The start to Washington & Jefferson’s season was less than ideal.
After losing two non-conference games to open their 2025 campaign, the Presidents responded by winning every one of their Presidents’ Athletic Conference games.
Despite earning its 28th conference championship — and first undefeated title since 2017 — W&J coach Mike Sirianni said his team’s first two games of the season loomed large Sunday night.
The NCAA announced its 40-team Division III playoff bracket, and the Presidents (8-2) received a first-round game on the road against No. 22 Susquehanna (8-2) at noon Saturday at Doug Arthur Stadium in Selinsgrove.
The winner of this weekend’s contest will face No. 6 Christopher Newport (10-0), which received a first-round bye, in the second round.
“We’re proud of our eight-game win streak and all that good stuff, but if we would’ve won one of our first two games we are probably playing at home,” said Sirianni, now in his 23rd season at W&J. “The computer rankings are what they are. We didn’t get a non-conference win this year, so that’s probably the biggest reason we are on the road.”
W&J is making its second consecutive NCAA playoff appearance after winning the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid for the second straight time. The River Hawks, meanwhile, fell to eventual national champion North Central, Illinois, in the NCAA semifinals a season ago.
The Presidents are 2-1 against Susquehanna all time. W&J last defeated the River Hawks, 34-0, in 1994.
“We knew that this was a possibility,” Sirianni said. “It’s one of the two or three teams that we thought we could get. It’s really not surprising. Everyone is good now.”
THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! 🔴⚫️
The W&J Football team is scheduled to play in the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Playoffs against the Susquehanna River Hawks on Saturday (Nov. 22) at 12 PM!#PrezPride pic.twitter.com/LEkVDVepWR
— Washington & Jefferson Athletics (@wjathletics) November 16, 2025
No one around the country will be surprised by the prolific offense the Presidents will be relying upon in the playoffs.
Quarterback Kellan Stahl threw for 2,977 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions to lead the W&J passing game.
Wide receiver Jacob Macosko, a Peters Township product, caught 65 passes for 1,002 yards and eight touchdowns, while fellow senior John Peduzzi caught 67 passes for 920 yards and 13 scores.
With 4,020 receiving yards over four seasons, Peduzzi has the most career yards of any player across all NCAA divisions. He is second across all NCAA levels with 52 career touchdowns.
Macosko, meanwhile, has 3,171 career receiving yards and eclipsed the 1,000-yard threshold for the third straight season.
A pair of former WPIAL running backs also paid huge dividends for the Presidents this season.
Baldwin product Andrew Sharp rushed for 564 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Laurel graduate Kobe Derosa added 546 yards and 11 scores on the ground.
“We have to match how hard they play,” Sirianni said of Susquehanna. “They are very physical and we’ve got to be just as physical.”
Susquehanna won its third straight Landmark Conference championship, and fourth overall, behind a veteran offense and defense. The River Hawks offense led the Landmark with an average of 44 points per game, while their defense held opponents to a conference-low 14.9 points per game.
Quarterback Josh Ehrlich threw for 2,419 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while also rushing for 609 yards and four scores. His top target in the passing game was wide receiver Daniel Growney, who caught 44 passes for 541 yards and six scores.
Running back Rahshan La Mons was the Landmark Conference’s second-leading rusher with 909 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Defensive lineman Galen Limantour was a force inside for the River Hawks. He had 51 tackles, 14 for a loss, with six sacks.
Defensive back Xavier Maple led the Susquehanna secondary with eight passes defended and two interceptions.
“They are big and athletic,” Sirianni said. “They were in the national semis last year. They had a great run, upset some teams, beat St. John’s, beat Bethel [Minnesota]. They really kind of put themselves on the national map.
“A lot of players are back,” he added. “We were in the playoffs last year, too, but they made a run. They are going to have the playoff experience over us.”
Sirianni said his program’s focus is now clear.
“Last year, we kind of won a playoff game because we got a bye in the first round, so we advanced to the second round, but we wanted to win a playoff game last year,” Sirianni said. “That’s our 100% focus for now. We’re not looking ahead. We’re not looking at any draw or anything like that. We’re just trying to do everything we can to try to win a playoff game.”
After winning seven straight games to close its regular season, Grove City was rewarded with its third consecutive NCAA playoff berth.
The Wolverines (8-2) received an at-large bid and will travel to face Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion Hanover (8-2) for a first-round game at noon Saturday at Alumni Stadium in Hanover, Indiana.
Grove City coach Andrew DiDonato, a Bridgeville native and South Fayette graduate, is hoping to reverse the heartbreaking trend, which ended each of his team’s last two NCAA postseason runs.
Despite nearly completing a rally from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit against Johns Hopkins in a second-round game a season ago, kicker Daniel Sullivan missed a potential game-tying field goal with nine seconds remaining in a devastating 17-14 loss for the Wolverines.
Just a season earlier, Grove City also fell in the second round when kicker Caleb Kuechly missed a 37-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in a 25-24 loss to eventual national champion Cortland.
As has been the case over the past three seasons, the Wolverines will be riding one of the PAC’s top defenses into the NCAA playoffs.
Grove City finished third in total defense in the conference after allowing just 17.5 points per game. The Wolverines were particularly strong against the run, conceding a PAC-low 66.6 yards per game.
That dominance started up front.
