MORGANTOWN – Morgantown High School opened its 2026 postseason with a dominant 17-5 win over Fairmont Senior on Wednesday night in the state quarterfinals of the WVSLA playoffs at Pony Lewis Field.
The Mohigans (15-0) led wire-to-wire in the victory, including a 6-0 advantage in the final quarter, to advance to the WVSLA state semifinals against Martinsburg (date and time TBA). The Bulldogs defeated University High 7-6 in the opening round.
“I am really pleased with how our team handled the physical style of play in the opening round of the playoffs,” MHS head coach Jeremy Bennett said. “It took us a little while to find our rhythm and build momentum, but overall, we responded and adjusted well. That said, we know we’ll need to come out much stronger and faster in the semifinal against Martinsburg.”
As has been the theme of the year for MHS, the attacking trio of seniors Luke Quigley, Zion Joseph, and junior Anthony Vessecchia controlled their end of the field against the Polar Bears’ defense.
All three players netted a hat trick in the contest. A two-goal lead after the opening quarter swelled to five (8-3) entering halftime as MHS found its rhythm in the second stanza. A nearly even third quarter saw the Mohigans with an 11-5 advantage entering the final 12 minutes, before a dominant fourth quarter secured the win.
With the victory, Morgantown will play Martinsburg at Pony Lewis Field in the semifinals. The Mohigans defeated Martinsburg 24-6 on March 21.
“We played them back in March, and it’s clear from their recent performances that they have improved significantly since then,” Bennett said. “We’ve continued to improve as well, but we can’t expect to see the same Martinsburg team we faced earlier this season. They’ll be a much tougher opponent in the playoffs, and we’ll have to be at our best.”
The date and time for the semifinal matchup have yet to be determined.
