Sept. 6 South Charleston game

Game Statistics / Game Photos

Big Reds Dominate Again; This Time Blank Black Eagles 37-0

        SOUTH CHARLESTON – For the second week in a row the Parkersburg High School football team dominated the game but this time the outcome was quite different as the Big Reds blanked South Charleston 37-0.

        Out-playing their opponent in virtually every phase of the game the Big Reds evened their season’s record at 1-1 with a wire-to-wire win over the winless Black Eagles.

        Jakel Shelton and Ethan Jones each scored a pair of touchdowns while Cooper Cancade passed for 200 yards to nine different receivers with PHS displaying another strong defensive effort.

        The Big Reds had an 18-4 advantage in first downs and ran 55 offensive plays to just 27 for the home team. In total yards PHS had a 403-75 advantage and had the ball for a whopping 35:07 minutes to just 12:53 for South Charleston. On the ground the Big Reds had 183 yards on 35 attempts as Jones rushed for 83 yards and Shelton added 45. That did not include a 39 yard run by Cancade which was called back by a penalty. Penalties were another area PHS had an advantage but not one that was to be admired as the visitors were flagged 14 times for 122 yards.

        In the air Cancade completed 13 of 17 passes for 200 yards. He suffered two interceptions but both were on balls that were tipped by his own receiver. Brady Thorn caught three passes while Austin Craven, Devin Widman and Zane Lewis caught two passes each for PHS, which was playing without the services of last week’s leading receive Tytan Parsons (out with a foot injury).

        After an impressive first possession defensive stop, the Big Reds only had to drive 32 yards to get on the board with a seven yard run by Shelton with 4:49 left on the clock in the first quarter.

        Another four-and-out defensive effort by the Big Reds set up Jones for a 52 yard touchdown run on the first play following a punt. Although Cole Sisk’s extra point kick was blocked the Big Reds were up 13-0 with 2:13 left in the first quarter.

        Early in the second quarter Cyrus Backus of PHS continued his outstanding play against the Black Eagles when he intercepted one of the few scoring threats by the home team. He picked off the pass on his own one yard line, and his momentum continued into the end zone where he then ran out and up the field for 68 yards to the SC 31 yard line.

        From there Cancade led his team into the end zone again with the big play being a 27-yard pass to Widman which put the ball on the three yard line. Shelton ran it in on the next play.

        Jones recovered a fumble for the Big Reds on the ensuing kickoff and PHS put together an eight-play 46 yard drive with Jones scoring from the five with 1:31 left in the half to make it 27-0.

        PHS got the ball to start the second half but a tipped interception halted the drive near midfield. South Charleston’s most serious scoring threat followed with a seven-play, 45-yard drive that ended when the Big Reds blocked Brayden Zuniga’s 24 yard field goal attempt.

        The Big Reds turned that block into a 32 yard field goal by Cole Sisk with 26 seconds left in the third quarter to make it 30-0.

        PHS then finished the game with an incredible 11-minute drive that resulted in a one yard touchdown run by Aeneas Lauderman to finish a 15-play, 56 yard drive. Sisk’s PAT ended the scoring for the night at 37-0. The Big Reds were flagged four times for penalties on the drive.