Football | 11/22/2025 8:10:00 PM

HANOVER, Ind. (pacathletics.org) - The Grove City College football team rallied in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon at Hanover in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament but the host Panthers (9-2) held off Grove City for a 23-15 decision at Alumni Stadium.

Grove City trailed 17-0 after three quarters before charging back. Senior quarterback Ethan Wiley (Mercer, Pa./Mercer) fired a 12-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Daniel Sullivan (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury) with 8:29 left, cutting the lead to 17-7. That pass capped a seven-play, 85-yard touchdown drive. 

Wiley's 41-yard strike to junior wide receiver Seth McGroerty (Middletown, Del./Red Lion Christian) gave Grove City a first down at the Hanover 14, setting up the score. 

Hanover's Jack Pennington caught an eight-yard touchdown pass with 2:46 left on the next possession. But the Panthers missed the extra point, keeping the margin 16. 

Grove City halved the lead to 23-15 less than a minute later when junior running back Chase Rankin (Coventry Township, Ohio/Coventry) scored on an eight-yard run with 1:47 remaining. Wiley's 74-yard bomb to junior wide receiver Sam Penna (Johnstown, Pa./Richland) advanced the ball to the Hanover 18 prior to the two-minute timeout.

McGroerty then caught the two-point conversion.

Grove City's onside kick did not go 10 yards, though. Hanover then sealed the win when a defensive penalty on third-and-4 gave the Panthers their 24th and final first down of the game.

Wiley completed 9 of 19 passes for 216 yards. Ranklin ran for a team-leading 67 yards on 13 carries. McGroerty caught five passes for 120 yards. 

Grove City gained 309 yards on 47 offensive plays. Hanover amassed 360 yards on its 76 offensive snaps. The Panthers held a 39:06-20:54 edge in time of possession. 

Hanover quarterback Eian Roudebush completed 19 of 35 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 75 yards and two scores. Hanover finished with 182 rushing yards. 

Senior linebacker Caleb Brubaker (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) led Grove City with seven tackles. Senior cornerback Boden Davidson (Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale), senior safety Ryan Montgomery (Harrisville, Pa./Slippery Rock) and freshman nose tackle Kellan Taylor (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn-Trafford) all had six stops. 

Senior linebacker Jack Jollie (Jeannette, Pa./Penn-Trafford) recorded a sack. Hanover had two sacks as a team. The Panthers forced the lone turnover of the game when Grove City fumbled at the Hanover 2 with four minutes left in the first quarter. 

Saturday's game marked the first-ever meeting between the programs. Grove City made its third straight appearance in the national playoffs. Hanover made its first NCAA playoff appearance since 2019. The Panthers will visit defending national champion North Central next Saturday at 1 p.m. EST.

Courtesy of Grove City Sports Information