WHEELING, W.Va. – Capital (13-0) scored 55 unanswered points in a 55-15 win over South Charleston to capture the Class AAA state championship on Saturday afternoon in rainy conditions from Wheeling Island Stadium.
“I wish I could sum up in words what this means,” said Capital coach Jon Carpenter. “I’m tickled to death right now for these kids. I don’t think anyone understands what they’ve had to overcome to get here – that makes it all the better, to know the journey it took to get here.”
It was South Charleston that took the early momentum on the game’s first drive as quarterback Kentre Grier connected with C.J. Perkins for a 47 yard touchdown pass, giving the Black Eagles a 7-0 lead just over a minute in.
From that point on, it was all Capital.
“I like those kind of games. I like when people score on us first,” said Capital quarterback Tyrhee Pratt. “The other crowd gets hyped, which gets me hyped. I was over there shaking my head – but that’s what we’re here for.”
More: Capital recaps record-setting title game
Just two minutes later, it was Pratt who stole the momentum back for the Cougars, going off the right side for a 67-yard touchdown run. Pratt finished the game 8 of 11 passing for 175 yards and four touchdowns, to go along with 88 total rushing yards and that one touchdown run.
“Our line executed and you have to give the props to them,” Pratt said. “Our backs ran well and we just all executed.”
All four of those touchdown passes were caught by 6-foot-4 senior Jordan Kinney who collected 140 yards receiving on six catches – he also added an interception on defense as well, earning game MVP honors.
“It feels great, all of this hard work finally paid off,” Kinney said. “I just wanted to come out and get the win and some things happened. It’s been fun, but it’s been a lot of good work behind the scenes that nobody really gets to see in the weight room and conditioning.”
The 40-point margin of victory is the most in Class AAA Super Six history (1979-2014), eclipsing Martinsburg’s 30-0 win over Brooke in 2010. It ties the margin of victory from 1960 when Weir beat Nitro 40-0.
“That really sinks in,” said Pratt. “That lets us know what we did and what type of a season that we had. It’s exciting – I can’t even explain it. It’s my first time being here, first time winning it and it’s the best feeling ever.”
Both teams were plagued by penalties in a heated game that had a lot of back-and-forth on the field between two longtime rivals. There were a combined 26 penalties, including multiple personal fouls and a slew of unsportsmanlike conducts.
“It’s just personal (between both teams),” Kinney said. “We know each other and it just gets like that sometimes.”
South Charleston was just one of four in red-zone opportunities, including a couple of first-half chances that could have kept the halftime score a little more competitive. Instead, Capital led at the break 28-7.
The Black Eagles had three turnovers in the loss as well.
More: South Charleston’s Mays proud of his team in defeat
“We knew we couldn’t turn the ball over and we had to control our emotions – we didn’t do a very good job of that early,” said South Charleston coach Donnie Mays. “I’m proud of my group of guys – they played really hard for us this year and there are a lot of other teams in the state that would like to be here right now.”
Grier finished 15 of 26 through the air for 214 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the loss. Capital’s defense, though, got to Grier throughout the day in the backfield, collecting five sacks.
Perkins led the Black Eagles in both receiving and rushing, bringing in eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. He had 12 carries for 68 yards and another score as well.
Capital was led on the ground by sophomore Silas Nazario who rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Kashuan Haley collected 83 yards on the ground and a touchdown, but was limited in the second half with a stiff back.
It’s the first football state championship for Capital since 1995.
“I’ve devoted my whole life to this,” Carpenter said. “This is what pushed someone who isn’t very smart through college and it’s all just for the opportunity to create this.”
Follow MetroNews High School Sports on Twitter and on Facebook.