Capital’s late rally falls one play short, Parkersburg South wins opener 29-28

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Parkersburg South led Capital 29-14 with just over seven minutes to go and the Patriots appeared well on their way to a season-opening victory. However, South needed to stop a two-point conversion attempt with fourteen seconds left to seal a thrilling, 29-28 win Monday evening.

“Our kids are gritty. They play and practice with a lot of effort. I am super-proud of them. I think tonight, I hope it sets the tone for the rest of the season,” said Parkersburg South head coach Nathan Tanner.

“We had some kids going down with cramps and we had some alternates step in and play big. We were able to do just enough to hold them off for the win.”

The Patriots scored on their first possession when new starting quarterback Robert Shockey connected with Cyrus Traugh on a 53-yard touchdown pass. South led 6-0 after the first quarter.

Parkersburg South extended their lead early in the second quarter when Shockey tossed his second touchdown pass, this time to Tyson Maze on a 26-yard connection. Capital however answered with a long scoring drive late in the second that was capped by a Zion Smith one-yard tote. The Cougars trailed 13-7 at halftime.

South rebuilt a two-score lead early in the third quarter. With Shockey injured, backup quarterback Turner Garretson scored on a one-yard run, making the score 21-7.

“Both of them [quarterbacks] competed all summer long. We kind of split reps 50-50. There are both sophomores and both are really good players. We ended up giving the nod to Robert. But Turner started on defense, so he played a lot.”

Capital answered on their next possession when JacQai Long hit Shawn James on a screen pass, which James converted into a 71-yard score. South’s defense answered with what would prove to be a critical play late in the third. The Patriots earned a safety by forcing an intentional grounding in the end zone. South led 23-14 through three quarters.

“You could refer back to several plays throughout the game where you could call them backbreakers for either side. But that safety saved our butts at the end for sure.”

Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Aidan Cooke gave the Patriots their largest lead of the game at 29-14 with a five-yard touchdown run. Capital responded quickly as Long found James again on a scoring strike of 38 yards with 7:14 left.

The Patriots collected two first downs on the ensuing possession but punted the ball back to the Cougars with two minutes left. Capital drove to the Patriots 34-yard line. With twenty seconds left, Long aired it out for Nadir Price, who reeled in a tipped ball at the five-yard line and fell into the end zone to pull Capital within a point.

New Capital head coach Mark Mason elected to go for the two-point conversion but the Patriots defended it well and forced an incompleti0n. South recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.

“It was a byproduct of what these kids put in in the offseason. We have lifted for 35-plus weeks. Prior to the game today, we had practiced over forty times. We played over thirty games of 7-on-7. It was countless.”





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