Slippery Rock football can’t hold on vs rival Grove City despite Owen Long, Doug Popovec’s efforts
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Slippery Rock senior Owen Long (22) runs after a reception against Grove City in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Slippery Rock quarterback Doug Popovec scrambles away from Grove City's defense in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Slippery Rock head coach Larry Wenderuesz Jr. talks to his team in a football game against Grove City on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Slippery Rock quarterback Doug Popovec (3) fakes a handoff to running back Kole Scott (18) before rolling out in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Slippery Rock quarterback Doug Popovec (3) fakes a handoff to running back Kole Scott (18) before rolling out in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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The Grove City Eagles defeated the Slippery Rock Rockets by a score of 33-20 in a football game Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Slippery Rock High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
SLIPPERY ROCK — As good as Slippery Rock football was in the first two quarters, what Grove City produced in the second half was even more impressive.
Trailing 20-7, the Eagles scored four touchdowns, piling up 215 yards of offense in the process, over the final 24 minutes Friday to escape Troy-Alan Stadium with a 33-20 victory.
The Rockets had already let a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter slip away in a Week 1 loss to Fairview.
“We have to do a better job of being resilient when things go badly,” Slippery Rock coach Larry Wendereusz said. “We have not meshed well as a team, don’t have good continuity in the locker room and that’s on me. I need to do better.”
The Eagles (3-1) set the tone for the second half on their second play from scrimmage when Jaxyn Wilson raced 83 yards for a touchdown. Two plays into Slippery Rock’s ensuing drive, Jonah Stucchio intercepted Doug Popovec’s pass and returned it 47 yards to the Rockets’ 13.
Gavin Purdy soon scored from 7 yards out, Lucas Kelly added the point after, and just like that, all of the early momentum the Rockets had built turned into a 21-20 deficit.
“Our message at halftime was that we can’t control what happened in the first half,” Grove City coach Sam Mowrey said. “Let’s go out and execute on each play and get ready for the next snap. That was the mindset.”
Slippery Rock (1-3) struggled mightily to regain its first-half form. It turned the ball over on downs at GC’s 28 late in the third quarter and had another drive halted with Peyton Miller’s interception, his second of the game.
The Rockets finally drove inside the Eagles’ 5 in the final minute of the game before coming up short on fourth down. By then, however, Grove City had added two more scoring runs by Purdy.
The game could not have started any better for Slippery Rock. The first two plays were a 21-yard pass from Popovec to Peyton Reich and Kole Scott’s 32-yard run. Just four plays later, Owen Long’s 4-yard run gave the Rockets an early lead.
After recovering a fumble, it was Popovec’s turn to score from 5 yards out.
Grove City had surrendered 234 combined rushing yards in its first three games. Slippery Rock gained 219 yards on the ground in just two quarters, including 103 on just nine carries from Long.
“We felt we had to run the ball to win,” Wendereusz said. “We ran out of formations that we thought would give them issues. We got that early turnover, some stops on defense. It was a positive start for us.”
The teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter. Grove City got on the board with Heath Hohman’s 6-yard pass to Austin Grothe on fourth-and-goal, but Long answered with his second score with 1:04 left in the half.
Slippery Rock was penalized 16 times for 125 yards, a subject Wendereusz refused to speak about.
Purdy, Wilson and Jonah Stucchio combined to rush for 211 yards in the second half.
“We like to keep our legs fresh,” Mowrey said. “And those guys are the first ones to congratulate each other after a big play.”
Grove City 0 7 14 12 — 33
Slippery Rock 14 6 0 0 — 20
First Quarter
SR — Owen Long 4 run (Zach Lasko kick), 10:22
SR — Doug Popovec 5 run (Lasko kick), 8:07
Second Quarter
GC — Austin Gothe 6 pass from Heath Hohman (Lucas Kelly kick), 3:20
SR — Long 5 run (kick failed), 1:04
Third Quarter
GC — Jaxyn Wilson 83 run (Kelly kick), 11:04
GC — Gavin Purdy 7 run (Kelly kick), 9:36
Fourth Quarter
GC — Purdy 5 run (kick failed), 8:25
GC — Purdy 49 run (run failed), 2:35
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Grove City, Austin Gothe 1-1, Jaxyn Wilson 8-96, Heath Hohman 3-(-4), Gavin Purdy 16-163, Jonah Stucchio 7-35, Levi Toth 1-(-4), TEAM 1-(-18). Slippery Rock, Owen Long 11-120, Doug Popovec 20-96, Kole Scott 11-57, John Petras 1-2.
Passing: Grove City, Heath Hohman 5-10-34-0. Slippery Rock, Doug Popovec 13-31-116-3.
Receiving: Grove City, Levi Toth 2-6, Drake Moore 1-13, Austin Gothe 1-6, Charlie Miller 1-9. Slippery Rock, Peyton Reich 1-21, Owen Long 5-33, Mitchell Stadtmiller 1-10, Logan Schlobohm 4-40, Kole Scott 2-12.
