By Shawn Rine – The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register for WVMetroNews.com
No. 11 Summers County (8-4) at No. 10 Wheeling Central (8-4)
WHEELING – For the first time since 2011, Wheeling Central has a chance to play in a state championship game. While most schools would jump at the chance to wait six years between appearances, it feels like it’s been a lot longer than that to the Maroon Knights, who are accustomed to winning and winning big.
Summers County pays a visit to Bishop Schmitt Field on the campus of Wheeling Jesuit University for a 1:30 Saturday kickoff, with the winner advancing to the Super Six at Wheeling Island Stadium.
It’s a rare No. 11 (Summers County) vs. No. 10 (Wheeling Central) state semifinal matchup. Few are suprised to see the Maroon Knights (8-4) at this point, given that they played one of – if not the – the toughest schedules in Class A, which essentially made them the wolf in sheep’s clothing when the brackets were announced.
The Bobcats (8-4), however, are somewhat of a cinderella team, having beaten No. 6 Webster County and No. 3 Midland Trail, both on the road.
“They are steady and well-balanced team,” Central coach Mike Young said of the Bobcats. “They can both throw and run the ball very well and they usually make very good use of their field position.
“On defense they caused four turnovers last week with a good, physical group. I think those four turnovers say an awful lot about that defense. They are a team that you have to take advantage of your opportunities and not make any mistakes.
“But if we go out and run our offense like we can, and have been, and take care of the fundamentals, I believe our chances are good to advance.”
The Maroon Knights, who will be looking for their first trip back to the Island since winning back-to-back state championships in 2010-11, are coming off an impressive 39-6 rout of No. 2 seed South Harrison last Friday night.
“We had a good game plan going in and the kids really executed it,” Young said. “Give a lot of credit to the coaches that put the plan together and the kids for doing what they did. It all came down to team football.”
First-year Summers County coach Chris Vicars watched his defense force those four turnovers and a late fourth-quarter bomb helped it advance with a 6-0 conquest of Midland Trail that same night. It was a win that sent the Bobcats to the semifinals and provided Central an improbable home game.
“Our defense played well last week and right now the kids are picking up the program and running with it,” Vicars said. “We actually played well on both sides of the ball, but we will need the same kind of effort this week that we had the last two weeks to move on.
“I am sure it isn’t too often you are going to see a 10 and 11 seed playing in the semifinals, and while Wheeling Central had a big win last week, it was only an upset because of their seed. They are as good as anybody in the state.
“Our kids felt all week last week that we could beat Midland Trail, and we expected a hard fight, but in the end it is a great feeling. A few weeks ago we lost to Richwood and were sitting at 5-4. If you would have told me then we were going to the state semifinals I don’t know that I would have believed you.”
Summers County is playing in its third consecutive postseason, however, the Bobcats’ preliminary-round win was their first since 1968 when it was Hinton High School. This week’s game will also mark the sixth straight road game for Vicars’ squad, having won four of the last five.
Leading the way for Summers County is do-it-all quarterback Tucker Lilly, who has combined for more than 2,000 yards on the season on the ground and through the air. Lilly was bottled up last week, rushing for 40 yards on 14 carries and hitting 3 of 7 passes for 58 yards, but he did connect with stud receiver Andrew Richmond for a 40-yard touchdown strike that proved to be the game-winner.
Richmond has 45 catches for 568 yards and six scores on the campaign while Timmy Persiani is also another receiving option. Running back Marcus McGuire is the team’s leading rusher with more than 1,000 yards. McGuire was limited to 58 yards on 14 totes last week as the Bobcats were outgained by a 257-192 margin.
Freshman Keandre Sarver also came up big against Midland Trail, intercepting a pass in the end zone early in the game before recovering a fumble at his team’s 5-yard line with 16 seconds remaining.
Vicars’ team started the season 1-2 but won two of their final three, all against playoff teams, to get into the playoffs. Last week’s victory was also Summers County’s third straight shutout win, having outscored their opponents by a 56-0 margin along the way.
Wheeling Central used its own balance to knock off South Harrison last week with the defense doing an admiral job of caging speedy Freddy Canary and keeping him in check.
The Knights ran for 345 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Curtis McGhee III threw for 70 yards and two more scores. McGhee ran for 122 yards and a score on eight carries while senior Dawson Wear added 118 more and a touchdown on 10 tries.
Wear is the team’s leading rushing, standing 31 yards shy of 1,000 for the campaign while McGhee has thrown for 1,235 yards and 18 scores. Central also has a pair of high-quality receivers in Bray Price (31-509-7) and Anthony Robbins (30-439-8). Robbins had a touchdown catch last week while Price had an 84-yard kickoff return for a score after the Hawks’ only touchdown.
While slowing down Canary, who had rushed for 368 yards the previous week, the Maroon Knights limited South Harrison to 202 yards of offense.
“From what we have seen on film, they are one heckuva football team,” Vicars said. “Definitely the best we will have played all season long. They have great team speed on defense and some hard-hitting linebackers.
“They are very well-coached and they always seem to be in good position for whatever they need and have great technique. They have so many weapons and can run or throw the ball. This is a huge test for us and we are going to have to be good all over the field.”
The season turned around for Central during its current five-game winning streak in which it has outscored opponents by a 215-39 margin. During the campaign the Knights have played eight playoff teams, as well as city rival Linsly, and eight teams with a minimum of seven wins.
“I felt that this kind of potential was there from the beginning,” Young said. “Getting everyone on the same page was the key, and these kids really came together in the end.
“We had a lot of kids to replace coming into the season, but we had some quality kids to do it with, and then the addition of three important kids from Bishop Donahue. There are way too many kids to name, but so many have played a big part in all of this.
“It has been an improvement by committee and we have really turned in to a well-oil machine.”
As far as playing at home this weekend, Young could not be happier.
“Look, we have made the long trips around the state and been successful in the past, but this home game takes away a four- or five-hour trip that we could have had to make,” Young said. “Give all the credit to these kids and this program.
“And I also believe it is a reward to the Ohio Valley to be able to make a short trip to see a state semifinal game in their own backyard.”