POINT PLEASANT-Wahama head coach Ed Cromley is not known as a gambler. But, the veteran leader of the No. 3 White Falcons (12-0) went into his bag of tricks Saturday afternoon at Point Pleasant High School and the result was a 21-12 victory over No. 6 Greenbrier West (10-2).
"No," Cromley said. "I don't usually gamble, but we practice certain plays so that if the opportunity arises that we need them in a game, we can execute them."
That opportunity presented itself midway through the fourth quarter of the White Falcons' quarterfinal showdown with the Cavaliers.
Facing a fourth-and-6 at the GW 44, Wahama's Kane Roush dropped back to punt the ball away to a Cavaliers' offense that had just pulled to within two points, 14-12, on its last possession and had momentum on its side.
But, instead of kicking the ball away, Roush elected to run for the first down and the decision paid off as the junior picked up seven yards on the fake, giving the hosts new life at the GW 37.
Six plays later the junior culminated the time consuming drive by dashing over from 10-yards out to give the White Falcons a 20-12 advantage. Zack Wamsley came on to boot his third PAT as West found itself down by two scores with only five minutes left in the game.
Fact Box
Class A Playoffs
No. 3 Wahama 21,
No. 6 Greenbrier West 12
GW (10-2) 0 6 0 6 - 12
Wahama (12-0) 7 0 7 7 - 21
Wahama: Trenton Gibbs 46 run (Zack Wamsley kick) 4:34 1st
GW: Tyler Parker 18 run (run failed) 10:02 2nd
Wahama: Gibbs 1 run (Wamsley kick) 8:19 3rd
GW: Malik Boatwright 1 run (pass failed) 11:40 4th
Wahama: Kane Roush 10 run (Wamsley kick) 5:02 4th
Game stats
GW: First downs: 20. Rushes-yards: 55-237. Passing yards: 80. Total yards: 317. Passing: 5-12-0. Fumbles-lost: 4-2. Punts-average: 1-25.0. Penalties-yards: 2-25.
Wahama: First downs: 14. Rushes-yards: 40-193. Passing yards: 99. Total yards: 292. Passing: 4-8-1. Fumbles-lost: 1-1. Punts-average: 2-49.5. Penalties-yards: 2-10.
Individual stats
GW: Rushing: Malik Boatwright 18-36, Tyler Parker 27-150. Passing: Malik Boatwright 4-7-0, 56 yards. Mike Goddard 1-4-0, 24 yards. Receiving: Josh Martin 3-57, Corey Cox 2-23.
Wahama: Rushing: Trenton Gibbs 4-58, Kane Roush 17-85, Zack Wamsley 12-28, Crandale Neal 7-22. Passing: Trenton Gibbs 4-8-1, 99 yards. Receiving: Wyatt Zuspan 2-60, Colton Neal 1-44.
Next game: Wahama at Magnolia next weekend (time and date will be determined today)
No. 2 Magnolia 19,
No. 7 East Hardy 14
East Hardy (10-2) 0 6 8 0 - 14
Magnolia (11-1) 7 6 6 0 - 19
Magnolia: Tanner Hanna 1 run (Clemens Raitmayr kick) 6:38, 1st
Magnolia: Hanna 1 run (kick failed) 4:51, 2nd
E. Hardy: Josh Parker 72 pass from Shawn Skovron (pass failed) 33.3, 2nd
Magnolia: Kage Rohde 10 run (kick failed) 9:08, 3rd
E. Hardy: Skovron 1 run (Levi Beck pass from Skovron) 5:53, 3rd
Team stats
East Hardy: First downs: 9; Rushes-yards: 28-19; Passing yards: 166; Total yards: 185; Passing: 7-27-2; Punts-average: 6-36.7; Fumbles-lost: 1-1; Penalties-yards: 6-45
Magnolia: First downs: 14: Rushes-yards: 47-161; Passing yards: 98; Total yards: 259; Passing: 10-18-1; Punts-average: 4-37.8; Fumbles-lost: 1-1; Penalties-yards: 4-44
Individual stats
East Hardy: Rushing: Shawn Skovron 17-(-29), Levi Beck 8-41, Cole Collier 3-7; Passing: Beck 0-1-0, 0 yards; Skovron 7-26-2, 166 yards; Receiving: Josh Parker 3-126, Collier 1-(-1), Tyler Smith 1-8, Beck 2-33
Magnolia: Rushing: Tanner Hanna 9-28, Stephen Rogalski 3-7, Drew Keller 23-57, Kage Rohde 12-69; Passing: Hanna 10-18-1, 98 yards; Receiving: Ryan Walton 1-6, Rogalski 5-35, Keller 2-17, Jacob Brill 1-37, Kyle Ritz 1-3
Next game: No. 3 Wahama at No. 2 Magnolia, TBA.
