PAC Football Notebook: Grove City aims for first win against No. 6/7 Mount Union
· Yahoo Sports
In the opening weekend of Presidents' Athletic Conference football, the teams went 6-5 in nonconference play.
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Three of the top five preseason favorites — Washington and Jefferson, Grove City and Westminster — dropped their first games of the season.
Meanwhile, three of the bottom four in the preseason poll — Saint Vincent, Hiram and Bethany — all started the year 1-0, albeit against inferior opponents.
The nonconference slate continues this week, headlined by Grove City's second-consecutive ranked meeting, this time against No. 6/7 Mount Union.
Regional game previews
No. 6/7 Mount Union (0-1) vs. Grove City (0-1)
Gove City continues its ranked schedule today against No. 6/7 Mount Union. The Wolverines are coming off a 28-18 non-conference loss to No. 23 Cortland in their home opener Sept. 5.
Sophomore quarterback Mike Hollomon threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns in his first start, but a late interception on a bobbled pass ended Grove City’s comeback effort.
Wide receivers Daniel Sullivan (four catches, 69 yards) and Sam Penna (six catches, 48 yards) both caught touchdowns, while running back Chase Rankin had 83 yards on 26 carries.
Mount Union also lost a ranked matchup against No. 5 Wheaton after their potential game-winning PAT was blocked with 22 seconds remaining.
Purple Raiders’ Quarterback Mike Maloney threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Kayden Minner totaled 101 yards from scrimmage and caught a touchdown, while wide out Mason Ashby had eight catches for 79 yards.
Today will be the 10th overall meeting between the teams, with Mount Union holding an 8-0-1 series lead.
Westminster (0-1) vs. Franklin and Marshall (1-0)
The Titans look to get their first win of the season as they host last year’s Centennial Conference champion, Franklin and Marshall.
Westminster lost 34-24 on the road to Mariette on Sept. 3. It was the team’s fourth straight road-opening loss.
Quentin Goode threw for 215 yards and one touchdown, while Sean O’Shea went 4 of 7 for 34 yards, adding a rushing touchdown. Lawrence Grayson had four catches for 64 yards, and Micah Brown caught a 40-yard touchdown pass.
The Diplomats opened their season with a 31-7 win over Lebanon Valley. Na’Rome Rayborn led the attack with 135 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 104 yards rushing. Both of his passing touchdowns went to Hudson Zawadzkas, who had four catches for 83 yards.
While the Titans haven’t had much success in road openers as of recently, going back to 2015, they are 12-5 in home openers.
These two teams last met in 2025, with Westminster coming out on top 27-7 in a home stand.
Thiel (0-1) vs. Adrian (1-0)
The Tomcats are coming off a 74-13 loss to Alfred State. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, earned a 17-10 win over Ohio Northern University, garnering votes in the D3football.com Top 25 and American Football Coaches Association national polls.
Thiel’s Na’Jier Howard completed 13-of-30 passes for 144 yards with a touchdown and interception. Timothy Chennis had seven carries for 34 yards, while Jamond Gladney had five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
For Adrian, Amir Collings threw for 123 yards with a touchdown and five interceptions. Jordan Pettaway had 13 carries for 86 yards, while Mikey Brown had four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown.
Today’s game is the second meeting between the two schools. Adrian defeated Thiel last year 76-0 at home.
Week in review
- Saint Vincent had the biggest win, a 60-6 drubbing of Hilbert.
- Saint Vincent’s Jake Phillips was named the Offensive Player of the Week after completing 19 of his 25 passes for 303 yards and six touchdowns. His six touchdowns were the second most in a single game in program history.
- Geneva’s Noah Hutcherson was named the Defensive Player of the Week. The junior defensive back had 10 tackles, three for a loss, and two pass breakups.
- Allegheny’s Re’Mir Ratchford took home the Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt for a 48-yard touchdown.
- Bethany’s Jackson Ragland was named the Newcomer of the Week after recording six returns for 173 yards, including a 79-yard return in the fourth quarter.
- Case Western Reserve's Jake Kavcic was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week after the Spartans' 38-20 win over the University of Rochester. The junior safety had five tackles, one sack and four pass breakups, which was tied for the fourth most in DIII last week.
Around the PAC
- Waynesburg vs. Ursinus, noon
- Allegheny vs. Juniata, 1 p.m.
- Hiram vs. Manchester University, 1 p.m.
- W&J vs. Keystone, 1:05 p.m.
- Baldwin Wallace vs. Bethany, 1:30 p.m.
- Shenandoah University vs. Geneva, 7 p.m.