WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College Football Team picked up their biggest win of the season over the No. 7 ranked team in the country, Grove City, in a 27-19 battle.
 
W&J snapped the Wolverines 16-game regular season win streak with the victory tonight. The last time the Wolverines lost was at Cameron Stadium to W&J in 2022, 31-14.
 
The win over Grove City also marks the first time the Presidents have beaten a top 10 ranked opponent since the 2008 season. That season, W&J defeated Millsaps College 35-20 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs.
 
The Presidents highway to victory was their high-powered air raid offense headed by Jacob Macosko (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township). Macosko led the receiving room with 160 yards on 13 receptions and two touchdowns. John Peduzzi (Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head Christian Academy) also hauled in 10 receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown. Senior quarterback Jacob Pugh (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) fired off 298 passing yards and three touchdowns in his biggest win as a President.
 
The two-headed monster of Justin Johns (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) and Keaton Hall (Dover, Ohio/Dover) led the team in tackles with 12 total each. Johns also added a tackle for loss while Hall added an assisted tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Dawson Dietz (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) and Avery Keith (Hartville, Ohio/Lake) held down the front four for the Presidents with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Sean Berardino (Millersville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) forced a fumble in the second straight week against the Wolverines. Defensive Back Mason Kasprack (South Park, Pa./South Park) stepped up for the Presidents with three total tackles and two pass breakups filing in as a starting cornerback.
 
The Wolverines started the bout with a big play, forcing a fumble from Peduzzi on a 13-yard catch to set up Grove City in scoring position early. The early turnover allowed Grove City to find the endzone for the first time on the night for either side. Due to a missed extra point, the Wolverines went up, 6-0 with nine minutes remaining in the first quarter. W&J mounted a quick response with a nine play 79-yard drive for six. Peduzzi hauled in a floating pass from Pugh on an endzone fade route over his defender. W&J also missed their first extra point of the game, wrapping the first quarter of play 6-6.
 
Grove City got back in the scoring early in the second quarter with a walk-in touchdown from the lead Grove City running back. Following a failed W&J drive, Grove City drove down the field again to tack on a 42-yard field goal to elevate the score to 16-6. Pugh and the Presidents' offense mustered two quick scoring drives prior to the end of the half resulting in two touchdowns. The first score came on an endzone fade to Macosko which he hauled in for six over his defender, to lessen the Wolverine lead to three, 16-13. Coursety of the Presidents' defense, W&J acquired prime field position with 57 seconds to spare. Pugh drove the offense down quickly to find Macosko on the same endzone fade over the opposing corner. W&J took a 20-16 lead heading into the half.
 
Grove City came out of the half eager to score as they stomped down the gridiron for a 23-yard field goal to bring the Presidents' lead within one, 20-19 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. A personal foul on the W&J special teams punt unit gave the Wolverines the ball back due to a W&J special teamer diving over the punt block shield. Following the Grove City score, W&J trotted down the field for the game's final score of the game. Junior running back Kobe Derosa (New Castle, Pa./Laurel) catapulted over the scrum at the line of scrimmage for six, growing the W&J lead to 27-19.
 
Both offenses stalled in the fourth quarter of play, as neither side scored to close out the matchup. Grove City couldn't convert on two fourth-down plays with one coming off a W&J fumble with great field position. The Presidents defense held stout down the stretch, including a crucial pass breakup by Brandon Brown (Monessen, Pa./Greensburg Central Catholic) and pressure from the front seven to disrupt the Wolverines' quarterback's decision-making.  
 
W&J remains home to face the Bethany Bison on Saturday (Oct. 26). Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.