CLEVELAND -- The Grove City College football team dropped a 35-21 decision Saturday afternoon at Case Western Reserve in Presidents' Athletic Conference action at DiSanto Field. Grove City trailed 20-0 at halftime before rallying in the second half.

Grove City (6-3, 5-3 PAC) opened the second half with an eight-play, 65-yard drive that junior running back Clayton Parrish (Mercer, Pa./West Middlesex) capped with a three-yard touchdown run at the 11:11 mark.

Following a Case Western Reserve punt, Grove City cut the lead to 20-14 with 2:20 left in the quarter as senior quarterback Josh Ehst (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) scored on a one-yard sneak. That punctuated a 12-play, 95-yard drive that used six minutes. 

The Grove City defense forced another CWRU punt but the Wolverines mishandled the kick at the 14 and the Spartans recovered. Two plays later, Aidan Cain caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Drew Saxton, pushing the lead to 26-14. Cain also caught the two-point conversion with 13:05 left.

Two minutes later, Grove City answered as Ehst fired a 42-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Scott Fraser (Butler, Pa./Knoch). Fraser finished the game with a career-high 12 receptions for 145 yards. Ehst completed 24 of 40 passes for 308 yards. 

Senior wide receiver Cody Gustafson (Newburg, Pa./Shippensburg) caught eight passes for 96 yards. Parrish led the Wolverines with 65 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Sophomore cornerback Gabe Dunlap (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trafford) intercepted a pass for the Wolverines. Senior defensive end Scott Hastings (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) and freshman nose tackle Kobe Bonanno (New Bethlehem, Pa./Fairview) shared a sack. Senior linebacker Parker Kilgore (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) led Grove City with 10 tackles. 

Grove City outgained Case Western Reserve, 396-384, and also held a 27-20 edge in first downs. Grove City went 6 of 12 on third down while Case Western Reserve converted 9 of 11 third downs.  

Saxton completed 22 of 28 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Orsini ran for 124 yards and two scores on 17 carries. 

Grove City will conclude the 2021 regular season next Saturday at Thiel in the battle for prestigious Mercer County Cup. Kickoff in Greenville will be 12 p.m.