PHS at Martinsburg Game Switched To Saturday Afternoon at 4 PM

          The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled to support the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission rating system and therefore the first-round playoff opponent and host for Parkersburg will be top-ranked Martinsburg.

          Due to impending bad weather on Friday evening the game has been moved to Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.

          Now 16^th-ranked, the Big Reds will face the 9-1 Bulldogs in the first round after a court injunction filed by Wood County was over-turned by the state supreme Court.  The injunction had previously upheld a playoff rating system which would have sent PHS to Jefferson for its first-round foe.

          Martinsburg, coached by veteran Dave Walker, is the defending state champion and has not lost a game on the field since Nov. 26, 2022 (that coming in the playoff semifinals to Huntington). The Bulldogs were forced to forfeit a game this year against Musselman (a 56-8 Martinsburg win on the scoreboard) for using an ineligible player. The only close game on the field this year for Walker, who has guided the Bulldogs to nine state titles including four in a row from 2016-2019., was a 17-12 victory over previously undefeated and unscored upon Spring Mills. In their last regular season game the Bulldogs fell behind 17-0 to Hurricane but rallied for a 44-17 victory as quarterback Koi Fagan (6-0, 175 sr.) ran for three touchdowns.

          For the year Martinsburg has scored 482 points while allowing just 85. The Bulldogs have beaten Ballou (DC) 66-0, Huntington 47-15, Woodson (DC) 42-0), Hedgesville 66-0, Jefferson 42-12, Washington 51-7, Spring Mills and Hurricane.

          PHS and Martinsburg have met five times on the field with PHS winning three times. The last meeting was in the quarterfinals of the playoffs in 2018 with Martinsburg winning 49-20. In 2006 the teams met in the state finals with PHS putting the finishing touches on a 14-0 season with a 34-6 triumph.       

Class AAAA:

No. 16 Parkersburg (4-6) at No. 1 Martinsburg (9-1) – Saturday, November 23 at 4 p.m.

No. 15 Hedgesville (2-8) at No. 2 Spring Mills (9-1) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.

No. 14 Cabell Midland (5-5) at No. 3 Jefferson (7-3) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.

No. 13 Musselman (2-8) at No. 4 Wheeling Park (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.

No. 1 2 University (4-6) at No. 5 Huntington (9-1) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.

No. 11 George Washington (7-3) at No. 6 Hurricane (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.

No. 10 Woodrow Wilson (6-4) at No. 7 Morgantown (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.

No. 9 Washington (6-4) at No. 8 Parkersburg South (5-5) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Shelton Leads Big Reds to 29-6

Victory In Regular Season Finale

Game Statistics / Game Photos

         Jakel Shelton saved his best for last.

Last home game that is, for the Parkersburg senior running back, as he rushed for over 200 yards for the first time in his career to lead the Big Reds to a 29-6 victory over Musselman Friday night at Stadium Field in the last regular season game for PHS.

Although he did not score a touchdown (well he did but had it called back by a holding penalty) he did pass the 900 yard mark in rushing with one game to play as he tries to crack the 1,000 yard barrier.

Now 4-6, the Big Reds must await word Sunday to see who and where they will play in the first round of the Class AAAA playoffs although there are court injunctions waiting to be heard that could affect the outcome of the final pairings.

The Big Reds scored in every quarter with four different players reaching the end zone but it was Shelton who picked up 203 yards rushing on 20 carries with several long gains to his credit. Overall, PHS had 287 yards on 30 rushes and added 75 through the air for a 362 total. Ethan Jones carried just twice but they were for 27 and 38 yards each.

Defensively PHS allowed just seven pass completions in 20 attempts and freshman Javel Chandler had an interception while Zane Lewis and Devin Widman were the leading tacklers.

Musselman, which came into the game with a 2-7 record including one forfeit win, suffered two lost fumbles in addition to the interception which negated a 58-39 advantage in total plays ran.

The Big Reds took the opening kickoff and drove 61 yards to score in eight plays with Cooper Cancade hit Zane Lewis on a slant pass for the final 18 yards with 8:14 on the first quarter clock. Quinton Wright kicked the extra point.

