Parkersburg High School Big Reds Football

Oct. 6, 2017: Game

Big Reds Bop Flying Eagles as Mace Sets All-Time Pass Mark

With Kam Mace setting an all-time single game pass completion record and Brenton Strange scoring twice and tying two records, the 10th-ranked Big Reds defeated visiting Beckley Woodrow Wilson 34-8 Friday night during homecoming.

Mace completed 26 of 31 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns to power PHS to its fourth win in six games.He had eight different receivers make catches. His completion total broke the 2008 record of 25 set by Matt Newlon against Parkersburg South.

It was originally also thought he had set a total yardage record with 350 yards but double-checking the video and play-by-play revealed a computer glitch had failed to subtract some of the many yards wiped out by penalties. His 309 yards is still the second highest in school history.

Helping to set that record was the duo of Strange and Jake Johnson, who each caught seven passes with Strange amassing 115 yards and Johnson 83. The seven catches by Strange enabled him to tie the all-time career reception record of 94 catches set in 1992 by Brad Johnson.

Strange tied another all-time career record in the second quarter when he leaped high to intercept a Beckley pass and return it 35 yards for a touchdown - the fourth such return of his career (and he is still only a junior). Strange's fourth TD Pick-Six ties a record set back in 1926 by Howard Rutter.

Strange, Seth Dailey and Braedon Mason all scored via the pass reception route while Tyler Moler had a one-yard touchdown run while rushing for 54 yards on 16 carries. Shane Miller led the Big Reds with 67 yards on 10 attempts.

While rolling up 423 yards on 69 offensive plays, the PHS defense held Beckley to 70 yards rushing an 77 passing while coming up with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Brandon Braham paced the defense with eight tackles.

The game was marred by an unbelievable 32 accepted penalties for an even 300 yards walked off. Beckley was 14-133 while PHS was 18-167. There were several other penalties declined in the game that took over two and a half hours to play.

PHS scored its first touchdown on a 20 yard reception over the middle by Dailey, who pulled up lame just before crossing the goal line. His catch capped an 11-play 72 yard drive that twice saw PHS convert fourth down plays, once on a 15 yard run by Strange and the other when Mace drew the Eagles offside with his cadence.

A fumble forced by Wyatt Strobl gave PHS the ball back late in the first quarter on its own 32 and seven plays later Moler went over from the one with 11:07 on the first half clock.

Two plays later Strange came up with his leaping interception to make it 20-0.

While the Big Red defense continued to thwart the Beckley ground game, PHS got the ball back on its 35 and the home team used 10 plays to reach paydirt again, this time on a pass to Mason, who went over the goal line backwards from the eight. Again PHS converted two fourth down plays, one on a run by Moler and the other again drawing the Eagles' offside.

The rest of the game was spent with both teams trying to overcome the penalty walk-offs.

The Big Reds final touchdown came on a drive that required 14 plays to go 72 yards because of the penalties. Mace hit Strange on the left sideline of the end zone and the 6-foot-5 end had to use all of his height to grab the ball and come down with a foot inbound for the TD on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Beckley's touchdown came after a bad snap on a punt try lost 33 yards to the PHS five and from there the Eagles were able to punch it in on a run by Haven Chapman.

Flying Eagles vs #10 Big Reds (Oct 06, 2017 at Parkersburg)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total
Flying Eagles 0 0 0 8 - 8
Big Reds 7 20 0 7 - 34
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 03:23 PHS - Seth Dailey 20 yd pass from Kam Mace (Christian Axman kick), 11-72 4:59
2nd 11:07 PHS - Tyler Moler 1 yd run (Christian Axman kick), 7-62 2:10
10:25 PHS - Brenton Strange 35 yd interception return (Christian Axman kick failed)
04:01 PHS - Braedon Mason 8 yd pass from Kam Mace (Christian Axman kick), 10-65 4:12
4th 11:26 PHS - Brenton Strange 9 yd pass from Kam Mace (Christian Axman kick), 14-72 17:22
05:12 BECKLEY - Haven Chapman 3 yd run (Nicholas Wickline pass from Sutton Radford), 2-5 0:25