No. 3 University stuns No. 4 Morgantown in final seconds to claim 2026 Mohawk Bowl, 20-13
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MORGANTOWN – The University High School football team pulled out its bag of tricks on the night before Halloween at Pony Lewis Field to earn a 20-13 victory over crosstown rival Morgantown High in the 2026 Mohawk Bowl on Friday.
With about 30 seconds remaining on the running clock, the Hawks faced 4th down from the MHS 40-yard line. Senior quarterback Harrison Helbig handed the ball off to junior running back Brody Kehler, who initially appeared set to run. Instead, he dropped back to pass and found senior Hayden George racing wide open downfield for the game-winning touchdown.
It marked University’s first Mohawk Bowl victory since 2021, snapping a five-year drought in the rivalry.
"I have to give a ton of credit to our offensive coordinator Dustin Lawless who called that play," UHS head coach Eric Snyder said. "I honestly asked him to kill the play for something different, and he waved me off and was confident in the call. We added it Wednesday in practice, and it didn't go quite that way, but we did a magnificent job of executing, and it was a great feeling to be able to see the boys get the job done."
Morgantown controlled much of the first half, using a lengthy opening drive to set up a field goal by Aidan Petsko before junior Maddox Twigg added a 3-yard touchdown run, giving the hosts a 10-0 advantage.
UHS responded just before halftime, mounting an impressive drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass from Helbig to Jaedyn Katchur, cutting the deficit to 10-6 at the break.
The Mohigans extended their advantage with another field goal by Petsko early in the third quarter, but UHS stayed within striking distance.
The Hawks’ defense forced a critical turnover when Twigg fumbled near the goal line. The possession ended empty, but UHS came up with another stop to keep the deficit at 13-6 heading into the fourth.
That’s when the momentum began to swing.
UHS put together a scoring drive to open the final quarter, with Helbig connecting with George to move deep into Morgantown territory before punching in a 1-yard touchdown run. The extra point tied the game at 13-13 with 8:19 remaining.
The Hawks’ defense then delivered when it mattered most. Morgantown moved into University territory on its next possession, but the Hawks stuffed a fourth-and-1 run to force a turnover on downs.
The Mohigans elected to hand the ball to junior running back Lyric Blake on fourth-and-1 rather than allow Twigg (who the Hawks struggled to slow down all night) to attempt to get the yard needed to extend the drive.
"We had been successful with that play we called all game," MHS head coach Sean Biser said. "They had a linebacker slip through and make a play."
After University punted, the Mohigans had another opportunity to take the lead, but Kaleil Lewis broke through the line to bring Twigg down on third-and-10, forcing another punt with 1:37 remaining.
University took over at its own 15 with one final chance.
Kehler helped move the Hawks near midfield. Helbig then completed a pass to senior Kyle Weaver, who was tackled, keeping the clock running and leaving the Hawks no way to stop it.
UHS hurried back to the line on fourth down and snapped the ball as the clock ticked under 15 seconds. Helbig handed the ball to Kehler, who pulled up and found George wide open downfield. George hauled in the pass and raced into the end zone, completing the comeback and sending the University sideline into a frenzy with five seconds left in the contest.
"I wasn't sure if we were going to trust me with that play because I may have thrown an interception in practice this week," Kehler said. "But I'm glad they did because big-time players make big-time plays. I saw the call come in and knew I needed to go out and do my job."
George finished with six catches for 143 yards, consistently giving the Hawks a big-play threat throughout the night. His game-winning catch-and-run capped a massive performance that could vault him to the top of the Randy Moss Award rankings, recognizing the state’s top wide receiver.
University scored 14 unanswered points over the final 8:19, backed by a defense that repeatedly came through in critical moments. The electric atmosphere at Pony Lewis Field was fitting for a rivalry that brings together students, alumni, families and fans from across both communities every year.
On Friday night, University finally had the last word, ending its five-year Mohawk Bowl drought in unforgettable fashion.
BOX SCORE
University 0 6 0 14 - 20
Morgantown 3 7 3 0 - 13
SCORING SUMMARY
MHS-Aidan Petsko 29 field goal
MHS-Maddox Twigg 3 run (Petsko kick)
UHS-Jaedyn Katchur 8 pass from Harrison Helbig (kick blocked)
MHS-Petsko 30 field goal
UHS-Helbig 1 run (Brady Goodenow kick)
UHS-Hayden George 40 pass from Brody Kehler (Goodenow kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: University-Kehler 24-106, Katchur 8-35, Helbig 6-11 TD, Team 2-(-6). Morgantown-Twigg 21-113 TD, Lyric Blake 16-62, Carson Keeling 4-40, Rudy Carillo 1-0, Team 1-(-1).
PASSING: University-Helbig 18-26 210 TD, Kehler 1-1 40 TD. Morgantown-Twigg 5-9 123.
RECEIVING: University-George 6-143 TD, Kaleil Lewis 6-56, Branden Custer 3-25, Kyle Weaver 2-14, Katchur 1-8 TD, Kehler 1-2. Morgantown-Carillo 3-92, Tanzer George 1-29, Keeling 1-2.