Andrew DiDonato hasn’t concerned himself with his program’s appearance over the past decade.
In opening the 2025 season with losses in two of its first three games, though, DiDonato said his Grove City football team strayed away from the type of performances that saw the Wolverines emerge as one of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s most recent perennial powers while qualifying for the NCAA Division III playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
“We’re OK when it gets ugly,” said DiDonato, a Bridgeville native and South Fayette High School graduate in his 10th season coaching Grove City. “That’s just who we are, and we’re starting to get back to it.”
Over the past four weeks, no one in the PAC has looked quite as ugly as the Wolverines.
Grove City’s defense conceded just one touchdown — as it had in each of its previous three contests — and forced three critical turnovers to earn a gritty 14-7 victory over Westminster Saturday in a PAC game at Robert E. Thorn Field in Grove City.
Senior running back Chase Rankin scored the winning touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:49 left in the fourth quarter of a game in which the Wolverines mustered just 141 yards of total offense.
“We’re going to commit to running and stopping the run,” DiDonato said. “That’s just Grove City football.”
The Wolverines linebackers led the effort to stop the Titans.
Senior linebacker Jack Jollie, a Penn-Trafford product, tallied a game-high-tying 13 tackles, 1½ for a loss, while fellow linebacker Caleb Brubaker also racked up 13 tackles, 2 for a loss, with 1 sack to lead Grove City (5-2, 4-1 PAC) past Westminster (4-3, 3-2) for its fourth consecutive victory.
“Our defense, we like to put pressure, we’ve got some good ballplayers up front,” Jollie said. “We want to tee off any opportunities that we can within our vision.”
Senior safety Keagan Fraser also left his imprint on the game in a major way. This Knoch product intercepted two passes from Westminster quarterback Quentin Goode.
Sophomore cornerback Noah Wheeler added another interception for the Wolverines to ice the game. The Titans were attempting to score a tying touchdown on its final possession inside the game’s final minute.
“Everyone was doing their 1/11th,” Fraser said. “They ended up throwing it deep, and with all the pressure up front our D-line puts on, the quarterback is not in a comfortable position. It honestly makes it easier for me. All I have to do is run backwards and be in the spot to get the catch.”
DiDonato said he was pleased with Fraser’s performance in particular.
“He’s worked so hard,” DiDonato said. “He’s been in and out of the lineup, and for him to make the plays he did, I told the guys, we have a phrase, ‘Don’t make excuses. Don’t complain. Extreme ownership.’ Even when he wasn’t starting originally, he never made an excuse, never complained, kept working. Now he’s directing the band in one of our biggest wins.
“It’s just a testament to a young man who represents everything we want to be in this program.”
Keagan Fraser is the younger brother of Scott Fraser, a former standout wide receiver for the Wolverines who graduated a year ago after finishing second all time in career receptions, yardage and touchdowns in program history. Their father, Scott, also played at Grove City from 1991-94, while Scott and Keagan’s younger brother, Wyatt, is a freshman wide receiver.
“It was a lot of fun,” Keagan Fraser said. “With only four games left, I’ve really been thinking I don’t have much football left. For this to happen right before I’m done playing, it just means a lot to me.”
After the teams played a scoreless first half, Grove City struck first when quarterback Ethan Wiley connected with Seth McGroerty for a 61-yard touchdown pass with 11:44 left in the third quarter.
Westminster then responded with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive, which Goode — an Aliquippa product — punctuated with a 14-yard touchdown pass to freshman Lawrence Grayson to tie the score at 7-7 with 5:25 left in the third quarter.
Grove City’s winning touchdown run by Rankin then came on the ensuing possession after Fraser’s second interception midway through the fourth quarter.
“Defense, run the football, win ugly, make a big play in the pass, but we are going to commit to running the ball,” DiDonato said.
Goode, who is the only quarterback in Aliquippa history to win three consecutive WPIAL championships, threw for 196 yards to pace the Titans offense, while running back Clayton Cannon Jr. rushed for 70 yards on 23 carries.
“We expected a dog fight, honestly” Jollie said of Westminster. “This team is fantastic, and we have a pretty good team. We’ve had a lot of low-scoring games this year.”
And, Jollie said, he expects his team to now compete for a third consecutive NCAA playoff berth.
With a victory over No. 22-ranked Cortland in their season opener to their credit, Jollie said the Wolverines should have a strong postseason resume should it take care of business in its final three games against Saint Vincent, Case Western and Hiram.
“We’re here to fight,” Jollie said. “We’re going to make what we can happen.”
W&J quarterback sets NCAA Division III record in rout of rival Waynesburg
Washington & Jefferson quarterbacks Kellan Stahl and backup Colin Payne combined to complete 32 of 33 passes for 448 yards and 6 touchdowns to lead the Presidents to a 56-0 record-setting rout of rival Waynesburg Saturday in a PAC game at Cameron Stadium in Washington.
Stahl completed 27 of 28 passes for 408 yards and 5 touchdowns to lead the Presidents (5-2, 5-0) to their fifth consecutive victory. He set the NCAA Division III record for completion percentage in a single game with his .964 showing against the Yellow Jackets (2-6, 2-4). Payne was 5 of 5 for 40 yards and a score.
Senior wide receiver Jacob Macosko, a Peters Township product, led the way in the W&J passing game with 6 catches for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Joey DeSabato, a Shaler graduate, chipped in 5 receptions for 95 yards and a score and John Peduzzi caught 6 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Senior wide receiver TJ Lynn, a Marion Center product, also caught a 7-yard touchdown for the Presidents.
