Football Recap: Grove City Falls Despite Big Games from Jonah Stucchio and Gavin Purdy

Grove City extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping them down to 4-4. They fell 21-14 to the Hickory Hornets. The Eagles lost against the Hornets in their previous head to head back in October of 2024, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 69-6 score last time.

Gavin Purdy

Rushing Touchdowns

09/12/25 @ Slippery Rock	3
08/29/25 @ Fairview	3
10/09/25 vs Hickory	2
09/05/25 vs Titusville	2
10/03/25 @ Sharon	1
+ 1 more games

Grove City's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Gavin Purdy, who rushed for 94 yards and two TDs, and Jonah Stucchio, who rushed for 134 yards. Purdy is becoming a predictor of the Eagles' success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 3-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't).

As for Hickory, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-1. The final result isn't all that surprising considering their considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 76th, while Grove City is ranked 284th).

Kelvin Morrison continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 149 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Morrison is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 115 every time he's taken the field this season.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Grove City is set to face off against their familiar foe Conneaut Area at 7:00 p.m. on the 17th. That game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Purdy and Aidan Ford. Meanwhile, Hickory will square off against rival Slippery Rock at 7:00 p.m. on the 17th.