Grove City College Athletics

GROVE CITY, Pa. -- The Grove City College football team improved to 5-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference by rallying for a 21-16 home victory over Case Western Reserve (7-2, 4-2) in conference action Saturday afternoon at Robert E. Thorn Field.

Grove City (6-3) out-rushed the Spartans, 180-78, and went 8 for 13 on third down in the win. 

Sophomore running back Braxtyn Brown (Berwick, Pa./Columbia Montour Vo-Tech) ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns, with 89 of his yards coming in the second half. Junior wide receiver John Perry (Cortland, Ohio/Howland) caught a career-high six passes for 86 yards and a go-ahead touchdown as the Wolverines erased a 10-7 halftime deficit.

Case Western Reserve took a 7-0 lead with 6:54 left in the first quarter when Andy Kavcic scored on a three-yard run, capping a game-opening 13-play, 71-yard drive.

Grove City answered with an eight-play, 78-yard drive that ended when Brown scored on a two-yard run. Senior kicker Devon Thomas (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) kicked the extra point. The drive featured a career-long 44-yard run from sophomore quarterback Mike Hollomon (Princeton, N.J./The Pingry School) to the Spartans' 8 on third-and-4.

Case Western Reserve reclaimed the lead in the closing moments of the first half when Gabriel Petrozzi kicked a 21-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the half.

Grove City took its first lead of the day when Hollomon fired an eight-yard touchdown pass to Perry with 4:20 left in the third quarter. Two plays earlier, Hollomon threw an 18-yard strike to Perry on fourth-and-10.

Brown pushed the lead to 21-10 with 9:22 left in the game as his three-yard touchdown run closed out a 12-play, 92-yard drive that used 7:08. 

Jake Otto's six-yard touchdown catch from Pierce Olsen with 4:20 remaining in the game trimmed the lead to 21-16. However, after an exchange of possessions, Grove City sealed the win with Brown's four-yard run on third-and-4.

Hollomon completed 13 of 24 passes for 143 yards. Senior wide receiver Darviae Gray (Buffalo, N.Y./Amherst Central) had four catches for 36 yards. Hollomon finished with 48 rushing yards. 

Grove City finished with a 323-275 edge in total yardage. 

Sophomore linebacker Aiden Kitts (Rancocas Valley, N.J./Rancocas Valley) led the Wolverines with 11 tackles while junior cornerback Noah Wheeler (McKinney, Texas/McKinney Christian) added nine stops. Junior defensive end Caleb Kuhl (Winfield, W.Va./Winfield) recorded a sack.

Otto caught six passes for 56 yards. Kavcic ran for 67 yards on 20 attempts. Olsen completed 9 of 18 passes for 80 yards in relief of starter Aaron Filips. Filips went 13 of 18 for 117 yards.

Grove City will close the regular season next Saturday against conference foe Thiel. The Senior Day game will be the renewal of the Mercer County Cup series after a one-year hiatus. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. at Thorn Field.