W.Va. High School
Football Playoffs
Class AAA
First Round
No. 1 Cabell Midland 52, No. 16 Oak Hill 20
No. 8 Spring Valley 31, No. 9 Wheeling Park 7
No. 4 Huntington 69, No. 13 Elkins 32
No. 5 Morgantown 49, No. 12 Point Plesant 28
No. 2 Martinsburg 39, No. 16 Woodrow Wilson 0
No. 10 Musselman 42, No. 7 Capital 23
No. 3 George Washington 35, No. 14 Hurricane 10
No. 11 Lewis County 24, No. 6 University 23
Quarterfinal Round
No. 1 Cabell Midland 28, No. 8 Spring Valley 26
No. 5 Morgantown 35, No. 4 Huntington 14
No. 2 Martinsburg (50, No. 10 Musselman 7
No. 3 George Washington 41, No. 11 Lewsi County 14
Semifinal Round
No. 5 Morgantown (10-2) at No. 1 Cabell Midland (12-0)
No. 3 George Washington (10-2) at No. 2 Martinsburg (11-1)
Championship
at Wheeling Island Stadium, 12 noon, Saturday, Dec. 1
Class AA
First Round
No. 1 Wayne 63, No. 16 Clay County 24
No. 9 Nicholas County 31, No. 8 Ritchie County 7
No. 4 Robert C. Byrd 27, No. 13 Braxton County 21
No. 5 Bluefield 63, No. 12 Roane County 27
No. 2 Keyser 61, No. 15 Mingo Central 14
No. 7 Scott 46-16, No. 10 Wyoming East 16
No. 3 Bridgeport 54, No. 14 River View 6
No. 6 Frankfort 38, No. 11 Summers County 7
Quarterfinal Round
No. 1 Wayne 47, No. 9 Nicholas County 0
No. 4 Robert C. Byrd 34, No. 5 Bluefield 20
No. 3 Bridgeport 28, No. 6 Frankfort 0
No. 2 Keyser 53, No. 7 Scott 8
Semifinal Round
No. 4 Robert C. Byrd (11-1) at No. 1 Wayne (!2-0)
No. 3 Bridgeport (9-2) at No. 2 Keyser (11-1)
Championship
at Wheeling Island Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30
Class A
First Round
No. 1 Tucker County 27, No. 16 Moorefield 14
No. 8 Clay-Battelle 33, No. 9 Valley (F) 28
No. 4 Madonna 58, No. 13 Tug Valley 12
No. 5 St. Marys 40, No. 12 Wirt County 14
No. 2 Magnolia 34, No. 15 Williamstown 7
No. 7 East Hardy 60, No. 10 Wheeling Central 34
No. 3 Wahama 38, No. 14 Buffalo 0
No. 6 Greenbrier West 48, No. 11 Meadow Bridge 6
Quarterfinal Round
No. 4 Madonna 29, No. 4 St. Marys 14
No. 1 Tucker County 48, No. 8 Clay-Battelle 14
No. 2 Magnolia 19, No. 7 East Hardy 14
No. 3 Wahama 21, No. 6 Greenbrier East 12
Semifinal Round
No. 4 Madonna (11-1) at No. 1 Tucker County (12-0)
No. 3 Wahama (12-0) at No. Magnolia (11-1)
Championship
at Wheeling Island Stadium, 7 p.m. Saturday
Making the play even a larger gamble was the fact that the No. 3 seeded team in Class A had attempted the same play in the first half and failed.
"The first time we had a lot more yards to go and we ran the play into the near sideline," said Roush, who led Wahama's rushing attack with 85 yards on 17 carries. "The second time, I ran to the wide side of the field and Zack (Wamsley) was able to hook their end so I could get outside."
The victory moves the White Falcons into the semifinal round where they will take on the winner between No. 2 Magnolia (10-1) and No. 7 East Hardy (10-1). Greenbrier West, which was playing in its first Class A quarterfinal since moving down from Class AA last spring, finished at 10-2.
"It (to punt of run) is his (Roush) decision," said Wamsley. "The only thing that we tell him is to make sure he can make it."
Big plays were the name of the game for the No. 3 White Falcons on their first possession as Gibbs hit junior Wyatt Zuspan for a 32-yard completion on third-and-seven to give the hosts a first-and-10 at the Cavaliers' 42.
A 6-yard loss put the ball at the 46, but Wahama's senior signal-caller did the rest, breaking containment on the next play and finishing up in the end zone for the first score of the game. Zack Wamsley's PAT lifted the White Falcons' to a 7-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game.
That would be the only points for the hosts, however, as Greenbrier East controlled both the football and the clock, finally getting on the scoreboard on an 18-yard run by senior Tyler Parker with 10:02 showing on the clock until the intermission.
Electing to go for the 2-point conversion, the Cavaliers came up short when Boatwright fumbled the snap with the visitors' Zack Grossi recovering, but two yards short of the end zone.
Wahama tallied first in the second half on a 1-yard plunge by Gibbs, but Greenbrier West answered that score with a 1-yard dive by Boatwright with 11:40 left in the game.
However, on the game-tying 2-point conversion attempt the White Falcons' Gibbs got up high to knock down the attempted pass in the end zone.
Leading all rushers in the game was the Cavaliers' Parker, who finished with 150 yards on 27 carries.
