Patriots hang on to win wild one over Wheeling Park
Trending
PARKERSBURG -- Senior night wasn't anything short of eventful, as Parkersburg South took care of business behind a jam-packed second half to down Wheeling Park, 32-27.
A slow offensive start for the Patriots (8-1) with only 86 yards of total offense in the first half was boosted by a 90-yard punt return for a score from Cyrus Traugh with 21 seconds left in the first quarter. It was a game full of long plays, as that one finally jumpstarted the offense.
That was needed as Wheeling Park's Brett Phillips ran for a 68-yard score for Park's first points of the night.
With the game close at 21-18 at the half, South needed to respond with an offensive flurry. A 19-yard Robert Shockey run after a muffed WPHS punt put them team within one score, but head coach Nate Tanner called on his team to keep responding with momentum on the home team's side.
"The past couple weeks, we've been successful. We dropped one to Bridgeport and it was a tough game here against Morgantown, but tonight, I feel like the kids really rallied together," Tanner said following the victory. "We played great team football, and we've got a lot of kids making a lot of great plays. It's a beautiful thing to see our kids get a win against a very good football team."
The homestanding Patriots intercepted Phillips three times, bringing the season takeaway total to 21. Triston Walker had one on Park's opening drive of the second half, while Traugh notched one in the end zone on a lengthy WP drive, as Phillips and company had the ball at the 29. That drive marked a clear shift in momentum for Parkersburg South, as a defensive holding penalty placed the ball around the South 35 after a long conference from the officiating crew. On the play in question, Gage Wright and Demetrius Gearheart combined for a sack that was ultimately wiped out due to the penalty. That made the turnover that much sweeter.
On the night, Wright shined. He ran 14 times for 119 yards and punched in the lone score of the third quarter to give South a 25-21 lead it didn't give away. Following Shockey's second rushing score with 7:39 remaining, South went up 32-21 and essentially sealed the game.
Wheeling Park's last gasp came on its second-to-last drive, but Braeden Hamilton recorded the final pick of the night on a screen pass that went wrong. Hamilton collected it to give South the ball back up multiple scores and just minutes left.
Next Friday, Parkersburg South travels to Princeton, as this win keeps the team moving in the right direction. Shockey tossed for 94 yards in addition to his 119 on the ground.
"They're special for me, because it's the first group I've had for all four years here," Tanner said of his seniors. "We've been through a lot. We've been through an 11-2 season. We've been through a 1-7 with COVID, working out under the bleachers because we couldn't be together, to what we are right now. We talked about that towards the end of the fourth quarter. I said, 'Fellas, this is the moment that you live for. All the work we've done in the weight room and offseason. This is the moment."'
Contact Josh Hughes at jhughes@newsandsentinel.com