No. 16 Carnegie Mellon fades late in upset loss
After leading by as much as 16 points with 1:01 left in the third quarter, No. 16 Carnegie Mellon surrendered three unanswered fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to absorbing a 27-23 upset loss to Muhlenberg in a Centennial Conference contest at Scotty Wood Stadium in Allentown, Pa.
Matthew Manning scored the Mules’ winning touchdown with 1:57 remaining in regulation on a 2-yard run to cap an 8-play, 64-yard drive, which took 4:34 second off the clock. He also scored the first of Muhlenberg’s fourth-quarter scores on an 8-yard run before quarterback Luke Spang added a 2-yard rushing touchdown.
Spang threw for 227 yards but also rushed for 49 yards and two scores.
Carnegie Mellon quarterback Joey McGinnis IV completed 25 of 47 passes for 297 yards, a touchdown and an interception while also rushing for a team-high 43 yards and a score.
Wide receiver Brendan McCullough, a Peters Township native, caught 7 passes for a game-high 114 yards, while his brother Nick, a freshman receiver, added a 10-yard touchdown run.
Luca Cuttita caught two passes for 71 yards and a touchdown for the Tartans.
Carnegie Mellon (4-3, 2-2) now sits in fourth place in the Centennial Conference behind Johns Hopkins (7-0, 4-0), Franklin & Marshall (6-1, 4-0) and Muhlenberg (6-1, 3-1).
IUP rebounds from first PSAC West loss with victory over California in Coal Bowl
Quarterback Matthew Rueve threw for 260 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception to lead Indiana University of Pennsylvania to a critical 38-30 victory over California University of Pennsylvania in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division rivalry game known as “The Coal Bowl” at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana, Pa.
Wide receiver Devin Whitlock — a Belle Vernon product and Pitt transfer — caught 9 passes for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Crimson Hawks (5-2, 3-1), while Leon Parsons added 47 yards and two scores on the ground. Tavion Banks chipped in with 40 yards and a touchdown on the ground against the Vulcans (5-2, 2-3).
Quarterback Phaeton Hill threw for 214 yards and rushed for 9 yards and 1 touchdown for California, while sophomore Deontae Williams, a Woodland Hills product, caught 9 passes for a game-high 108 yards.
Indiana maintained its spot atop the PSAC West Division ahead of Edinboro (4-4, 3-1) with the victory over California, which came just seven days after the Crimson Hawks absorbed a 30-27 loss to rival Slippery Rock.
Seton Hill falls to Clarion on the road
Sophomore quarterback Boden St. Marie threw for 174 yards and wide receiver Jayden Llanos caught 8 passes for 117 yards, but it wasn’t enough to lead Seton Hill to an upset of Clarion, which emerged with a 23-17 victory at Memorial Stadium in Clarion, Pa.
Darrian Carter rushed for 47 yards and a score, while St. Marie chipped in with 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Griffins (4-5, 2-3).
Wide receiver Holt Egan caught 4 passes for 142 yards for the Golden Eagles (6-2, 2-2), and redshirt sophomore Davon Jones, a Westinghouse product, added 3 catches for 24 yards and 1 score.
Duquesne upset by Wagner for first NEC loss
Duquesne took a 10-point deficit into halftime and never recovered as the Dukes were upset by Wagner, 24-13, at Wagner College Stadium in Staten Island, N.Y., for their first Northeast Conference loss this season.
With the loss to the Seahawks (2-6, 1-2), Duquesne (5-4, 3-1) fell a half-game behind first-place Central Connecticut State (5-3, 3-0) in the NEC. The Blue Devils were idle Saturday.
The Dukes offense, led by quarterback Tyler Riddell, was never able to fully get comfortable against Wagner, especially in the running game. Duquesne rushed for just 77 yards.
Riddell threw for 163 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown for the Dukes’ lone second-half score to pull his team to a 17-13 deficit with 1:28 left in the third quarter.
It was as close as Duquesne would get.
Wide receiver Joey Isabella caught 7 passes for 63 yards and 1 touchdown to lead the Dukes offense.
Andre Hines rushed for 94 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 carries for the Seahawks, while Jack Stevens added 44 yards and a score on the ground.
Robert Morris upends Saint Francis for first NEC victory
Quarterback Zach Tanner threw for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running back Ethan Shine rushed for 123 yards and 1 TD on 23 carries to lead Robert Morris to a 24-14 victory over Saint Francis at DeGol Field in Loretto, Pa.
It was the first NEC victory of the season for the Colonials (2-6, 1-2). The Red Flash (0-7, 0-3) are playing their final season at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level before transitioning to become an NCAA Division III program next year.
Senior wide receiver Thomas Lee caught 5 passes for 115 yards and 1 touchdown for Robert Morris, which also got two catches for 23 yards and a score through the air from Richard Ransom.
Pitt passing attack overwhelms N.C. State
Quarterback Mason Heintschel completed 28 of 48 passes for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Pitt to a 53-34 victory against Atlantic Coast Conference foe North Carolina State at Acrisure Stadium.
Cataurus Hicks caught 4 passes for 120 yards and a score for the Panthers (6-2, 4-1 ACC), while Kenny Johnson added 7 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. Raphael Williams Jr. chipped in 5 catches for 62 yards and a score against the Wolfpack (4-4, 1-3).
Ja’kyrian Turner also rushed for 50 yards and 2 touchdowns for Pitt, while Desmond Reid added 41 yards and a score on the ground.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.