GROVE CITY, Pa. (EYT) — Connor Shoemaker and Brock Barrett were both a part of Redbank Valley’s 2015 football team that won the KSAC Small School Championship, a first in terms of a conference title in 19 years for the Bulldogs.
(Connor Shoemaker (left) is currently a junior on Grove City College’s football team while Brock Barrett is a freshman on the Westminster roster.)
Shoemaker a senior that year and Barrett a sophomore will once again be competing for a championship Saturday, Nov. 17, expect that Saturday they will be competing for separate bowl championships for their collegiate teams 15 miles apart from each other.
Shoemaker will be suiting up for his Wolverines of Grove City College — along with fellow KSAC alums Noah Kepple (Karns City), Ethan Conto (Karns City), Austin Ion (Keystone), Luke Salerno (Karns City), Seth Ray (Brookville), Tyler Beal (Keystone) and Dalton Callihan (Karns City) — as they will host Morrisville State College of Morrisville, N.Y. in the Eastern Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) James Lynah Bowl at Grove City College’s Thorn Field at 1 p.m..
Barrett’s Titans, on the other hand, will be hosting Wesley College out of Dover, Del., in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl at Westminster’s Harold Burry Stadium at noon. Joining Barrett on the Westminster squad from District 9 are Ken Garvey (DuBois), Kyle Hopson (DuBois), Dalton Anderson (Moniteau), Carl Medsger (Punxsutawney), Bryce Sallack (DuBois), Bryson Paulinellie (DuBois) and Dana Logue (Union).
The ECAC consists of 220 Division I, II, and III colleges and universities. For its 107 Division III members, the ECAC holds four bowl games for teams that did not qualify for the 32-team national playoff bracket. Westminster and Grove City both compete in the 10-team President’s Athletic Conference (PAC). Washington & Jefferson College, as the conference champions, is the only team competing in the national playoff from the PAC. Josh Hnat of DuBois plays for the Presidents, who will take on Centre (Ky.).
For Shoemaker and his teammates, the postseason birth is one of historic implications for a team that just two years ago was suffering through a 33 game losing streak.
(Shoemaker recovers an onside kick attempt by Saint Vincent in an October 27th matchup that Grove City won 30-27.)
“Thirty-three games lost in a row,” began Shoemaker, a junior, serves as a special teams starter and reserve defensive back. “To now being a top contender in the PAC and hosting a bowl game, it’s a crazy feeling. It is very special to be a part of this team. Being a part of the turnaround is very special to me because I was there for the bad. My freshman year we lost every game we played. During my sophomore year, we built upon the foundation we had set and got our first win. This year we go 7-3 during the regular season and host a bowl game. I’m blessed to be a part of something bigger than myself. I would do anything for these guys, and I know they would do anything for me.”
The 7-3 finish for the Wolverines is the second-best finish for the program during the last 50 years. The historical significance of Saturday’s bowl game for the Wolverines cannot be understated as they are seeking their first postseason win in the history of the program.
“Coach (Andrew DiDonato) says you don’t deserve anything in life until you are chosen to receive it,” Shoemaker said. “It was determined that we deserved to be in a bowl game. We have the chance to win the school’s first-ever postseason game. This bowl means so much to the program and to the entire Grove City College campus. Coach always tells us to enjoy and celebrate our wins because we know what it is like to be on the other end of it. We always cherish each win, but always come prepared to play our next opponent.”
Barrett’s experience at Westminster has been a bit different this year as he is a freshman on the Titans roster that consists of 109 players. The experience of postseason play, however, is no less exciting for Barrett.
“Taking part in a postseason college football game as a freshman has been a wild experience,” Barrett said. “The practices this week have been more intense than they usually are but that’s how it has to be when it’s the postseason. We traveled today (Thursday) to an indoor facility in Ohio for practice because there’s so much snow in New Wilmington. I can’t wait for Saturday.”
Barrett, although not seeing any varsity action, did see his stock rise during the 2018 campaign as he climbed the ranks of the practice squad and JV team.
“There were some tough times mentally and physically but I put in the time and effort and worked my way up from the bottom as a defensive back,” Barrett said. “I played a little in our first two scrimmages as everyone does and did alright, but there were still a bunch of safeties ahead of me. Eventually, some guys quit, some got hurt, and I kept working. I’m currently the third-string strong safety and started the last three JV games, including one against Mount Union, who is ranked number one in the nation. I haven’t got a chance to play varsity, but I dressed for every home game.”
