PARKERSBURG – Technically, it’s virtually impossible to run downhill on flat ground.
But the Parkersburg South football team might disagree and make a valid argument.
To conclude rivalry week between South and Parkersburg, the schools faced off on the fields at Erickson All Sports Facility on Friday night.
With the Big Reds stifling South’s passing game, running back Eli Bartley took matters into his own hands, rushing for 256 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots overcame a touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter to pull away with a 26-17 victory.
“In the second half, we just kept dropping back and being more physical.” “We’re just trying to be strong,” South coach Nate Tanner said.
“We haven’t been able to make big plays in the passing game like we have in recent weeks, so it was really important for us to establish the run attack like we did this time.
“I was really proud of how our kids responded in the second half. Kudos to our offensive line, they did a great job, but hats off to Eli too. It was great to have him back this week. He’s been waiting for this opportunity and he took advantage of it beautifully. He was just running through guys tonight.”
PHS extended its lead to 17-10 early in the fourth quarter with a catch-and-run 75-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Cooper Kancade to Hunter Leavitt midway through the second quarter and an 11-yard touchdown run of his own by Kancade with 51 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Big Red offense moved the ball consistently throughout the game, but three pass receptions resulted in Big Red losing the ball on fumbles.
An interception by South defensive back Taj Joyce with 39.6 seconds left sealed the victory.
“That’s how we’ve done it all season — we’ve moved the ball against everybody, and we moved the ball relatively consistently tonight.” “We’re just trying to get the ball rolling,” PHS coach Matt Kimes said. “(Regarding the fumble), our kids are trying to make a play. What are you going to do? You can’t blame the kid who made the play. We need to be more mindful of ball control and ball security. In those situations, we’ve got to protect the ball and make sure we don’t beat ourselves up.”
As a member of Class AAAA and one of 16 competing schools, this season is a no-go for the Big Reds, who are 1-3 and guaranteed a minimum of seven games. With an open schedule after the Capital game, Parkersburg will be hoping to get several players back in the lineup, making the second half of the season a potentially dangerous adventure for opponents.
Against South, PHS running back Ja’Quel Shelton rushed 20 times for a team-high 82 yards. Leavitt caught eight passes for 120 yards.
“It hurts, this is gonna hurt forever.” “That’s the question now,” Matt Kimes said. “Can we come together again as a team and overcome the disappointment that we’re feeling right now?”
“The way the schedule is set up, we might even play teams we’ve already played in the playoffs.”
Since losing its season opener, South won its third straight game on Friday to improve to 3-1 overall. Another plus for Coach Tanner was staying unbeaten at home against PHS at 3-0 and improving to 3-2 overall in head-to-head matches.
“I tell my kids, it’s very hard to win a football game, no matter who you’re playing.” Tanner said. “The reason we were able to have the three weeks we did is because the staff was great, but it also shows the character of the kids. They come every day and they believe.”
South didn’t take long to get the sold-out crowd going last night. On the fifth play from scrimmage, Bartley took a handoff from quarterback Collin Hayes, started over the middle, sprinted to the outside and ran untouched 42 yards for a touchdown. The ensuing points attempt was incomplete when the ball hit the pole on the kick.
PHS scored twice in the second quarter, and the sustained offense that began midway through the first quarter continued in the next quarter, culminating with Quinton Wright’s 25-yard field goal with 11 minutes, 14 seconds left before halftime.
After the first of PHS’ two interceptions, the Big Reds found a quick hitter. Just like Bartley’s first score, Kancade found Leavitt open a few yards away and the junior wide receiver sprinted past the South secondary for a 75-yard score that gave PHS a 10-6 lead at the 9:16 mark.
South fought back on the next series, scoring a 17-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper by Hayes, who finished with 61 yards for the game.
South’s best defense came late in the first half, when the Big Reds took control of the offense at the Patriot 35-yard line after an Ethan Jones interception.
On first down, Kancade drove deep into the end zone, but his pass was intercepted by Jackson Lord. On second down, the Patriot defense, led by Logan Middleton, sacked Kancade for a six-yard loss. With the ball at the 44 with 3.5 seconds left, Middleton again went into the pocket and sacked Kancade for a three-yard loss.
“Logan has also been a big player on the offensive line and, although you may not see it, he’s been playing great.” Tanner.
Early in the second half, both teams punted back and forth before Kancade made a perfect play-action play, rolling right and scoring from 11 yards out, completing a 10-play, 80-yard drive to give PHS its final lead of the game.
But the lead didn’t last long. Despite dealing with several holding infractions throughout the game, the Patriots played cleanly and Bartley ran up the middle for a 61-yard touchdown run. Hayes’ 5-yard touchdown run with 3:43 left gave the Patriots some much-needed breathing room.
“We knew we could come here and be competitive.” “We thought we were going to win football games, so it’s disappointing. We’re 1-3, and I don’t think we’re a 1-3 football team, but we are what we are,” Kimes said.
“We’ll have some guys back in the next few weeks and then after the bye week, the second half of the season we’re hopeful we can find a way to not only compete in these games but win these games.”
Contact Kelly Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com.