Musselman followed that with a 13-play drive which netted nothing on the scoreboard as the Applemen got to a first and goal at the nine but the Big Red defense rose to the challenge and Conner Petty broke up a fourth down pass attempt from the five yard line. The only pass attempts on that drive came on the first and last plays as Musselman relied mainly on the run from its single wing formation.

Chandler’s interception for PHS helped set up the game’s second score as he picked off a pass at his own 25. Shelton then ripped off a 27 yard run and Cancade then hit Tytan Parsons with a 40 yard aerial to the Musselman eight yard line.

Then came back-to-back turnovers as first Cancade fumbled the ball away but the visitors replied in kind with a fumble that Cyrus Backus recovered at the Musselman 15. On the next play Cancade found a wide open Braxton Kupfner for the touchdown and Wright’s kick made it 14-0.

Musselman took the second half kickoff and drove 64 yards in 11 plays to cut the lead to 14-6. After throwing just one pass in the first 10 plays, the visitors connected on a 19 yard scoring toss to Nate Lasure for the touchdown with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter. PHS was penalized for roughing the kicker on the point after try so Musselman then went for two but Chandler stuffed the run attempt.

Musselman attempted an onside kick which Ethan Jones returned into Applemen territory and three plays later ran it in from 27 yards out untouched around left end. After a penalty the Big Reds went for two and Cancade converted for a 22-6 lead.

A Jones fumble recovery set up the final touchdown for PHS which took just four plays to cover 37 yards with Aenas Lauderman going in from nine yards away after Shelton had picked up 27 yards on the first two tries.

PHS could have added another TD in the final four minutes as Shelton ripped off runs of 38 and 20 yards before reaching the end zone on a 24 yard carry only to have it called back by a penalty with 51 seconds remaining.

 

Musselman vs Parkersburg (Nov 08, 2024 at Parkersburg)

Score by Quarters 1     2       3       4       -        Total

Musselman           0     0       6       0       -        6

Parkersburg         7     7       8       7       -        29

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 08:14 PHS - Zane Lewis 18 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 8-61 3:46

2nd 00:39 PHS - Braxton Kupfner 15 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 1-15 0:05

3rd 05:09 MUSS - Nate Lasure 19 yd pass from Zachary Miller (Roman Murphy rush failed), 11-64 6:41

03:38 PHS - Ethan Jones 27 yd run (Cooper Cancade rush), 3-45 1:25

4th 06:19 PHS - Aeneas Lauderman 9 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 4-37 2:03

MUSS        PHS

FIRST DOWNS                                       14               18

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       38-124       30-287

PASSING YDS (NET)                            86               75

Passes Att-Comp-Int                                20-7-1        9-5-0

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS    58-210       39-362

Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0             0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                  0-0             0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                            5-101         1-13

Interception Returns-Yards                     0-0             1-0

Punts (Number-Avg)                               3-44.0        3-37.3

Fumbles-Lost                                            2-2             1-1

Penalties-Yards                                         6-24           4-41

Possession Time                                       26:41         21:10

Third-Down Conversions                       2 of 11       1 of 5

Fourth-Down Conversions                     4 of 6         0 of 1

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      1-2             3-4

Sacks By: Number-Yards                        0-0             0-0

RUSHING: Musselman-Nate Lasure 15-68; Zachary Miller 9-26; Dustin Boley 8-19; Colton Shelton 4-9; Zachary Miller 2-2. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 20-203; Ethan Jones 2-65; Cooper Cancade 7-10; Aeneas Lauderman 1-9.

PASSING: Musselman-Zachary Miller 7-19-1-86; Nate Lasure 0-1-0-0. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 5-9-0-75.

RECEIVING: Musselman-Nate Lasure 3-39; Zachary Miller 2-15; Sawyer Richardson 1-20; Josh Armentrout 1-12. Parkersburg-Braxton Kupfner 2-22; Tytan Parsons 1-40; Zane Lewis 1-18; Hunter Leavitt 1-minus 5.

