South hits rough patch in loss at Martinsburg
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MARTINSBURG — Nobody got hit harder than Buzz Dover did when he caught a short slot pass Friday night.
Somehow, he stayed standing, spun and took off to the end zone for a 53-yard pass play.
It was one two touchdown passes caught by Dover, who also intercepted a pass, as Martinsburg overwhelmed Parkersburg South 55-7 in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs at Cobourn Field at Walker Stadium.
The Bulldogs (10-0) will host Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference rival Jefferson in the quarterfinals. The Cougars won 21-14 over Wheeling Park.
Kash Gideon also grabbed two touchdown passes while quarterback Murphy Clement threw five scoring tosses and ran for the first score of the contest.
Then came Dover's first touchdown reception.
He surely is feeling it this morning.
"I kind of blacked out on that one," Dover said. "He hit me so hard, but he didn't wrap up, so I kept running."
Gideon caught a 50-yard touchdown pass the next series, giving Martinsburg a 21-0 lead at the end of one quarter.
"I just saw a lot of open holes," Gideon said, "and it allowed our athletes to run.
"Just throw the ball in the air."
And so Martinsburg did as it held a 41-7 halftime lead.
Nicholas Busky ran 6 yards for a touchdown and then Clement hit Gideon with a 31-yard touchdown pass and Dover with a 32-yard, zig-zagging TD.
Sirod Musgrove scored on a 9-yard end around.
Jay Lardy hauled in Clement's final touchdown pass, a 9-yard slant with 33 seconds left in the third quarter for a 55-7 lead.
"It was great," Clement said of his passing success. "We were trying to stretch the ball down the field.
"The safety was coming up, so it started opening things up, giving us plenty of opportunities."
Martinsburg coach David Walker was pleased by the Bulldogs' play.
"We felt like we could do some things," Walker said. "It was something we focused on and worked on it."
Parkersburg South's lone touchdown came on the drive in which the Patriots managed their initial first downs with 7:17 left in the second quarter.
Quarterback Turner Garretson slipped back under center after lining up off the ball and got a push into the end zone for a 1-yard score.
Despite that touchdown run, Martinsburg limited the Patriots to negative-7 rushing yards.
"They play really strong defense," Parkersburg South coach Nathan Tanner said. "It's hard to score on them."
Martinsburg entered play allowing only five points per game.
The Bulldogs got ahead early, making it difficult for the Patriots.
"They jumped on us, and it was tough to get into a rhythm offensively," Tanner said.
Martinsburg limited Parkersburg South's Gage Wright to 1 yard on 11 carries. He leads the state in rushing yards with 1,889 according to MaxPreps.
"He wasn't able to get started," Walker said. "We kept him fenced in. He's a good player."