Game Leaders
Team Stats
Passing Yards
Rushing Yards
Turnovers
Time of Poss.
BALTIMORE, Md. -- The Grove City College football team nearly erased a 17-point deficit in the final six minutes Saturday afternoon but the Wolverines dropped a 17-14 decision to host Johns Hopkins in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament at Homewood Field.
Grove City (9-2) trailed 17-0 with 5:29 remaining but broke through when senior wide receiver Scott Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch) hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Logan Pfeuffer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township).
The Grove City defense then forced a punt after three plays. Senior safety Shay Aitken (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) broke through and blocked the punt, which bounced back to the end zone. Sophomore safety Jase Herrick (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) jumped on the loose ball, cutting the margin to 17-14 with 3:42 left in the game.
The Wolverines regained possession with 2:22 left as Aitken intercepted James Rinello's third-down pass at the Grove City 29.
Grove City then moved 61 yards on 14 plays to the Johns Hopkins 10. After three incompletions, the Wolverines' game-tying field goal attempt with nine seconds left hit the left upright, preserving the Blue Jays' lead.
Fraser tied Grove City's single-game record by catching 19 passes. He finished with 231 yards, the second-highest single-game total of his career. Pfeuffer completed 24 of 49 attempts for 273 yards.
Johns Hopkins held a 322-260 edge in total yardage and a 35:15-24:45 advantage in time of possession. Grove City went 8 of 18 on third down while Johns Hopkins went 3 for 15.
Senior defensive end Bryce Spolnik (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) recorded 1.5 sacks. Senior nose tackle Kobe Bonanno (New Bethlehem, Pa./Redbank Valley), junior linebacker Ben Bladel (Coraopolis, Pa./Moon) and junior defensive end Jordan Karczewski (Monaca, Pa./Central Valley) all had a half sack.
Junior linebacker Caleb Brubaker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) and sophomore cornerback Dominic DiNinno (Apollo, Pa./Kiski Area) both had eight tackles. Bonanno recorded seven stops.
Johns Hopkins opened the game with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that Rinello capped with a one-yard sneak at the 8:38 mark.
The Blue Jays led 7-0 at halftime, then pushed the lead to 10-0 with 5:50 left in the third quarter as Brad Paxton kicked a season-long 35-yard field goal. E.J. Talarico's six-yard touchdown catch off a deflection with 7:59 left closed the JHU scoring.
Rinello completed 23 of 37 attempts for 264 yards.
Johns Hopkins (10-1) will face DePauw in next Saturday's third round. DePauw defeated Maryville (Tenn.), 45-20, Saturday.
This marked Grove City's second straight NCAA playoff appearance. The Wolverines defeated Susquehanna in last year's first round, 21-20, before dropping a 25-24 decision at national champion Cortland State in the second round.