Senior linebacker Caleb Brubaker recorded 14 tackles for a loss and 7½ sacks, which were both good for first in the PAC, while his 88 tackles ranked sixth in the conference. Penn-Trafford product Jack Jollie, also a senior linebacker, also recorded 77 tackles, eight for a loss, with 3½ sacks.
The Wolverines have played their past three contests without injured linebacker Ben Bladel, the school’s all-time sacks leader. The Moon product recorded 11½ tackles for a loss and 5½ sacks in just seven games.
Senior safety Keegan Fraser, a Knoch graduate, was the beneficiary of much of that pressure. He had six interceptions, which was good for second in the PAC, while defensive back Noah Wheeler also recorded four interceptions.
Grove City’s defense will certainly have its hands full against Hanover’s offense, which led its conference with an average of 41.7 points per game.
Quarterback Eian Roudebush threw for 2,610 yards, completing 73% of his passes, with 29 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The dual-threat junior also led his team with 90 carries for 304 yards and six scores.
Junior wide receiver Curbrian Shelby led the Panthers with 59 receptions for 913 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Jack Pennington caught 37 passes for 656 yards and seven scores.
The winner of this game will face defending national champion No. 1 North Central, Illinois, in the second round.
NCAA Division II
After hanging tough with Kutztown, the nation’s fourth-ranked team, in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship game Saturday, Indiana University of Pennsylvania will get a new lease on life with its 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
The Crimson Hawks (7-3) received an at-large bid, the fourth seed in Super Region One and will host No. 5 Assumption (8-2) in a first-round contest at 1 p.m. Saturday at George P. Miller Stadium in Indiana.
The winner will advance to face the winner of a first-round game between Super Region One’s top-seeded Kutztown and No. 8 Bentley.
The region’s No.1 Golden Bears defeated IUP in the PSAC championship game, 28-23, after fighting back from a three-point halftime deficit
The Crimson Hawks will look to once again lean upon its high-powered passing attack led by quarterback Matthew Rueve in its first NCAA postseason berth since 2022.
Rueve, a graduate student who previously played at Division II Findlay and Division I Boston College, threw for a PSAC-leading 3,107 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Graduate student Maurice Massey, redshirt sophomore Devin Whitlock and freshman Jeremiah Coleman were Rueve’s top targets and a formidable trio of wide receivers.
Whitlock, a Belle Vernon native and Pitt transfer, caught a team-high 71 passes for 775 yards and six touchdowns, while Massey racked up 47 receptions for 795 yards and eight scores. Coleman caught 22 passes in eight games for 464 yards and eight touchdowns.
Redshirt sophomore tight end Connor Shamany also caught 31 passes for 407 yards and four touchdowns, while Aliquippa product Cyair Clark also caught three touchdowns passes.
Assumption earned an at-large bid after finishing tied for the Northeast 10 Conference title with Bentley. The Greyhounds dropped a 20-17 decision two weeks ago to Bentley, which earned the conference’s automatic bid.
Quarterback Jay Kastantin led Assumption to an average of 33 points per game, which was tops in the NE10. He threw for 1,974 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
A dual threat, Kastantin also rushed for 530 yards and five scores.
Junior wide receiver Connor Smith finished second in the NE10 with 737 yards and seven touchdowns with 37 receptions.
Running back Kameron Robbins was also among the conference’s top running backs. His 658 rushing yards and seven touchdowns were good for fourth most in the NE10.
The Greyhounds defense will also present a considerable challenge, particularly with its pass rush.
Assumption had the nation’s fourth-most productive pass rush with 36 sacks and 79 tackles for a loss to its credit.
Senior linebacker Owen Fitzgerald led the NE10 with 113 tackles, 11½ for a loss, and 4½ sacks. Defensive lineman Tindell Frick tallied 62 tackles, 12½ for a loss, but led the Greyhounds’ conference with 9½ sacks.
California University of Pennsylvania received an at-large bid for its second straight NCAA playoff appearance and ninth all time dating back to 2007.
Super Region One’s sixth-seeded Vulcans (8-3) will travel to face No. 3 Virginia Union (9-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Hovey Field in Richmond, Virginia.
The Panthers rode an eight-game winning streak to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game, where it fell to Johnson C. Smith, 45-21, Saturday afternoon.
Virginia Union will be making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA playoffs and 13th all time. The Panthers advanced to the Super Region Two championship game a season ago.
The Vulcans, meanwhile, are no strangers to facing — and defeating — nationally ranked opponents this season. Coach Gary Dunn’s team won three games over Top 25 teams and will be looking to notch another when it hits the road in the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2017.
California is led by the dynamic play of running back Kendrick Agenor, who rushed for 732 yards and eight touchdowns, while also catching 26 passes for 265 yards and a score.
Quarterbacks Phaeton Hill and Roman Purcell have both seen time leading the Vulcans offense. Hill threw for 1,079 yards and three touchdowns, while Purcell threw for 1,009 yards and eight scores while also rushing for 253 yards and four touchdowns.
The top targets in the passing game are D’Avay Johnson, who racked up 642 yards and three scores, while Woodland Hills product Deontae Williams added 454 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Williams also returned two kickoffs and one punt for touchdowns this season.
The Vulcans defense, though, will certainly have its hands full in stopping the nation’s leading rusher.
Virginia Union running back Curtis Allen was the nation’s only 2,000-yard rusher. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior racked up 2,281 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Quarterback RJ Rosales also threw for 1,603 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His top target was sophomore Keon Davis, who caught 536 yards and six touchdowns.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.