By Charli Missouri · Contributing Writer
The Grove City College football team faced a setback at home on Saturday, Sept. 20 when they fell 14-49 to No. 2 Mount Union.
The Mount Union Raiders are 13-time NCAA Division III national champions, widely known for their outstanding football program. This outing marks the first time these DIII powerhouses have met since 1979, which ended in a 30-14 victory for the Raiders.
The Raiders continue to hold one of the highest all-time winning percentages in college football and finished their 2024 season with a 14-1 record.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around too often where you get to play such a top caliber national opponent. This program has been building towards moments like this … we know exactly what we’re up against – but Grove City’s up for the challenge,” senior team captain Anthony Brunette said.
Grove City, serving as the No. 15 team at the time of this article, is led by Head Coach Andrew DiDonato. The team recently secured a 31-14 win against Cortland, who was formerly ranked No. 10 in DIII football.
“It’s just like any other opponent. We put them to our vision, and we use our vision to be able to compete,” senior running back Christian Royer said.
“Our superpower is vision and being able to use that vision will help propel us to compete with a team like this,” Brunette added.
The Wolverines jumped out to 7-0 lead early in the first, with the team’s nine-play, 75-yard opening drive culminating in a 10-yard touchdown run from junior quarterback Sutton Ellis. The Raiders’ offense answered immediately as running back Darnell Williams took the ball 67 yards to the house to even the score at 7-7.
The Raiders then went on to score 42 points unanswered, maintaining a 49-7 lead well into the fourth quarter. Grove City closed out the scoring late in the fourth, with senior quarterback Ethan Wiley finding junior wide receiver Daniel Sullivan in the endzone to add the final seven points to the 49-14 decision.
Regardless of this setback, the Wolverines believe that their emphasis on vision and preparation will equip them to tackle the rest of their schedule, according to sophomore cornerback Noah Wheeler.
“We know that whenever we’re playing the type of football that we’re meant to play – what we enforce in practice – nobody can beat us,” Wheeler said.
The Wolverines will return to action tomorrow, Sept. 27, against the Washington & Jefferson Presidents. The highly anticipated PAC powerhouse matchup will serve as Grove City’s annual White-Out Night game, and action will kick off at 7 p.m. on Robert E. Thorn Field.
