MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Class AA No. 1 Fairmont Senior stayed unbeaten in Week 7 of the high school football season Friday, pulling away in the second half to beat No. 9 Weir 20-3.
It was a defensive battle throughout as the Polar Bears (6-0) led 7-3 at the break behind a 67 yard touchdown run from Bryson Gilbert. Gilbert added a 55 yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give his team a 13-3 cushion. Quarterback Jake Abbott connected with Caleb Walker with just two minutes to go for an eight yard touchdown to put the game away.
Gallery: Fairmont Senior 20, Weir 3
Gilbert finished with 160 yards rushing in the win and those two touchdowns as the Polar Bears managed just 189 offensive yards overall. Weir managed only 120 total offensive yards as running back Cody Enrietti was limited to 83 rushing yards in the loss.
Weir’s lone score came on a 30 yard field goal in the first quarter. The Red Riders dropped to 5-2 with the road loss.
Williamstown rallies on the road to hand Buffalo its first loss
Williamstown sophomore backup quarterback Carter Haynes helped lead the Yellowjackets on two late touchdown drives to beat No. 4 Buffalo 39-34 on the road. With starting senior quarterback Trenton Tallman on crutches to start the second half, the Yellowjackets (5-2) saw what was a 27-13 second quarter lead turn into a 34-27 fourth quarter deficit.
The two teams were tied 27-27 at the break.
“I think the difference was our defense,” said Williamstown coach Terry Smith. “(Tallman) went down right at the end of the second quarter and he was doing a super job, as usual, but he got hurt with a hip pointer.
More: Complete MetroNews high school football statewide scoreboard
“Our guys kind of hung their heads,” he continued. “But we said that we couldn’t just turn our stuff in at halftime – they played their butts off and I’m just real proud of them.”
Tallman had a 59 yard touchdown run, 93 yard kickoff return for a score and another one yard touchdown run prior to leaving the game.
A 13-yard touchdown pass from Haynes to Darren Hastings tightened Buffalo’s lead to 34-33, but the extra point failed. The Yellowjackets later scored the game-winning touchdown with under two minutes remaining on a nine yard run.
It was a critical win for Williamstown, which entered Friday night at No. 15 in Class A with a 4-2 record, coming off of a 14-point loss to rival St. Marys last week.
“I’m really happy for our seniors,” Smith said. “St. Marys played really well and we couldn’t really do much against them – they played terrific and my hat is off to them. I wasn’t really sure how we would react, but we had a good week of practice. I thought we were ready to go, but when (Tallman) got hurt, our guys just were determined to win the game.”
Fayetteville wins thriller over Nicholas County
In a battle of undefeated teams, Class A No. 6 Fayetteville edged AA No. 4 Nicholas County 44-42. A Fayetteville touchdown with just 50 seconds to go extended the Pirates’ lead out to 44-36.
But Nicholas County quarterback Tate Mayes led a Grizzlies’ (5-1) rally, finding Carter Serbert-Sweeney for a five yard touchdown pass as regulation ended, cutting the deficit to 44-42. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt failed, however, as the Pirates (7-0) hung on for the two point win and a plethora of valuable playoff rating bonus points.
Morgantown wins important road game at Wheeling Park
Class AAA No. 12 Morgantown snapped its two-game losing streak, thumping defending state champion Wheeling Park 41-14.
The Mohigans (5-2) were led by senior running back Jordan Page who finished with over 120 yards and scored three touchdowns on 18 carries.
“We did something a little bit different with (Page) tonight than we have done in the past,” said Morgantown coach Matt Lacy. “We moved him back to seven yards into a pistol look and it helps him because he has one of those things you can’t coach – great vision.
“With him back there, when he gets the hand-off, the blocks have already started to develop and it lets him use that vision that he has,” Lacy continued. “He’s such a fantastic back.”
Cabell Midland takes pivotal win over rival No. 3 Huntington
Cabell Midland was in need of a win to keep its playoff hopes on sturdy ground — and the 16th rated Knights got just that, beating rival Huntingon 27-20.
With Texas Childress at quarterback and Ivan Vaughn leading the way on the ground, the Knights used a balance attack to pull away on Friday night.
Gallery: Cabell Midland 27, Huntington 20
“That was fun and good for our kids, it was exciting to get a win,” said Cabell Midland coach Luke Salmons. “We’ve been through a different year for our team and our program, but the kids are resilient. We have a good team, we really do. It’s just a matter of getting them clicking and where they need to be. They all showed up tonight.”
Vaughn finished with 210 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries for Cabell Midland (3-4) in the win. Huntington dropped to 5-2 with the loss.