CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Morgantown football coach Sean Biser was convinced the score didn’t tell the whole story in the Mohigans’ 34-6 regular season loss at Martinsburg.
Veteran Bulldogs’ coach Dave Walker had a similar sentiment regarding the matchup from eight weeks back.
In the more meaningful matchup Friday afternoon at UC Stadium at Laidley Field, those thoughts proved especially true as No. 1 Morgantown scored two touchdowns in the final 22 seconds of the first half and another on the opening second-half series, before hanging on for a memorable 28-21 victory over the No. 3 Bulldogs in the Class AAAA state championship.
“Our kids have worked so hard and put so much time and effort in,” Biser said. “Our students, fans and cheerleaders, the whole school and community is fantastic at MHS. It means a ton.”
Morgantown improves to 6-2 in state title games, while the Bulldogs had an 11-game win streak on that stage snapped and fell to 11-5 in state championships.
The Mohigans (13-1) were forced to hang on for dear life in the late stages as the Bulldogs (11-3) scored on Terrell Cofield’s 3-yard run, which combined with Cody Paige’s third point-after kick, brought Martinsburg to within seven points with 4:31 remaining.
Standout sophomore quarterback/defensive back Maddox Twigg had been sidelined throughout the fourth until the Mohigans’ regained possession after recovering an onside kick with 4:26 left. But Twigg’s presence couldn’t help the Mohigans generate a first down, and they instead went three-and-out and punted it back to Martinsburg, which got a 23-yard return from Boston Todd to start at its 41-yard line.
With one timeout at its disposal, Martinsburg needed to gain 59 yards in 1:52, and the Bulldogs picked up more than half of it on the first play when Brian Dick found a leaping Mason Walley for a 36-yard completion.
The Bulldogs called their final timeout prior to Dick completing a 10-yard pass to Todd on fourth-and-7, and the Bulldogs then rushed to the line and spiked the ball with 25 seconds left.
On second down, Dick rushed for 2 yards and got out of bounds, before keeping it again and gaining 1 yard on a third down run up the middle that ended with him tackled inbounds and the clock running. The Bulldogs rushed to the line of scrimmage with time winding down in an effort to get off one final play on fourth and down, but Dick instead spiked the ball into the turf upon receiving the snap for a game-sealing incompletion with 1 second remaining.
“We had a play called and there was just a miscommunication, I guess,” Walker said. “Hats off to Morgantown. They outplayed us. We waited a little too long to start playing.”
The Mohigans’ Chase Davis recovered a Kingston McDonald-Gibson fumble on the second play from scrimmage, but the Bulldogs defense forced a turnover on downs in the red zone to keep the matchup scoreless for the time being.
After Martinsburg’s second series ended with a punt, Twigg threw a 62-yard pass to Carter Cooper, and four plays later, Twigg ran right and cutback left to find plenty of running room on a 20-yard touchdown scamper on fourth-and-9. Aiden Petsko’s point-after attempt was blocked, leaving Morgantown with a 6-0 lead at the 2:05 mark of the opening quarter.
“I didn’t think we played too bad the first time. We just didn’t make plays. When our kids scored first, I knew we had a chance, because our kids believed,” Biser said.
The Bulldogs gained their first and only lead of the matchup at 7-6 when Dick received a goal line pitch from Ty Ricketts and reached the end zone for a 1-yard TD run 3:05 before halftime. Martinsburg was 5-for-5 on third down during that series, including a 22-yard pass from Dick to Todd when faced with third-and-22 on its own 8.
But the Mohigans countered with perhaps the most critical scoring series of the contest, moving 90 yards on nine plays and regaining the advantage on Twigg’s 2-yard touchdown run 22 seconds before halftime. Twigg completed passes of 29 and 32 yards to Tanzer George on consecutive plays prior to crossing the goal line for his team’s second TD. Twigg also ran in the 2-point attempt to leave Morgantown with a 14-7 advantage
Kane Williams recovered Walley’s fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and after setting up shop at the Bulldogs’ 21, Twigg threw a third down pass to George to cover that distance for a touchdown and 21-7 halftime lead.
“You score two touchdowns that quick, it’s hard to come back from that,” Twigg said.
Cooper’s 47-yard kickoff return to start the second half provided Morgantown with ideal field position, and the Mohigans took advantage of it when Twigg punched it in from 4 yards for his third rushing score, leaving the Bulldogs facing a 21-point deficit at the 7:08 mark of the third. It marked Morgantown’s third straight touchdown drive, while the Bulldogs did not run a play from scrimmage during that time.
“They were a lot more physical this time around than the first time we played them or we weren’t as physical maybe,” Walker said. “Twigg’s a really good player, especially for a sophomore. Defensively, they played well. They just played hard and our guys didn’t play as hard early. We played hard in the second half, but it was a little bit too late.”
Sean Biser celebrates Morgantown’s Class AAAA state championship: #wvprepfb pic.twitter.com/PmaFzgHkKc
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Dick’s 28-yard rushing touchdown on the following possession brought the Bulldogs back to within two scores with 3:44 left in the third.
Twigg left the game with an injury before Martinsburg stopped Morgantown on third-and-2 of its ensuing series, and the signal-caller was on the sideline for Morgantown’s next offensive possession, which yielded one first down courtesy of a roughing the punter penalty. After remaining on the sideline for Martinsburg’s third touchdown drive, Twigg returned to help his team hang on.
“The first time I went down, I did something to my shoulder,” Twigg said. ”Not really sure what it was. It’s been messing with me for the past couple weeks, but I’ve been battling through it, because we’re here and that’s all that mattered. I started cramping in both calves, but I had to go in. I had 5 minutes of football left. Who cares about cramping? I had to go in and battle through it.”
Twigg completed 7-of-17 passes for 181 yards and rushed 19 times for 135 yards, combining for 316 yards through the air and on the ground for a Morgantown team that totaled 306 yards.
Twigg was also the game’s leading tackler with 10.
“He has incredible athleticism, a will to win and he always wants the ball in his hands,” Biser said. “Not that I haven’t had any kids like that, but his athletic ability is at a little different level.”
Cooper had four receptions for 99 yards and George caught three passes for 82 yards.
Dick was 13-for-18 and passed for 177 yards. Todd was his top target and led all players with 11 receptions for 136 yards.
“He’s our best player. It’s a state championship game and you have to get the ball to your best guys,” Walker said.
Dick led all players with 26 carries for 95 yards in defeat.
“They’re the standard of football in the state of West Virginia,” Biser said of the Bulldogs. “Dave told me we’ll probably see you again and I thought we would, too. I didn’t know it would be here though. To be able to get the win, it really didn’t matter who it was against, but what a feat against these guys.”