Wolverine senior center Shawn Kelly (#74) anchored an offensive line that rushed for 306 yards on 60 carries.

Bowers rewrites history in four-overtime win over Waynesburg 

Game Stats

WAYNESBURG, PA, October 14, 2000--Grove City College fullback R.J. Bowers (West Middlesex, PA/West Middlesex) broke two NCAA all-divisions records and tied a third as the Wolverines used four overtimes to defeat  host Waynesburg, 32-29, at Jack Wiley Stadium.

Bowers ran for 266 yards and three touchdowns on the afternoon, giving him 100 yards for the 32^nd consecutive game. That broke the previous NCAA record held by Ohio State’s Archie Griffin, who ran for over 100 yards in 31 straight from 1973-75.

Bowers also became the NCAA’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 84 in his career and tied the NCAA record for most career 200-yard games with his 15th.  

“It’s a great accomplishment, not only for myself, but for the offensive linemen and the team,” Bowers said. “We don’t want to stop here. We got a key win today and hopefully it will springboard us into the next couple of games."

The Wolverines improved to 3-3 overall, 2-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.  Waynesburg slipped to 5-2 and 2-1 in the PAC.

Grove City took the lead in the fourth overtime on Ben Shreve’s (Union City, PA/Union City) 40-yard field goal.

The Wolverines preserved the victory as linebacker Jonathan Forbes (New Martinsville, WV/Magnolia) blocked Adam Santoro’s 39-yard attempt. Forbes also blocked an extra point and posted a quarterback sack.

Grove City took a 16-6 halftime lead as Bowers scored on runs of 44 and 51 yards, while Shreve drilled a 33-yard field goal.

Bowers’ 51-yard dash put him over the 100-yard mark for the afternoon. The 6-1, 238-pound fullback had 168 yards at the half.

"We didn’t contain him early on," Waynesburg mentor Dan Baranik said. "When they run their Wing-T and other sets, it takes awhile to get into the flow of the game.”

However, Waynesburg rallied to forge a 16-16 deadlock, as Santoro converted a 30-yard field goal and Terry Schake scored on a 4-yard touchdown run. Schake added a pair of scores in the overtime periods.

“It (was) their homecoming, they were 5-1 and on a five-game winning streak coming in,” Grove City head coach Chris Smith said of Waynesburg. “The kids responded. This is (our) biggest win this year, I know. This is not an easy place to win”

Late in regulation, Wolverine strong safety Michael Volchko (Akron, OH/Archbishop Hoban) intercepted a Tom Naughton pass at the Yellow Jackets’ 40. However, Grove City could not convert as quarterback Steve Lacinski (New Kensington, PA/Valley) threw an interception, eventually forcing overtime.

Lacinski gained his revenge in the first extra session, however. After a Schake run put the Yellow Jackets ahead by seven, Lacinski lobbed a 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Mark Byrer (Morgantown, WV/University). Matt Styer’s (Greenford, OH/South Range) PAT tied the game.

The Wolverines turned the ball over on downs in the second overtime, but the defense stepped up. Schake attempted a throwback to Naughton, but Brock McCullough (Spruce, PA/Purchase Line) intercepted the pass and returned it 70 yards before being hauled down by Schake at the Waynesburg 13.

“The offense started to sputter, but the defense really stepped up big,” Bowers said. “The offense started getting in gear again. It’s a big win. They were 5-1. They were a very good team. We finally played some Grove City football today.”  

Waynesburg had the initial possession of the third OT and took a 29-23 lead on another Schake score. Naughton’s 2-point pass failed. Bowers knotted the game on a 25-yard touchdown run through the middle on a trap, but the Wolverines’ attempt for two also failed, forcing the fourth overtime.

Sophomore Kyle Vuchak (Howland, OH/Howland) blocked a field goal attempt in the first half for the Wolverines and also registered a quarterback sack.

Inside linebacker Adam Corbett (Warren, OH/Champion) notched a team-best 15 tackles, including two for loss. Safety Josh Sachleben (Ringtown, PA/North Schuylkill) had 14 stops, while Volchko tallied 11 tackles.

The four-overtime affair marked the longest game in Presidents’ Athletic Conference history.