STATE COLLEGE - One drive it might be receiver Jesse Alfreno. Another, it might be quarterback Jim Jaskowak or fullback Jack Vallely or running back Dan Wise.

On defense, it might be cornerbacks Adam Rudolph and Tim Waxenfelter or defensive tackles Kent Uber and Tony Aloisio. It is almost always linebackers Mike Holes, Matt Turek and Vallely.

The Grove City High School football team has prided itself on showing off its varied threats on both sides of the ball.

That concept was on display Saturday in a 21-17 win in the PIAA Class AA semifinal against Tyrone.

"We have a lot of talent," Wise said. "That's what we've been striving for all year, to be a team. We stick with teams and then we come out and get the victory."

Wise typified that against Tyrone. Quiet for most of the game, he caught two passes for 25 yards and rushed three times for 14 yards on Grove City's game-winning drive.

He gained the biggest yard of his life on fourth-and-1 with time ticking away on the game and his team's season. Wise then capped that off with a 10-yard touchdown run to send Grove City to the state championship game in Hershey at noon, Saturday against Lansdale Catholic.

For Wise, patience has been a virtue.

He is third on the team in rushing with 478 yards. He can also catch passes out of the backfield, snaring 10 for 137 yards. But he often goes unnoticed amid a myriad of Grove City weapons.

"Dan Wise has been a captain for two years," said quarterback Jim Jaskowak. "He always seems to get lost in the running game. You throw him in there in the tough situations and he excels. I have confidence in him to catch the football and run the football. He deserves so much credit."

Wise prefers to place laurels on his offensive line, which has blocked without prejudice this season.

"It's all the offensive line," Wise said. "I have to give all the credit to them. No one else. It's them. It's always been them. They're not the ones over here doing all the interviews, but it's always them."

Uber, who is also an offensive lineman, takes it a step further. It's not one unit or one person, he said.

"It's a team," Uber said. "You know if you don't get it this drive, you'll get it the next one."

The team concept has helped the Eagles overcome a 0-2 start to earn their first trip to the state championship game.

"Coming up in Bantam and Midget football, it was my dream to play in a state championship game for a good team, and I knew we had a good team at Grove City," Rudolph said. "I would have never believed it would happen."

Many didn't think it ever would. After a profoundly disappointing 5-4 season last year, Grove City dropped its first two games of 2004 and was at a crossroads.

Instead of folding, the Eagles took it as an ultimate challenge.

"This year is a lot different because we are closer," Rudolph said. "We all hang out as a group and love each other so much. We can't wait to come to practice. The last day of practice this week, we never even acted like it was our last practice. We knew we would be coming back."

Grove City is coming back for one more week. Even coach Jeff Bell knew it, which sparked his team even more.

"Coach Bell came (Saturday morning) and said, 'You know we're going to win this game because we already made reservations in Hershey," Jaskowak said. "That's a sign of a coach who really believes in his team. We have one more week to savor the moment."