Playoff Roundup: Parkersburg South rallies past Musselman; Oak Glen stays perfect

— By Greg Carey & Joe Brocato

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Five spots in a state semifinal were secured Friday and seven more were locked up Saturday.

Defending Class A champion Wheeling Central Catholic moved on with a shutout win at Ritchie County.

A look at other quarterfinal action across the state Saturday:

CLASS AAA

Martinsburg wins by 70 points

One week after rolling to an 84-point opening-round win over Preston, Class AAA No. 1 Martinsburg won its quarterfinal matchup against No. 9 Spring Mills in similar fashion, 70-0.

The Bulldogs (12-0) extended their state record win streak to 54 games in the process and will take on No. 4 Parkersburg South in a semifinal.

Martinsburg never faced a third down in the lopsided win over the nearby Cardinals, who finished 7-5.

Kevon Warren rushed for 160 yards and two scores, while Jarod Bowie rushed for 117 yards in the win.

Naieem Kearney’s 1-yard touchdown run and Anthony Smith’s 37-yard scoring reception allowed Martinsburg to reach the end zone on its first two offensive plays and set the stage for a 49-0 halftime lead.

Parkersburg South rallies by Musselman

Facing a 10-point halftime deficit, Class AAA No. 4 Parkersburg South outscored No. 5 Musselman, 35-6 in the second half to claim a 52-33 win.

The Patriots (11-1) got another standout performance from Brandon Penn.

Penn rushed for a pair of touchdowns, threw a 56-yard TD to Levi Rice and also scored on an interception return.

Devin Gaines added two rushing scores for South, which took a 31-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ben Bartles rushed for two first-half touchdowns for the Applemen (9-3), who capitalized on three Patriots’ turnovers to build their lead.

Nick Zamora’s 40-yard rushing touchdown with 3:06 remaining cut the Applemen deficit to 38-33, but Penn followed with a 49-yard TD run to put the game out of reach.

CLASS AA

Bridgeport in Final 4 for ninth consecutive season

Bridgeport scored a touchdown in each quarter to defeat Mingo Central, 28-8, at Wayne Jamison Field.

The No. 2 Indians (11-1) have now qualified for the semifinal round in nine consecutive seasons and will host No. 6 Oak Glen (12-0) next weekend.

BHS opened the scoring in the first quarter when Carson Winkie intercepted a pass and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown to give the Indians a 7-0 lead. 

Bridgeport doubled its lead before halftime when Devin Vandergrift scored on a 16-yard keeper.

Winkie found the end zone a second time late in the third quarter, scoring on a 2yard run to make the score 21-0. The Miners answered on their next possession when Daylin Goad tossed a 58-yard touchdown pass to Devin Hatfield. 

But the Indians’ defense would not allow another point the rest of the way and Vandergrift put the game out of reach with a 58-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.

Winkie led the Indians rushing attack with 102 yards on 26 carries. For the Miners (9-3), Goad completed 26-of-52 passes for 252 yards.

Oak Glen edges Poca in battle of unbeaten teams

The Class AA No. 6 Golden Bears got major contributions from Hunter Patterson in a 25-20 win over the No. 3 Dots on a mud-covered field at O.O. White Stadium.

Patterson had a 75-yard touchdown reception, took a kickoff 97 yards for a score, rushed for 98 yards and threw the game-winning score on an 11-yard pass to Michael Lemley.

Patterson’s pass to Lemley wasn’t without controversy as it was batted away from its intended target and into the hands of Lemley. While the Dots’ coaching staff thought Lemley didn’t possess  the ball long enough, the officials ruled it a touchdown following a conference.

Poca (11-1) only had the ball once more and punted, before Oak Glen (12-0) covered 61 yards in 19 plays to take off the remaining 9:32.

Dots’ tailback Ethan Payne rushed for 180 yards and one touchdown in the loss, with 150 yards coming over the first two quarters. Younger brother Toby Payne had five receptions for 102 yards and two scores in defeat.

Quarterback Nick Chaney threw for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help the Golden Bears reach their first semifinal in school history.

CLASS A

Doddridge 12-0 for second straight season

Doddridge County overcame a slow start in a turnover-filled first half to advance to the Class A semifinal round with a 21-6 win over East Hardy at Cline Stansberry Stadium.

The No. 8 Cougars (8-4) jumped on the scoreboard first when Christian Dove connected with Dawson Tharp on a 21-yard touchdown pass. The top-seeded Bulldogs answered early in the second quarter when Noah Bumgarner threw a 71-yard scoring strike to Griffin Devericks to give the home team a 7-6 lead. 

Hunter America’s 2-yard rushing touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 14-6 cushion at halftime.

America added a 30-yard scoring tote in the fourth quarter for the final points.

Doddridge County (12-0) will host No. 5 Williamstown (10-2) in the semifinal round. The Bulldogs defeated the Yellowjackets 20-7 on Nov. 1.

Pendleton in Class A semis for second time in 4 years

No. 3 Pendleton County (11-1) used a sterling defensive effort to defeat No. 6 St. Marys, 13-2, at Slusher Field.

The Wildcats have also advanced to the semifinals in 1998 and 2016, which was current head coach Zac Smith’s first year guiding the program.

St. Marys (9-3) jumped out to an early lead with a safety in the first quarter, but those were the only points that Pendleton would allow. 

The Wildcats scored touchdowns in the second and third quarters to take a lead they would not relinquish.

Pendleton County will host No. 10 Wheeling Central Catholic (8-4) in a semifinal.





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