×

W.Va. team downs Ohio squad in matchup

PARKERSBURG – A three-score second half for host West Virginia snapped a 7-7 halftime deadlock and gave it a 24-7 BACF Football Classic win over Ohio Friday night at Stadium Field.

The victory gave West Virginia a 15-8 series advantage over Ohio in a game specifically started to raise money for research into finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Both squads started out hot, scoring on their first posesssions.

Neal Schriner from Parkersburg Catholic took the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown just 13 seconds into the game.

He fielded the ball at his own 18 and took off right up the middle, got open and then veered to the left and outraced his pursuers, finally squeezing in at the left front corner of the end zone.

But the 7-0 lead didn’t last long for West Virginia.

Ohio’s Kole Carter (Gallia Academy) had runs of 20 and 14 yards before a 21-yard pass to Kaileb Sheets (Meigs) to the W.Va. 30. Then from the 20, Carter tossed a TD strike to Sheets at the 6:53 mark of the first period.

After that though, there was no scoring until the third quarter.

Calhoun County’s Ethyn Miller intercepted at the Ohio 28 and returned the pass theft 10 yards to the 18 at 10:40 of the third. After getting to the Ohio 8, St. Marys’ Bret Fetty, the eventual West Virginia MVP, swept right to paydirt at 8:44 for a touchdown lead.

Then the teams traded turnovers with Cole Hoff (Roane County) recovering a fumble, but the Ohio MVP Tim Ousley (Vinton County) making a diving interception as the the third stanza ended at 14-7 in West Virginia’s favor.

But Wirt County’s Cam Nelson rammed into the line at the Ohio 34, then broke loose and raced to paydirt for West Virginia with 8:54 to play.

A 34-yard pass to the W.Va. 2 looked like it was setting Ohio up to slice the margin back to just one TD. However, that opportunity was fumbled away with a high snap over thee quarterback’s head that West Virginia recovered.

A 32-yard field goal by Ravenswood’s Preston Humphries, who had booted all three previous W.Va. PATs, hiked the count to 24-7 with only 18.1 seconds remaining in the game.

But things had been so snippy and increasingly more physical in the fourth quarter, that at that point the officials called the rest of the final seconds of the game off.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today