MORGANTOWN – Entering Friday night’s opening round contest of the Class AAAA football playoffs against Parkersburg, University High’s Jaedyn Katchur had attempted only 18 carries and tallied only 65 yards through ten games.
Primarily a defensive player for the Hawks, Katchur heard his number called on the other side of the ball on Friday night and answered with a performance of 148 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns in a 62-14 victory over the Big Reds.
With the win, No. 7 University advances to the quarterfinals next week for a road trip to Huntington. The Highlanders eliminated UHS in 2024 in the opening round.
“All season long, we’ve had a bit of trouble getting out of the gate in the second half,” UHS head coach Eric Snyder said. “Tonight, we were pleased with what our guys were able to do to stay on top of the game in the third quarter. We executed on offense and moved the ball and overcame the adjustments they (Parkersburg) made with its offense as well.”
The Hawks built a 34-14 advantage at halftime after only leading by six points, 20-14, midway through the second quarter.
A pair of touchdowns by UHS quarterback Harrison Helbig opened a two-score lead in the first quarter, but the Big Reds responded with a touchdown to begin the second. Katchur scored the first of his three touchdowns to extend the lead back to 13, but again, Parkersburg answered and cut the Hawks’ advantage to one possession, 20-14.
But UHS ended the half with 14 unanswered points as Helbig found Glenn Brown for a 34-yard pass that went for six, and Katchur added his second rushing touchdown from 28 yards away before the break.
“I think our players knew the volume of this game and how intense it would be,” Snyder said. “We haven’t had a home playoff game here in about four seasons, so we wanted to make sure we took care of business tonight.”
The Hawks began the second half on offense and drove 77 yards to the end zone as Katchur scored his third and final touchdown of the contest.
UHS scored twice more on offense as Helbig connected with Hayden George for touchdown passes of one yard and 87 yards. George is now up to 89 catches for 1,235 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. The final UHS score came as Kaleil Lewis returned an interception 32 yards to the house.
Helbig finished the game 17 of 28 for 292 yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding 35 yards on 11 carries and another two touchdowns. He completed at least one pass to seven different receivers.
UHS will make the trip to Huntington on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff with some revenge on the mind.
“I think our kids will be excited to go down there and play that team, and it will show how much we’ve really grown,” Snyder said. “They’re a very well-coached team, and it’ll take one of our best games of the season, but we’re up for the test and ready to go play the best we can.”
BOX SCORE
University 62, Parkersburg 14
PHS 0 14 0 0 – 14
UHS 13 21 28 0 – 62
SCORING SUMMARY
UHS – Helbig 2 run (PAT blocked)
UHS – Helbig 1 run (Goodenow PAT)
PHS – Greer 9 run (Sisk PAT)
UHS – Katchur 1 run (Goodenow PAT)
PHS – Jones 31 pass/Greer (Sisk PAT)
UHS – Brown 34 pass/Helbig (Goodenow PAT)
UHS – Katchur 28 run (Goodenow PAT)
UHS – Katchur 34 run (Goodenow PAT)
UHS – George 1 pass/Helbig (Goodenow PAT)
UHS – George 87 pass/Helbig (Goodenow PAT)
UHS – Lewis 32 INT return (Goodenow PAT)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Parkersburg – Greer 12-38-TD, Shahan 1-33, E. Jones 11-28, Cheuvront 10-18, Cameron 1-10, A. Jones 1-3. University – Katchur 10-148-3TD, Helbig 11-25-2TD, Kniska 4-29, Byrer 5-28, Metheny 2-(-5).
PASSING: Parkersburg – Greer 3/14-73-TD 2INT, Cameron 2/4-10 INT. University – Helbig 17/28-292-3TD, Byrer 2/3-23.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg – Parsons 1-39, Jones 1-31-TD, Glover 1-9, Kupfner 2-4. University – George 9-157-2TD, Lewis 2-55, Weaver – 4-41, Brown 1-34-TD, Custer 1-12, Wannemacher 1-11, Kniska 1-5.
