15-play, 81-yard drive that used 8:59. That is Grove City's longest drive, time-wise, of the season. Flati finished with 59 yards on nine carries in the first half.
Brubaker's interception return gave Grove City possession at the Thiel 4. On the next play, junior running back Ian Demeri (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) bulled into the end zone. Sophomore kicker Daniel Sullivan (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) added the fourth of his seven extra points, putting Grove City up 28-0 with 10:46 left in the half.
The Brubaker blocked punt gave Grove City the ball at the Thiel 5 on the next possession. Fraser caught a five-yard touchdown toss from Pfeuffer with 8:56 left in the second quarter. He later caught a 40-yard touchdown pass with 3:29 left in the half.
Sullivan closed the first-half scoring by hauling in a 26-yard touchdown pass from Pfeuffer with 15 seconds left in the half.
Junior quarterback Ethan Wiley (Mercer, Pa./Mercer) fired an 82-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Seth McGroerty (Middletown, Del./Red Lion Christian) with 13:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Sophomore kicker Devon Thomas (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) closed the scoring by kicking a 31-yard field goal with 4:46 left.
Grove City finished with 455 total yards. The Wolverines owned a 20-11 edge in first downs. Grove City did not punt.
Brubaker led Grove City with eight tackles. Franco and senior linebacker Seth Rosenberry (Elliottsburg, Pa./West Perry) both had six tackles.
The Wolverines will visit Waynesburg University next Saturday at 1 p.m. in conference play.
No. 15 Grove City Keeps Mercer County Cup
/seasons/2024/boxscores/20241026_vy20.xml
2024
Thiel
7
Grove City
59
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thiel (1-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 12 Grove City (6-1) | 14 | 35 | 0 | 10 | 59 |
Oct 26, 2024