CLEVELAND -- Senior wide receiver Scott Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch) caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Logan Pfeuffer (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) in overtime Saturday night to help lift the Grove City College football team to a 27-24 victory at Case Western Reserve in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at DiSanto Field. It is Grove City's first-ever victory at Case Western Reserve.
Case Western Reserve took a 24-21 lead on the first possession of overtime when Gabriel Petrozzi kicked a 37-yard field goal. Grove City junior running back Nico Flati (Aliquippa, Pa./West Allegheny) carried the ball on the first three plays of the Wolverines' possession, netting 17 yards.
On second-and-goal at the 8, Pfeuffer fired a play-action strike to Fraser on a slant pattern at the goal line to give the Wolverines the win.
Flati finished with 128 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. His seven-yard touchdown run with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter tied the game at 21.
Senior running back Clayton Parrish (Mercer, Pa./West Middlesex) opened Grove City's scoring with a one-yard run 1:38 into the second quarter. That plunge tied the game 7-7. The drive began at the Grove City 49 after junior defensive end Bryce Spolnik (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) forced a fumble and graduate student linebacker Ryan Fleming (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) recovered the ball.
Grove City took a 14-7 lead with 7:37 left in the third quarter as the Wolverines opened the second half with a 14-play, 70-yard drive. Parrish slammed in from the 1 and sophomore kicker Caleb Kuechly (West Chester, Ohio/Mars Hill) followed with the second of his three extra points.
Case Western Reserve quarterback Alex Fromberg threw a game-tying three-yard touchdown pass to Sean-Michael James on the subsequent drive. CWRU reclaimed the lead, 21-14, with 9:15 left as a scrambling Fromberg threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wojkowski.
Case Western Reserve had fourth-and-1 at the Grove City 41 with one minute left in regulation but senior cornerback Gabe Dunlap (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) tackled Ethan Dahlem for a two-yard loss on a wide receiver screen.
Fraser caught four passes for 41 yards. Freshman wide receiver Daniel Sullivan (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) had two catches for 38 yards while senior Ryan Heckathorn (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) added two catches for 30 yards. Pfeuffer completed 9 of 22 passes for 124 yards.
Fleming led the defense with a career-high 16 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Jack Jollie (Jeannette, Pa./Penn Trafford) added 11 stops. Senior safety Dominic Magliocco (McKees Rocks, Pa./Montour) recorded a sack, the first of his career.
Case Western Reserve held a 357-301 edge in total yardage. Each team had 18 first downs. Fromberg completed 16 of 22 passes for 146 yards. He also ran for 83 yards on 15 carries. Wojkowski caught five passes for 73 yards.
It is Grove City's first overtime win since a 29-26 double-overtime home win October 5, 2019 over Carnegie Mellon. It is Grove City's first road overtime win since a 50-44 win at Thiel in the 2013 season finale.
Parrish now has 42 career rushing touchdowns, the No. 3 mark in program history.
Grove City (3-0, 3-0 PAC) will host No. 15 Carnegie Mellon (3-0, 3-0 PAC) next Saturday at 7 p.m. in the annual night game at Thorn Field. It will also be Hall of Fame night at the College.
Grove City wins in OT, 27-24
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20230916_je3s.xml
2023
Grove City
27
Case Western Reserve
24
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18 Grove City (3-0) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Case Western Reserve (1-1) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
Sep 16, 2023