HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata football team battled an offensively adroit Grove City College as they wound up falling, 49-28, Saturday afternoon at Knox Stadium.
The Eagles opened the game going three and out after a negative run put the drive-in jeopardy early. The Wolverines responded by going 62 yards on three plays as they struck first with a 42-yard touchdown to put the Wolverines up 7-0.
The next drive for the Eagles started to show some promise as Austin Montgomery (Bedford, Pa. / Bedford Area HS) hooked up with Shaheed Ross (Philadelphia, Pa. / Delaware Valley Charter HS) for a 14-yard reception as Ross took a screen and eluded several defenders to get a first down. The promising drive promptly ended with a fumble which Grove City recovered at their own 42. This time it took them nine plays, but again they managed to get the ball into the end zone as they built a 14-0 lead.
Starting at their own 25, the Eagles put together an impressive 10-play drive that spanned four and a half minutes and culminated in six points for JC. The highlight of the drive was Montgomery finding Calvin Bembry running along the sideline who took the ball 29 yards and a face mask penalty added extra yards for the Blue and Gold. Montgomery found Bembry again in the red zone and he scampered in to score.
Montgomery to Bembry for the first touchdown of the year #wingsuppic.twitter.com/mjBsDEC3wC
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 7, 2019
The Eagles stopped Grove City on their next drive with a big sack from Jamel Foster (York, Pa. / Red Lion Area Senior H.S.) and Dan Drop Jr. (Hatfield, Pa. / North Penn HS) to help pin them back. Juniata responded with another long successful drive. Montgomery found Jake Puia (Slatington, Pa. / Parkland HS) for gains of 11 and 13 yards before running it in himself for a two-yard TD.
Montgomery keeps it to get the Eagles within two. #wingsuppic.twitter.com/Y4xLmICRXp
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 7, 2019
He then found Ben Lauver (Mifflintown, Pa. / Juniata H.S.) for the two-point conversion to tie things at 14 with a little over minutes to go.
Montgomery finds Lauver for the two-point conversion to tie things at 14-14 #wingsuppic.twitter.com/5Pc0vEFUB7
— Juniata Athletics (@JuniataEagles) September 7, 2019
The Wolverines put their foot on the gas over the final minutes of the half as they drove 66 yards in just over two minutes and scored to go back up seven. After JC went three and out, Grove City tacked on six more as their running back found the end zone for the third time in the half as the Eagles headed to the locker room down 28-14.
A Wolverine touchdown to open the third quarter made it 35-14 and the Eagles could never narrow the gap to single digits the rest of the way. Bembry ran it in from six yards out at the end of the third before Grove City, on the second play of their drive, hit on a 60-yard TD pass to make it 42-20.
Both teams scored once in the fourth, with Charles Debose (Tonawand, N.Y. / Cardinal O'hara HS) running it in for the Eagles to close the scoring.
The Eagles begin Centennial Conference play next week at Franklin and Marshall.