• Box Score

GROVE CITY, Pa. (Sept. 22) – For the second-straight game, the Waynesburg University football team used a late fourth-quarter touchdown by freshman running back Robert Heller to claim victory. On Saturday night in front of a record crowd at Robert E. Thorn Field, Heller found the end zone from the 1-yard line with only 13 seconds remaining to lift the Yellow Jackets to a 27-23 victory over the Wolverines, who were playing their first-ever home night game.

Grove City broke a 20-20 tie midway through the fourth quarter with a 49-yard field goal by freshman kicker Chris Haley. The Yellow Jackets looked to tie or take the lead on the ensuing possession, but turned the ball over on downs at the Wolverines' 26-yard line with 3:39 remaining in the game.

The Waynesburg defense forced Grove City to punt after sophomore quarterback Andrew DiDonato was sacked by defensive end DJ DeWitt and safety Ryan Krull on third down. The Yellow Jackets, who constantly struggled with penalties throughout the game, benefited from a kick-catch interference penalty against the Wolverines which allowed Waynesburg to start the eventual game-winning drive at the Grove City 36-yard line.

The Yellow Jackets moved the ball inside the red zone following a scramble by junior quarterback Andy Lauterbach, a first-down completion from Lauterbach to junior receiver Andy Hodanich and a 12-yard run by Heller. On second-and-goal, it looked like Grove City would cling to the victory as Lauterbach was intercepted by Mike Baker near the goal line. However, the Wolverines were called for a pass interference penalty and roughing the passer penalty on the play, giving Waynesburg a new set of downs at the 2-yard line. Grove City stopped a Heller lunge toward on first down; however, the freshman standout gave the Yellow Jackets the final lead of the game 27-23 on second down with 12 seconds left in the game.

Heller continued to key the Waynesburg offense in the victory, rushing for 211 yards and three touchdowns (23, 5, 1) on 39 attempts. In the second half, the Ringgold product totaled 143 yards on 22 carries, including 14 attempts in the fourth quarter. Through three games this season, Heller has rushed for 718 yards and 12 touchdowns on 117 attempts. He is the first player in school history to post three career 200-yard games, accomplishing the feat in his first three career games.

Waynesburg opened the game scoring 14-straight points in the first quarter with touchdown runs by Heller and senior fullback Aaron Davis. The Wolverines answered back in the second quarter to tie the game at 14-14, including a 21-yard strike from DiDonato to receiver Jay Yanak.

With the score tied, Heller gave Waynesburg a 20-14 lead with a 5-yard touchdown scamper and 3:44 left before halftime. Grove City trimmed the lead to 20-17 before the end of the second quarter with a 26-yard field goal from Haley.

Haley evened the game at 20-20 with a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter.

After allowing 17-points in the second quarter, the Yellow Jacket defense limited the Wolverines to four total first downs and 99 yards of total offense in the second half. The defense was led by a trio of seniors in linebackers Brendon Steele and Dan Andreassi and defensive end Mike Czerwien. Steele tied his career high with 15 tackles (12 solo), while Czerwien and Andreassi each registered a career high with 13 and 11 tackles, respectively.

Czerwien and DeWitt provided constant pressure on DiDonato and the Wolverine offensive line, as the duo combined for 9.0 TFL and 7.0 sacks. DeWitt set a single-game school record with 4.5 sacks, while Czerwien notched 2.5 sacks in the game.

Waynesburg is off to its first 3-0 start since the 2004 season and improve to 1-0 in Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) play with the win at Grove City. The Wolverines, meanwhile, fall to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in league action.

The Yellow Jackets return to action next Saturday, Sept. 22, when they continue PAC play against Thomas More College in Edgewood, Ky., for a 2:30 kickoff. The game will be played at Dixie Heights High School due to construction at the Saints' Bank of Kentucky Field.