VIENNA, W.Va — A 108-point game capped by a game-winning hook and lateral play with six seconds left. That’s how Parkersburg outlasted Wheeling Park, 57-51 in week six. The Patriots look to avenge that loss on their home field Friday night. It was a contest that illustrated the depth and explosive offensive weapons of both teams.
“They have multiple young men who can play and make plays,” said Parkersburg head coach Mike Byus. “I think that is what helps us offensively too. It is not just the Tyler Moler show or the Brenton Strange show. We have five or six receivers. I think we have had nine different receivers catch passes this year.”
“They make you defend every wide receiver,” said Wheeling Park head coach Chris Daugherty. “Their quarterback can run and throw. We try to do the same thing and that’s probably why we scored a bunch of points on each other.”
The Wheeling Park game represented a turning point of the season for Parkersburg. The Big Reds started out 1-3 as they were dealing with injuries that affected key players like Penn State recruit Brenton Strange. Mike Byus’ club has won five of six entering the playoffs.
“When we got healthy, I think we have played pretty well,” Byus said. “We lost two games and one was in overtime to a pretty good Huntington team. So we have played pretty good since we have been relatively healthy.”
Wheeling Park is 7-3 with losses to Parkersburg, Musselman and Parkersburg South. The Patriots have been on the good end of many shootouts and they average over forty points a game. Chris Daugherty is still waiting for his team to put all the pieces together in one game.
“So far we have not put a performance together both offensively and defensively,” Daugherty said. “We have had one or the other show up. A couple weeks ago against Parkersburg South our defense played well and our offense didn’t show up. I am still waiting for that game where both sides of the ball show up and play well.”