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Hickory Tops Grove City, 36-12 In Mercer County Showdown

 
Tagged under: District 10, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 12, 2026

Grove City – Hickory used a strong defense to lock down the Eagles during a 36-12 triumph Friday night at Forker Field.

The hype for the Hickory vs. Grove City game was much better than the game itself. The Hornets controlled the game and used a 20-0 run in the second quarter to steal the momentum.

Early on, it looked as if the Eagles might take the lead after recovering a fumble at the Hornets’ 39-yard line after the schools traded punts to begin the game.

Grove City drove to the 5-yard line where they faced a 4th-and-goal. Electing to go for the touchdown, tailback Gavin Purdy’s jump pass fell incomplete; from there, Hickory seized control.

They proceeded to drive 95 yards in ten plays, capped by Kelvin Morrison’s 4-yard touchdown run on the initial play of the second quarter.

“The big thing was that stop on the first drive,” said Hickory head coach Bill Dungee. “We came out and had some mental mistakes. We got that stop, then went down and scored, which allowed us to settle in. We were focused this week, but it was tough coming off a huge win over our rival. Now we have to go on the road against another very good, up-and-coming, well-coached team I respect a lot. No excuses, you have to be ready to play.”

Morrison, who played sparingly, rushed for 64 yards in nine carries.

Their defense then took control, forcing punts and allowing their offense to take advantage of short fields.

Christian Dungee tossed a pair of touchdowns to Mearlon Peterson and Jadon Phillips of 7 and 11 yards, covering 42- and 26-yard touchdown drives, giving Hickory the 20-0 halftime lead.

A season ago, they built a 21-7 lead at intermission and had to hold on for a 21-14 victory. Friday night, there was no such drama.

The Hornet defense completely stifled the Eagles offense. Gavin Purdy, who had rushed for 309 yards and five touchdowns while catching seven passes for 107 yards and a score during the two mercy-clock victories to start the season, was limited to 52 yards on 15 carries and four receptions for 10 yards.

“The only thing I didn’t like in this game was the turnovers; we had three. I think we forced four, so we were plus one,” Dungee said. “But the last three weeks we turned the ball over in the red zone three times; that’s unacceptable. But shoutout to Dylan Gardner and J.J. Treese playing in the secondary for us and doing an outstanding job. Dylan also ran the ball very well.”

Quarterback Heath Hoham, who threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns with zero interceptions during weeks one and two, was intercepted four times, twice by Phillips.

“We were just trying to stay focused; a lot of us were battling injuries and were rehabbing to stay ready and play,” Phillips said. “When we were up at halftime, the word was to stay focused and keep our foot on their neck. We tried our best not to let up.”

Grove City’s lone offensive score came on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Hohman to Austin Gothe with Hickory already in front 23-6.

Jadon Phillips’ interception to start the second half led to Callum Darraugh’s 32-yard field goal, before he capped a 42-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown reception from Dungee, extending the lead to 29-6.

“My interceptions are a credit to our defensive line, making their quarterback scramble,” said Phillips. “My touchdowns are a credit to my quarterback and coaches. They put me in a position to make plays, and I do what I do.”

The Kent State recruit caught eight passes for 75 yards with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.

Christian Dungee had another highly efficient night, completing 16 of 20 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns, with his only blunder coming off an interception that was returned 88 yards for a touchdown by Mike Pelloni late in the third quarter. He added 38 yards on the ground.

However, the Hornets put the game away on their following drive, marching 55 yards in ten plays with Dylan Gardner scoring on a 5-yard run in the final stanza.

Hickory will now have a short week as they travel to Titusville next Thursday night. Grove City will look to rebound when they make the trip to Fort LeBoeuf.

Game Highlights

Hickory 36, Grove City 12

Score by Quarters

Hickory – 0 20 9 7 – 36

Grove City – 0 0 12 0 – 12

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

H – Kelvin Morrison 4 yd run, (Callum Darraugh pat), 11:52 – 10-95

H – Mearlon Peterson 7 yd pass from Christian Dungee, (kick failed), 5:39 – 5-42

H – Jadon Phillips 11 yd pass from Dungee, (Darraugh pat), 2:23 – 4-26

Third Quarter

H – Darraugh 32 yd field goal, 9:09 – 7-35

GC – Austin Gothe 8 yd pass from Heath Hohman (pass failed), 4:48 – 10-70

H – Phillips 12 yd pass from Dungee, (rush failed), 2:25 – 6-42

GC – Mike Pelloni 88 yd interception return, (pass failed), 1:55

Fourth Quarter

H – Dylan Gardner 5 yd run, (Darraugh pat), 8:22 – 10-55

Individual Stats

Rushing: H – Morrison 9-64, Dungee 12-38, Dylan Gardner 8-26, Devin James 1-5, J.J. Treese 1-3, Jimarion Husband 1-(-3), Team 1-0. Totals: 33-133. GC – Gavin Purdy 15-52, Zach Mathieson 5-13, Keith Vandegrift 3-30, Easton Culmer 2-10, Hohman 1-6, Team 1-(-23). Totals: 27-88.

Receiving: H – Peterson 4-60, Phillips 8-75, Gardner 1-13, Dante Evans 3-34. GC – Purdy 4-10, Austin Gothe 7-70, Charlie Miller 2-23, Levi Toth 3-24, Tanner Mong 1-20, Vandegrift 1-6.

Passing: H – Dungee 16-for-20, 182 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; Ty Turosky 0-for-1, 1 INT. GC – Heath Hohman 18-for-28, 153 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT; Purdy 0-for-1; Team 0-for-1, Culmer 0-for-1.

Interceptions: H – Dungee, Phillips (2), Treese. GC – Pelloni, Sam Miller.

 
 
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