WAYNESBURG, Pa. — Senior running back Wesley Schools (Port Jervis, N.Y./Port Jervis) rushed for 324 yards and five touchdowns on 35 carries Saturday afternoon to help lead the Grove City College football team to a 42-24 Presidents’ Athletic Conference road win over Waynesburg at Wiley Stadium.
(Photo courtesy of Grove City Athletics)
Schools’ 324 rushing yards are the most ever for a Grove City player in a regular-season game. It is the second-highest single-game rushing total in program history, trailing only Schools’ 359-yard effort in the 2018 James Lynah Bowl against Morrisville State.
Schools went over the 5,000-yard mark for his career. He now has 5,071 yards. His 1,161 yards this season ranks eighth on Grove City’s single-season list.
Sophomore running back Zach Trusky (Carnegie, Pa./Bishop Canevin) added 91 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. As a team, Grove City (5-2, 4-2 PAC) ran for 437 yards on 51 attempts, an average of 8.6 yards per carry. The Wolverines also went 7 for 9 on third-down conversions.
Grove City scored on its first three possessions and jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Schools scored on a one-yard run with 12:22 left in the first quarter. Sophomore kicker Nick Morrow (Moon Township, Pa./Moon) kicked the first of his six extra points to give Grove City a 7-0 lead.
The lead grew to 14-0 at the 6:22 mark when Schools scored on a 35-yard touchdown sprint. On the preceding play, sophomore quarterback Josh Ehst (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) fired a 27-yard strike to junior wide receiver Cody Gustafson (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg), moving the ball into Waynesburg territory.
In the second quarter, Schools capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive that used 5:18 by scoring on a six-yard run with seven minutes remaining. Grove City led 21-3 at halftime and extended the lead to 28-3 with 1:43 remaining in the third quarter on a 13-yard touchdown run by Schools.
Trusky scored from six yards out with 11 minutes left and Schools closed the scoring with a one-yard run.
The Wolverines outgained Waynesburg, 482-356, and held a 25-22 edge in first downs. Ehst went 3 of 9 for 45 yards. Gustafson caught two passes for 38 yards.
Senior linebacker Luke Salerno (Cowansville, Pa./Karns City) led the Wolverine defense with 14 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Junior end R.J. Debo (New Brighton, Pa./New Brighton) recorded nine tackles while sophomore linebackers Nik Grabiec (Newport, Pa./Newport) and Parker Kilgore (Glenshaw, Pa./Shaler) both had seven stops.
Justin Fleck led Waynesburg with 111 rushing yards. Mason Schrenker completed 17 of 29 passes for 184 yards.
The Wolverines have an open date for rest and recovery next week. Grove City will visit Saint Vincent for a 1 p.m. kickoff November 2 in Latrobe, Pa.
