MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In a week littered with high-profile matchups across the state in all three classes, two of the key games came down to overtime.
In Class AA, No. 3 Frankfort (9-0) stayed unbeaten, rallying to edge rival No. 6 Keyser (6-3) 28-27 in overtime. Similar to their come-back win earlier in the year over Robert C. Byrd, the Falcons rallied from a 21-7 deficit to Keyser with 6:49 left to force overtime.
After Frankfort scored first in the extra session to take a 28-21 lead, Keyser responded with a touchdown of its own, but came up short on the ensuing two-point conversion as the Falcons’ defense secured the win. It was Frankfort’s first home win over Keyser since 1996.
Out of Class AAA, No. 3 University (9-1) erased a 17-6 Morgantown (4-6) lead in the fourth quarter, to take a 20-17 lead with a couple of late scores from running back Isaiah Utt and quarterback Jeremy Eckels. The Mohigans forced overtime with a 31 yard field goal from Evan Stires with under 1:30 to go in regulation, tying the score at 20-20.
Utt scored on the ground again for University in overtime as the Hawks took a 27-20 lead. University then made a stand defensively and kept Morgantown out of the end-zone on its possession, securing the 27-20 win and a 9-1 regular season record.
“We’ve been a second half team all year,” said University coach John Kelley. “Heart is what it’s all about. We also made big plays and these kids are a treat. This is spectacular, two 9-1 seasons back-to-back, TRAC champions and MoHawk Bowl champions. I don’t know where we’re going to finish (in the rankings), but we’ll be playing at home.”
Another team picking up a big win on Friday night was No. 12 Huntington (6-3) as the Highlanders edged No. 6 South Charleston (8-2) 20-16. Down 16-13 with under 4:00 to go, the Highlanders blocked a South Charleston punt and took over at the Black Eagles’ 39 yardline.
Two plays later, Huntington running back Dionne Jackson scored the game winning touchdown with 1:02 to go, giving his Highlanders the four point victory.
“This was a good win for our program on the road over a quality opponent in South Charleston,” said Huntington coach Billy Seals. “Our kids just keep playing hard and believing in what we’re doing – they did a heck of a job tonight. We tried to mix some things up defensively tonight and gave them some different looks.”
No. 5 Martinsburg (9-1) had no trouble with eastern panhandle rival No. 14 Musselman (6-4), beating the Applemen 59-7. Bulldogs’ running back Deamonte Lindsay finished with 150 yards on 14 carries, scoring three of Martinsburg’s five first-half touchdowns.
Another Class AAA matchup saw No. 9 Wheeling Park (7-2) edge No. 8 Parkersburg South (6-3) 25-24. Wheeling Park’s Michael Grove finished with 120 yards rushing, 87 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Quarterback Killian Coyne went 12 of 15 passing on the night for 135 yards and a touchdown in the win.
In Class A, No. 1 St. Marys pulled away from Class AA No. 6 Ravenswood 24-7 and No. 6 Notre Dame won its seventh straight game, beating No. 2 Clay-Battelle 36-18. No. 3 Tug Valley picked up an impressive 26-20 win over No. 8 Man, finishing the regular season with a 9-1 record.
Click here to view all of the scores from week 10 on the MetroNews High School Football Scoreboard.