Eagle Staff Writer

GROVE CITY - Forget about the letter 'W.' The Grove City High School football team is all about the number 'zero.'

Zero as in points surrendered. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nil.

"Our goal is zero points and under 100 yards," said senior defensive tackle Kent Uber.

The Eagles have accomplished that goal an uncommon amount of times in the last six weeks. During that span, Grove City has five shutouts and six wins after an 0-2 start that sat about as well as a moldy tuna fish sandwich in the Eagles' collective guts.

"After the first two losses, we could have fallen apart," Uber said. "But we didn't. We bore down and focused."

The Eagles have given up just 14 points since 21-14 loss in Week 2 to Greenville. They have shut out potent offenses in Wilmington and Slippery Rock and were dominant in doing so.

Grove City held Reynolds to nine total yards and forced the Raiders into 20 plays that went for negative yardage. The Eagles also held Mercer to just nine total yards of offense.

Last week in Grove City's third straight shutout, Sharon mustered just 73 yards.

Teams are averaging just 168 yards per game against the Eagles this season.

In the six-game winning streak, Grove City is outscoring opponents 196-14.

"I think that early in the year, it was just a matter of getting the right kids in the right spots," said Grove City coach Jeff Bell. "We had some holes to fill, especially at defensive end."

Those holes were filled nicely when Bell moved Jack Vallely from defensive end to linebacker and plugged in Tim Gruber and Keenan Kimes into the D-end spots.

"They have just gotten better and better every game," Bell said. "We played two really good teams at the beginning of the season. We didn't push the panic button."

Grove City lost to Harbor Creek 34-21 in the opening game of the season, then fell to Greenville 21-14 in Week 2.

Its goal going into the season was to hold opponents to fewer than 10 points per game. After the first two contests, that number was 22.5.

"We didn't question the scheme," Bell said. "We just had to coach the kids up and move some people around to find the right mix."

Since, that number is a microscopic 2.3.

The streak began on a rain-drenched field in Week 3 when Grove City rolled over Reynolds at home. It was the start of the defensive resurgence and the Eagles' playoff push.

The key to the defensive scheme is the play of the defensive line, and with Gruber and Kimes on the ends and mammoths Toni Aloisio and Uber, combining for more than 550 pounds of girth, at defensive tackle, it has worked.

"Our goal is to get double- and triple-teamed on every play," Uber said of himself and Aloisio. "When we're doing that, it opens things up for our linebackers to make plays."

And they have. Vallely, Matt Turek, Danny Wise and Mike Holes have made a slew of tackles this season.

"At the beginning of the year, our linebackers weren't making plays," Bell said. "That was because there were guys all over them. Tony and Kent have played much better. It's been night and day."

Uber has been particularly impressive. Blending size and speed, Uber has had his share of tackles this season as well.

"Kent Uber, the last couple of games, has been dominant," Bell said. "Since the Greenville game, he's gotten better and better and better. He made some plays against Sharon, chasing down running backs from sideline to sideline, that were unbelievable."

The secondary has also been stellar.

Cornerbacks Tim Waxenfelter and Adam Rudolph have shut down passing attacks and with Jesse Alfreno roaming around at free safety, not many quarterbacks have found attacking through the air an easy proposition these days.

Bell has also mixed up coverages this season, going from a cover 3 scheme to cover 2 and man-to-man at times.

"It makes us real hard to prepare for," Bell said.

Grove City will take on Brookville at 7 p.m. Friday on senior night.

Another shutout would be a great way to cap the regular season.

"It's a pride thing now," Bell said. "We try to preach team defense. If one guy doesn't do his job, all suffer. No one want to let the rest of the team down."