SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — Three first half touchdowns and a shutout in the second half propelled Wyoming East to a 22-18 win at Nicholas County. The Warriors (2-0) have matched their 2018 win total and the Grizzlies suffered their first regular season loss in seventeen games.
“The first thing I did when I came to Wyoming East, I did a lot of team building activities, a lot of confidence activities, just a lot of things to keep these kids fighting,” said first-year WEHS head coach Larry Thompson. “Our mascot is a Warrior so we do a lot of Warrior mentality stuff. That showed up tonight.”
Thompson led Mount View to a 10-win season and a spot in the Class A quarterfinals last fall.
Chase York rushed for a pair of first half touchdowns. His 58-yard scamper on East’s first possession of the game gave the Warriors an 8-0 lead. He would later add a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Caleb Bower had the other score for WEHS, capping a long touchdown drive in the second quarter to give East a 16-6 lead.
“Throwing the ball on the edge early really opened up the run for us a little bit,” Thompson said.
All of the scoring came in the first half and the Warriors never trailed in the contest. Each team scored three touchdowns but the Warriors were successful on a pair of two-point conversions to make the difference in the game.
Nicholas County got on the scoreboard in the first quarter when Timmy Baker connected with Luke LeRose on a 48-yard reception. Baker was injured in the second quarter and did not return. Tyler Sedlock had the other scores for the Grizzlies on a 79-yard kickoff return and a 7-yard run.
Wyoming East will visit Oak Hill next week while the Grizzlies look to bounce back against Lincoln.
“We are still trying to earn respect statewide,” Thompson said. “We are still going to show up this week and play to the best of our ability.”
“This is the epitome of success at the high school level. Nicholas County is a perennial powerhouse in southern West Virginia. Everybody knows it. This was a playoff test for us. I really and truly believe that if we stay healthy and we keep fighting, we will be in the top sixteen at the end of he year.”