MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Accidents and construction on the interstates between Wheeling and Morgantown caused a significant detour for the Wheeling Park football team before its Thursday night game at Morgantown High. The Class AAA No. 6 Patriots had to take backroads down the Northern Panhandle and across the western end of Monongalia County before finally getting to MHS at about 7:15 p.m.
The original kickoff was 7 p.m., and while the game was delayed an hour, it was well worth it in the end for Wheeling Park, even if it didn’t seem like it for 80% of the game.
Trailing 28-13 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots stormed back to score 21 unanswered points, stunning the Mohigans in a 34-28 thriller.
“We were supposed to be picked up at 3:30 and weren’t picked up until almost 5 — we were sitting in the sun for a couple hours and then we had to take (U.S.) 250 through Cameron,” Wheeling Park coach Chris Daugherty said. “It wasn’t a normal trip here, I can tell you that.”
Everything seemed to go right for MHS (1-6) from the opening kickoff through the fourth quarter. Even when the Patriots (5-1) threatened, the Mohigans had an answer. Jackson Wolfe scored on a 15-yard run to give MHS the 28-13 lead.
But on the ensuing kickoff, Wheeling Park’s Shaheed Jackson ran it back on a 98-yard return, and that’s when the momentum began to shift in favor of the Patriots.
On MHS’s next possession, it was forced to punt. A few plays later, WPHS quarterback Alex Dunlevy hit receiver Nathaniel Hairston as the Mohigans misplayed the ball. Hairston sprinted into the end zone for a 61-yard score.
It was just a 2-point game at 28-26.
Finally, though, the Mohigans started to put together a drive. Preston Fox, who finished the game with 123 yards and two touchdown runs, was moving the ball down the field in the run game.
Fox appeared to score, but it was called back because of a chop block.
A couple plays later, a bad snap went over Fox’s head and was recovered by Wheeling Park’s Nathan Shelek. The Patriots marched down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 33 seconds left when Dunleavy hit Steven Mitchell in the flat.
A deflated Morgantown tried to score at the end, but a Gunner Latimore pass was batted down in the end zone.
It was arguably the best game MHS played all season for 40 minutes, but again, a lack of consistency came back to bite the Mohigans when it mattered most.
“Again, it was consistency — that’s what we’ve tried to preach and we just didn’t get it,” Morgantown coach Matt Lacy said. “We got down here and had a score to probably seal it, but we get called for the chop block and then we snap it over our head and give them the ball with the short field. I feel bad for these guys because they played their hearts out. They could have folded tent, but they battled through this thing and had a chance. It just didn’t work out in our favor tonight.”
MHS will host undefeated Parkersburg South next week, so it will not get any easier for the Mohigans as they try to salvage the remainder of the season.