INTERCEPTIONS: Musselman-None. Parkersburg-Javel Chandler 1-0.

FUMBLES: Musselman-Zachary Miller 1-1; Zachary Miller 1-1. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 1-1.

Musselman (2-8) vs. Parkersburg (4-6)

Date: Nov 08, 2024 • Site: Parkersburg • Stadium: Stadium Field

Attendance: 750

Kickoff time: 7:00 • End of Game: 9:22 • Total elapsed time: 2:22

 

Big Reds Host Applemen

In Regular Season Finale

          Two teams trying to end the high school football regular season on a high note will collide Friday night at 7 o’clock at Stadium Field when the 3-6 Big Reds of Parkersburg host the 2-7 Applemen of Musselman.

          Parkersburg is coming off a 37-12 loss to once-beaten Huntington while Musselman nearly pulled off its second win of the year only to drop a heart-breaker to Washington by a 28-21 score. Washington, now 6-3, scored the game-winning touchdown with just under a minute left in the game.

          The Big Reds came up with three interceptions and scored twice on Cooper Cancade passes to Brady Thorn and Jakel Shelton but came up short against the high regarded Highlanders thanks to some poor field position.

          A year ago Parkersburg pulled off a 41-10 victory over Musselman thanks mainly to three touchdown passes by David Parsons. The Applemen got a touchdown run from Brayden Miller, who returns this year after rushing for 43 yards and catching passes for 26 more against the Big Red. Musselman is led by junior quarterback Zachary Miller, who took over for Michael Thompson who played quarterback in last year’s Big Red game but transferred to Washington and led his team over his former teammates last week.

          The Big Reds have a common opponent with Musselman this year – Cabell Midland. Midland defeated PHS 48-21 three weeks ago while the Applemen gave the Knights all the wanted before falling 49-35 four weeks ago. Miller returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Midland.

          Musselman started the season with six straight losses, falling to John Handley (Va) 43-14, Loudoun Valley (Va) 35-21, 48-13 to Wheeling Park, 62-0 to Spring Mills, 56-0 to Martinsburg and then Midland before reaching the win column with a 26-12 victory over Hedgesville. The Applemen lost two weeks ago to Jefferson by a 54-27 score and then dropped a one score decision to Washington. However they were given a forfeit victory over Spring Mills just this week so their official record is 2-7.

          The series between the two teams is 3-2 in favor of PHS with one of the meetings being a 48-29 playoff win by Musselman in 2019.

          Leading the Big Reds this year has been Jakel Shelton with nine touchdowns, 722 yards rushing and 274 yards receiving. Brady Thorn has caught four of Cooper Cancade’s seven touchdown passes and has a total of 311 receiving yards. Cancade has now completed 127 of 206 passes for 1,402 yards and rushed for another 277 with three touchdowns.

          Both teams have qualified for the playoffs and will await final ratings to determine who they play the following weekend.

Adams Father-Son Duo To Enter Hall

          Proving again that Parkersburg High School Big Red football really is a family affair, this week’s inductees into the Hall of Fame include a father-son duo of Doug and Scott Adams.

          The pair will be enshrined Friday night prior to the 7 o’clock Musselman game at Stadium Field.

          This week’s Hall of Fame inductee, Douglas H. Adams, was a 1956 Parkersburg High School graduate and classmate and friend of legendary coach Buddy James.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from WVU, Adams and wife Carol returned to the Mid-Ohio Valley, raising their three children in Vienna.

Adams, an outgoing and incredibly involved member of Parkersburg’s philanthropic community, was a long-time supporter of his much-loved Big Reds.  This involvement increased during the time son Scott Adams was a three-year starter, captain and first team all-stater for Coach James.

Adams involvement included envisioning and bringing to life the Big Red Tribe with friend Smoot Fahlgren.  The “Tribe” was the first official fan-supported football club dedicated to support of the team.

When Stadium Field fell into disrepair, Adams was responsible for sourcing $1,000,000 for repair from then-governor Arch Moore.

