Highlights by Teran Malone
ST. MARYS, W.Va. – A late touchdown and defensive stop by St. Marys squashed a Ritchie County comeback attempt propelling the Blue Devils to their third straight victory to start the season.
St. Marys (3-0) held on to beat Ritchie County (2-1) 34-26 Friday night at Bill Hanlin Stadium overcoming three turnovers in the game and a late Ritchie County rally.
“Just can’t say enough about the kids,” said St. Marys Coach Jodi Mote. “They played four quarters. I felt like Ritchie County played well and played hard. It was a hard fought battle. No doubt about that.”
Down 28-14 in the second half, Ritchie County put together a pair of scoring drives in the second half but could not close the gap because of a pair of failed two-point conversion attempts. A St. Marys interception set up a 23-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Haught to Blaine Bowie with 1:47 to go in the third quarter. The Rebels scored on a 1-yard touchdown dive by Graden McKinney with 7:00 left in the game.
The Rebels had a chance to tie the game but St. Marys came up with another conversion stop. Tyler Flowers broke up the Rebel pass attempt on the two-point try, preserving the Blue Devils 28-26 lead.
St. Marys responded on the next drive. Trey Moss scored from three yards out with 3:10 left in the game, marching 56 yards in 9 plays to extend its lead to 34-26.
A missed extra point by St. Marys gave the Rebels a chance but Ritchie County’s hopes of a comeback were snuffed out in the final moments of the game. Facing third down, Haught connected with Blaine Bowie, for what appeared to be a first-down catch. However, St. Marys was able to come up with a strip and the Blue Devils’ Darrien Bortey came up with the takeaway, sealing the win.
“In a very tight game, every thing counts. You just have to fight and that’s what I’m proud of those guys for doing,” insisted Mote.
Senior quarterback Brennen Boron led the way for St. Marys with 120 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to go along with 106 yards and a score passing.
“He stepped up for us tonight. He’s kind of like having a running back at quarterback,” Mote said.
For Ritchie County, quarterback Ethan Haught threw for over 150 yards and three touchdowns. He was also the leading rusher for the Rebels with 31 yards on 8 carries.
The Blue Devils jumped out early building a 20-6 lead in the first half on a pair of touchdown run by quarterback Brennen Boron and a 6-yard yard touchdown pass from Boron to Cyle West. Ritchie County took advantage of a St. Marys interception with 1:47 to go in the second quarter, reaching the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown toss from Ethan Haught to Blaine Bowie, cutting the St. Marys lead to 20-14 at the half.
Trey Moss, who was Ritchie County’s leading rusher last season and transferred to St. Marys over the summer, rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.