GROVE CITY, Pa., (Oct. 11) – The Waynesburg University football team traveled north to Grove City on Saturday for a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup with the Wolverines. The home team came away with the 24-14 victory, but the visitors gave the PAC powerhouse plenty to handle on the afternoon.
 
Waynesburg (2-4, 2-2) set the tone for its day by forcing Grove City (3-2, 2-1) to turn the ball over on downs in Jacket territory on its first possession. Unfortunately, the Jackets punted the ball right back and gave the Wolverines possession at their own 48. However, the Waynesburg defense struck for another big play. Junior defensive back Joanes Polynice (Winter Garden, Fla. / West Orange) sacked quarterback Sutton Ellis at the Waynesburg 27 and forced the ball loose. Junior defensive back Dacious Passmore (Ocala, Fla. / Forest) fell on the fumble for the first turnover of the day.
 
It wouldn't be the last.
 
Waynesburg drove the ball inside the Grove City red zone, but the Wolverines logged their first turnover of the contest on an interception to halt the drive. Grove City took the final possession of the first quarter into the second and wound up punting the ball away.
 
Waynesburg followed with another punt, but it was blocked, giving the host squad possession at the Jacket 20. The Jacket defense rose to the challenge and limited the opposition to just three yards and a field goal.
 
The turnover bug bit the Jackets again on the ensuing possession, and this time the interception was run back 48 yards for the game's first touchdown. With just over seven minutes to play in the half, Grove City led 10-0.
 
Things seemed to go from bad to worse as a penalty on the kickoff put the ball at the Waynesburg one yard line. However, sophomore quarterback Luke Hudson (Morgantown, W.Va. / University) and junior wide receiver Tyler Richmond (Carmichaels, Pa. / Carmichaels) handled the challenge in stride and played a major role in the Orange and Black's most impressive drive of the 2025 season.
 
Hudson and Richmond hooked up on three passes over four plays for 51 yards, moving the line of scrimmage to the Grove City 47. That trio of completions set the tone for a 12-play, 99-yard march to paydirt that ended with junior running back Carson Shriver (Fairview, W.Va. / Clay-Battelle) pounding in his fourth rushing touchdown of the season from the one-yard-line.
 
An extra point by junior Drew Pinkerton (Fayetteville, Pa. / Chambersburg) cut the Grove City lead to 10-7 with roughly a minute remaining in the quarter. That was also the score as the two squads broke for their respective locker rooms at halftime.
 
Waynesburg carried its offensive momentum into the third quarter, as it marched the ball 60 yards on 13 plays to set up Pinkerton for a 32-yard field goal. Unfortunately, Grove City rose up and not only blocked the attempt, but ran it back 80 yards for a touchdown that made the score 17-7.
 
The big plays just kept coming on Grove City's next possession, as the Wolverines advanced the ball to the Waynesburg 36. Polynice struck again to keep his team in the contest, as he logged his second strip sack of the game. Not only did he force the ball loose, but he scooped it up and raced 48 yards for the Jackets' second score of the contest. Another Pinkerton PAT cut the deficit back to just three points.
 
Unfortunately, Grove City shook off the defensive score and drove 70 yards for the game's final points.
 
The Waynesburg offense responded by moving the ball 65 yards in nine plays but stalled at the Wolverine 10. Pinkerton lined up for a 27-yard field goal but was unable to convert with 8:16 showing on the scoreboard.
 
The Jacket defense did its part by forcing a punt on the ensuing drive, but an interception on the first play after the two-minute warning effectively sealed the win for Grove City.
 
Saturday was a mixed bag of results for Hudson, who completed 19-of-32 passes for 252 yards. He was also intercepted three times.
 
Richmond continued to perform like one of the top receivers in the PAC, as he racked up a game-high eight catches for a contest-best 103 yards.
 
The Jacket defense held the powerful Grove City offense to just 242 total yards, including just 83 through the air on seven-of-17 passing. Polynice and senior defensive back John Stewart (Lancaster, Pa. / JP McCaskey) led the defensive charge and tied for the game lead with nine total tackles each.
 
Waynesburg returns to competition on Saturday, Oct. 18, with a home PAC game against Geneva. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.