Box Score

GROVE CITY, Pa. (Oct. 31) – A strong second half by the Yellow Jackets wasn't enough to overcome four turnovers and some first-half struggles as they fell to Grove City 35-24 on Saturday at Robert E. Thorn Field.

The loss dropped Waynesburg to 4-4 on the season and 1-3 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Grove City improved to 3-5 on the year and 2-2 in conference play.

Early in the third quarter, the Jackets found themselves behind 28-3 after a pair of first-half Blaine Miller touchdown runs and a Wolverine fumble recovery in the end zone. Senior quarterback Andrew DiDonato made it 28-3 when he dove in from one yard out just minutes into the second half.

Waynesburg got on the comeback trail in the early part of the third quarter, and it was sophomore running back Justin Falcon who led the charge. The gritty runner picked up his first touchdown run of the game on a seven-yard scamper that capped a 13-play, 73-yard march to pay dirt. Falcon broke the goal line with 7:40 to go in the third quarter, and freshman kicker Jon Storck made his first extra point attempt of the day to cut the deficit to 28-10.

Seconds into the fourth quarter, Waynesburg slashed the lead to 11 (28-17) when Falcon raced 15 yards to the Grove City end zone for his second score of the day. With 14:26 still showing on the clock, and within two scores of their hosts, the momentum was clearly with the Jackets.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines were able to rebound five minutes later with a 23-yard DiDonato touchdown run with 9:15 showing on the game clock. After Craig Bicehouse connected on his fifth extra point of the day, GCC was back up by 18 (35-17).

However, Waynesburg refused to lie down and brought the game back to within 11 points with 5:00 to go in the contests. Again, it was Falcon who did the damage, as he pounded in a two-yard touchdown run that ended a quick three-play, 29-yard drive set up by a shanked Grove City punt.

After Storck connected on his 37^th-straight made PAT, Waynesburg had trimmed the deficit down to 35-24. Unfortunately, that's as close as the Jackets could come to completing the comeback. The visitors ended the game on a 21-7 run.

While Falcon was clearly Waynesburg's offensive MVP for the day after rushing for a game-high 119 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, linebacker Troy Cree also had a day to remember.

The junior set a team season high for total tackles with 16. He also piled up game highs in solo tackles (9) and assisted tackles (7), while also picking up half a sack and recovering a fumble.

Freshman linebacker Alex Menton also enjoyed a breakout game with 13 total tackles, including seven solo stops. He added a tackle for loss.

Junior quarterback Brad Dawson completed 22-of-39 attempts for 250 yards and an interception. His favorite target on the day was fellow junior Bobby Francis, who caught a game-high six passes for a contest-best 105 yards.

Though DiDonato was kept in check when he went through the air (15-of-24 passing, 172 yards, one interception), he made up for it with his ground work. The senior racked up 14 carries for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

Miller led the Grove City offense with 108 yards and two touchdowns on a workman-like 33 carries.

As previously mentioned, turnovers, particularly fumbles, stifled the Jackets' potent offense. Waynesburg lost all three balls they put on the turf, as compared to just one lost fumble by Grove City. The Yellow Jackets managed to out-gain the Wolverines 427-367. The home team also held a big advantage in time of possession (36:27 to 23:33).

The Jackets will try to rebound next Saturday, Oct. 7, when they play in their 2009 home finale against Thiel. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m.