GROVE CITY — Holding a vulnerable 21-14 edge over DuBois at halftime Friday, Grove City found itself in an unfamiliar position.

But the Eagles weren't about to let the Beavers spoil their Senior Night.

Grove City piled up 21 unanswered points in the first seven minutes, 35 seconds of the third quarter and cruised to a 63-21 victory to wrap up its second consecutive undefeated regular season and fourth District 10 Region 5 title in a row.

“We went into halftime a little disappointed in ourselves,” said Grove City quarterback Tyler Dagres, a four-year starter. “We were talking amongst the seniors and we told everybody, ‘You need to come out in the second half and make it happen.'”

There's no doubt the team was listening.

The Eagles (9-0, 6-0 Region 5) opened the second half with an eight play, 60-yard scoring drive, capped by a 4-yard run from Wes Phipps.

The Beavers hardly had a chance to answer, as Chad Williams picked off a deflected pass from DuBois quarterback Sean Sleigh on the next play from scrimmage.

“After that, it kind of rolled downhill on us,” said DuBois coach Frank Varischetti.

Grove City took over on the DuBois 28 and Dagres scored three plays later on a 14-yard scamper.

Following a three-and-out from the Beavers, the Eagles continued the surge with a 52-yard scoring pass from Dagres to Foster Reznor. Suddenly, the Grove City lead bloated from 21-14 at the half to 42-14 with 4:35 to go in the third.

“I thought we'd have a little bit of a problem in the beginning of the game because it's a very emotional night,” said Grove City coach Jeff Bell. “I was glad that we responded the way we did.

“It was good for us,” Bell added. “Everyone keeps saying, ‘What are you going to do when someone scores on you? ... What are you going to do when the game is tight? ... What are you going to do when you have to play four quarters?

“Hopefully, we answered those questions.”

DuBois (7-2, 4-2) played Grove City tough from the opening whistle and the squads were tied at 7-7 after the first quarter.

Dagres opened the scoring with a 24-yard run on a fourth-and-2, but the Beavers countered with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Sleigh to Max Hine.

Phipps tallied his first of three touchdowns on the night on a 2-yard plunge and Reznor made it 21-7 with a 5-yard jaunt that was set up by a Kyle Trinch interception.

However, the Beavers rallied with a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard TD from Sleigh to Hine.

“We had a good game plan coming in: Get the ball out quick, because they like to bring a lot of pressure,” said Varischetti. “Defensively, we tackled in the first half and we didn't tackle in the second half. That's pretty much what it comes down to.”

The second-half explosion was important to the Grove City seniors, who were playing their final game in front of the home crowd.

“I don't know if words can describe what this group of seniors means to me,” said Phipps. “You grow up with these guys. ... You go through a lot of hard times.

“It's just a great group of guys and they work hard every day,” he added. “I think we definitely deserve this.”

Grove City's fourth-quarter scores included an 8-yard run by Sydney Hannah, an 11-yard rush from Phipps and a 15-yard sprint by Mason Depeal — all seniors.

“I love these guys. We've been playing together since ... before I can even remember,” said Dagres. “We come out here and bust our butts every day together in practice. It's a team effort.

“Nobody's selfish and everybody gets along,” he continued. “It's a great feeling to have teammates like that.”

The final score from DuBois was a 10-yard aerial strike from Sleigh to Shaun Foley.

Harold Price — one of five Eagles with at least 66 yards rushing — led Grove City with 98 yards on eight carries.

“We just have to keep it rolling. We're going into the playoffs at 0-0 and we're going to see what we can do,” said Dagres of the Eagles, ranked No. 3 in the state. “We've got big hopes this year.”