Heading into Saturday’s week seven matchup, the Waynesburg football team had won three straight games for the first time since 2014. It was looking to extend that to four games Saturday. However, a 28-3 win by the Grove City snapped the streak.
With the loss, Waynesburg (3-4, 3-3) falls to sixth place in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, while Grove City (4-3, 3-3) jumps up to fourth in the conference.
The Wolverines began the scoring early and took a 14-0 lead within the first five minutes of the first quarter after two deep touchdown passes of 61 yards and 68 yards from freshman quarterback Josh Ehst to sophomore wideout Cody Gustafson.
Head coach Chris Smithley believes the Jackets didn’t come out ready and their opponent did.
“We played better [in the second],” said Smithley. “We didn’t come out ready to play, in any phase of the game—offense, defense or special teams. You got to give Grove City credit, that is a good football team and they had a good plan and their guys were ready to play.”
Following the eventful first quarter, the Yellow Jackets were able to hold off Grove City until the fourth quarter. Smithley realized what adjustment was needed and tried to do what he and his staff could do to alter the strategy, but sometimes the athleticism of Grove City got the better of the Jackets.
“You take people out of the secondary to stop the run and those are things that we felt confident that our guys could get the job done and not every time were we in bad position,” said Smithley. “Grove City’s players, when the ball was in the air, they went and got it and made plays.”
After a scoreless pair of middle quarters, one minute into the fourth quarter Waynesburg scored its only points of the game with a 29-yard field goal off of the foot of senior kicker Garret Guthrie, which made the score 14-3.
Grove City jumped back on the board less than a minute later with a third Ehst touchdown pass, this time from 66 yards out. Ehst connected with sophomore Cameron Drake to put the Wolverines up 21-3 with 13:14 remaining in the quarter.
Junior running back Wesley Schools concluded the scoring for the day with a seven-yard touchdown run, putting the Wolverines up 28-3, after Nick Morrow added his fourth PAT of the afternoon.
“You have to stop the run, so [we needed] more people in the box to stop the run because that kid is a good back,” said Smithley.
Schools finished the game with 30 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown.
Offensively the Jackets struggled, having many opportunities to score in the red zone but turnovers wouldn’t allow them to capitalize. Three interceptions from junior quarterback Tyler Perone took life out of many scoring chances.
The Grove City defense held junior running-back Chad Walker to 64 yards on the ground and gave up 195 yards through the air but held the Jackets where it mattered the most – in the red zone.
“I thought that we had a good plan coming in,” said Smithley. “But we turned the ball over, you can’t turn the ball over and you can’t turn it over in the red zone. We had our opportunities and we let them slip away and that is on me. I didn’t prepare them well enough.”
Smithley believes just two small parts of the game can be improved and will make a difference next week.
“Red zone scoring,” said Smithley. “We have got to finish drives and not turn the ball over.”
The Jackets will play their second straight road game next Saturday, Oct. 20 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania against the St. Vincent Bearcats. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.