Hawks thrive in shootout win against Parkersburg South, 76-50
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PARKERSBURG -- In an affair that lasted three and a half hours and featured more than 1,100 yards of total offense here Friday night inside Erickson All-Sports Facility during Parkersburg South's 60th homecoming, the Patriots were unable to keep up with University in the second half as the Hawks soared to a 76-50 victory.
University, which led 41-35 at intermission, outscored the Patriots 21-0 in the third quarter and had eight of its 11 six-pointers go for at least 33 yards as the Hawks of head coach Eric Snyder improved to 2-0 with Washington set to invade next week.
"This is a very difficult place to play," admitted Snyder, who watched quarterback Hunter Helbig complete half of his 30 aerials for 471 yards and six touchdowns while also adding a pair of rushing scores. "I'll tell you, they made some pretty big plays that we weren't quite ready for so kudos to Park South on being able to execute those big plays. We had to make some adjustments there in the first half.
"Maybe I made those adjustments just a little too soon. Our guys calmed down a little bit. They weren't getting inside their own heads right there so I was very thrilled at my team's ability to come back after that first half and some of the guys made a lot of big mistakes there. It was nice to be able to have that resiliency from my team this week and tonight. Proud of them for the second half. We definitely got to clean up the first half."
Kooper Jackson, who had game-highs of 25 carries and 110 yards, scored from the 5 with 1:50 left in the half to get the Patriots within a score at intermission.
Hayden George, who had four grabs for 180 stripes that all turned into touchdowns, hooked up with Helbig on a 44-yard strike to get things going in the third quarter.
Patriot signal-caller Logen Arnold, who was 17 of 36 for 310 yards with three TDs and a trio of interceptions, was picked off by MJ Mckenzie and that resulted in a 55-35 deficit after he housed it from 49 yards out.
George's final TD of the affair – a 33-yarder – made it 62-35 Hawks with 1:47 left in the third.
"I saw our kids stay together," said PSHS head man Larry Thompson. "They stuck to each other like glue. We were dropping like flies. I take full blame for that. The hydration is not where it needs to be.
"University, credit to coach Snyder. He has a heck of a football program. I will say this. I don't think that football team is 25 points better than us, but a couple big plays early on and we were playing catch-up all night."
The first big play featured Evan Toler, who had four receptions for 205 yards, hauling in a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Helbig to open the scoring at 11:11 of the first.
Logan Graham finished with a game-high nine catches that covered 198 yards and his 51-yard touchdown where he caught a ball in the flat and then turned it up to paydirt tied it at 7-7 less than two minutes later after Wyatt Bartley answered Brody Goodenow's extra point.
George's first TD was a 36-yard catch that came at the 8:07 mark as the Hawks then increased their advantage to 21-7 when George had a 61-yard punt return for a score.
Graham, who was injured after his first touchdown when he was roughed as the holder on the extra point, came back into the game and made a 49-yard TD grab.
University, which had a 646 to 491 advantage in total yards, had the Patriots doubled up 28-14 at 2:59 of the first after Helbig darted 13 yards untouched into the end zone.
The scoring in the opening period wasn't finished yet as Josiah Swiger made a leaping all hands grab for a 27-yard touchdown to draw PSHS within seven, 28-21, with 39 ticks still left in the first.
Parkersburg South, which slipped to 0-2 and heads next Friday to Woodrow Wilson, tied the game for the final time at 10:54 of the second on Jackson's 12-yard scoring scamper.
Prior to Jackson's 5-yard TD run that set the halftime score, the Hawks added two more touchdowns on a 67-yard Helbig to George connection and a Brody Kehler 18-yard touchdown run.
"Very proud of the offensive scheme that coach (Dustin) Lawless has made with them, so very happy to see that," added Snyder, who watched Kehler tote 13 times for 101 stripes as the Hawks set a new school record with 76 points, which topped a 70-0 win in 1999 at Preston. "At the end of the day I think we still have to put together a full entire game."
Bartley's 32-yard field goal and a Jackson 1-yard TD burst narrowed the deficit to 62-44 with 10:32 remaining, but Helbig scored from the 2 and then hooked up with Toler on a 52-yard touchdown pass as an Asa Yost 8-yard TD run for the hosts accounted for the final points.
Parkersburg South's previous mark for most points allowed in a regular season game came back in 1992 during a 75-28 setback at Barboursville.
"Credit to them. They had offense across the board," added coach Thompson. "Our guys were starting to teeter a little bit. They threw some haymakers and they knocked us out.
"With that being said. It was a shootout. I'm proud of my kids. We clean up a couple mistakes here and there, I like our chances at the end of the season."
Box score
UHS 28 13 21 14 -- 76
PS 21 14 0 15 -- 50
SCORING SUMMARY
U: Evan Toler 67 pass from Harrison Helbig, Brady Goodenow kick, 11:11 1st
P: Logan Graham 51 pass from Logen Arnold, Wyatt Bartley kick, 9:27 1st
U: Hayden George 36 pass from Helbig, Goodenow kick, 8:07 1st
U: George 61 punt return, Goodenow kick, 5:11 1st
P: Graham 49 pass from Arnold, Bartley kick, 4:24 1st
U: Helbig 13 run, Goodenow kick, 2:54 1st
P: Josiah Swiger 27 pass from Arnold, Bartley kick, :39 1st
P: Kooper Jackson 12 run, Bartley kick, 10:54 2nd
U: George 67 pass from Helbig, Goodenow kick, 10:05 2nd
U: Brody Kehler 18 run, kick failed, 2:24 2nd
P: Jackson 5 run, Bartley kick, 1:50 2nd
U: George 44 pass from Helbig, Goodenow kick, 7:46 3rd
U: MJ Mckenzie 49 interception return, Goodenow kick, 3:18 3rd
U: George 33 pass from Helbig, Goodenow kick, 1:47 3rd
P: Bartley 32 field goal, 11:16 4th
P: Jackson 1 run, kick failed, 10:32 4th
U: Helbig 2 run, Goodenow kick, 8:52 4th
U: Toler 52 pass from Helbig, Goodenow kick, 7:13 4th
PS: Asa Yost 8 run, kick failed, 2:18 4th
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: UHS–Team 3-(-11), Harrison Helbig 5-5, Jaedyn Katchur 5-80, Brody Kehler 13-101. Parkersburg South-Logen Arnold 3-(-14), Asa Yost 12-48, Kooper Jackson 25-110, Jaqwae Brown 8-36, James Lattea 1-1.
PASSING: UHS–Helbig 15-30-0, 471. Parkersburg South–Arnold 17-36-3.
RECEIVING: UHS–Colton Lawless 1-10, Kaleil Lewis 2-23, Katchur 2-17, Hayden George 4-180, Branden Custer 2-36, Evan Toler 4-205. Parkersburg South–Titan Baruwa 1-34, Logan Graham 9-198, Josiah Swiger 5-55, Lattea 1-19, Brown 1-4.