Highlights above are by Jack Withrow, WVMetroNews.com
BUFFALO, W.Va. — 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.
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“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.”
Buffalo dropped to 5-1 with the loss.