The former president of Ohio Valley National Bank which merged to become United Bankshares with his brother Richard, Adams believed in the special place that is PHS and was a proud Big Red. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 73.

This week’s other Hall of Fame inductee, Scott Adams, was one of the few three year lineman for the Parkersburg Big Reds.

A 6-foot, 280 pound emotional leader of the 1985 team, he made his mark on defense although it was at center that he earned first-team all-state honors. He was coach Buddy James’ only all-state center. He was also a second-team all-state center in 1984. On defense, Adams played tackle and recorded a whopping 100 tackles including 16 for loss. He also had seven sacks on a dominating Parkersburg squad that allowed but 75 points in 13 games while recording six shutouts.

The Big Reds lost to George Washington, 28-14, in the fifth game of the 1985 regular season. However, Parkersburg would avenge that loss in the state semifinals, blitzing its way to a 28-13 win over those same Patriots at Laidley Field and earning a spot in the finals against nemesis Brooke. This time it was Brooke that turned the tables. The Bruins had lost to PHS, 14-6, in the season opener but 12 weeks later they completely stymied the Big Reds in a 7-0 down to the wire struggle.

The younger Adams specifically recalls the joy of playing with his mentor Rick Phillips and many stellar teammates including Joel Mazzella and Todd Burner.

Sack Scores 3 Times As Huntington Beats PHS, 37-12

 Game Statistics / Game Photos

       Keegan Sack scored three touchdowns including one on a blocked punt to lead fourth ranked Huntington to a 37-12 Mountain State Athletic Conference win over Parkersburg Friday night at Stadium Field.

        Sack, who scored four touchdowns last week and now has 24 touchdowns on the season, ran for 157 yards on 17 carries including a 74 yard scoring play while adding 28 receiving yards and scored in the third quarter when he picked up a blocked punt and waltzed untouched into the end zone.

        The win was the eighth in a row for the once-beaten and fourth-ranked Highlanders of coach Bill Seals while dropping the Big Reds to 3-6 on the season.

        Poor field position hampered the Big Reds, who were only out-gained 321-254 in total offense and intercepted three passes on defense – by Zane Lewis, Javel Chandler and Cyrus Backus. Jakel Shelton had 90 yards receiving while Brady Thorn added 38 and both Big Reds scored on passes from Cooper Cancade who completed 15 of 30 attempts for 185 yards.

        PHS stopped Huntington on the first series of the game when Chandler made a juggling, one-handed interception near midfield. But the Big Reds produced nothing offensively and suffered a 17 yard punt that gave the visitors the ball on their own 31. After forcing a punt the PHS offense again failed to get a first down and this time the punt went just eight yards giving the visitors the ball on the PHS 18 yard line.

        Huntington capitalized this time in one play as Sack went untouched around left end for the first touchdown of the game and Jordan Price kicked the extra point.

        PHS decided to gamble on fourth-and-two from its own 35 yard line on the ensuing series and was stopped for no gain.

        A big sack from Braxton Kupfner forced Huntington to settle for a 41 yard field goal with 11:14 left in the second quarter to make it 10-0.

        PHS tried to answer with a field goal attempt of its own but Quinton Wright’s 37-yard attempt was short. It was Wright’s only second miss of the season.

        Huntington scored again two plays later when Sack broke one for 74 yards to the end zone and the PAT made it 17-0 with 6:33 left in the half.

        Parkersburg then put together a 12-play, 71-yard scoring drive with Cancade passing to Thorn for the final six yards. A 21-yard pass to Tytan Parsons was the big play on the drive but Wright’s extra point attempt was blocked to make it 10-6 at half.

        Huntington had a chance to score again as the half ended thanks to two penalties against PHS but Price missed a 14-yard field goal attempt.

        A 51-yard run by Sack set up Huntington’s third touchdown early in the second half and the Highlanders added another six points just two and a half minutes later when Wright’s punt was blocked with Sack picking the ball up and going untouched into the end zone from five yards away to make it 31-6.

        PHS showed some life to begin the fourth quarter as Cancade hit Thorn with a 33 yard completion and then found Shelton for 22 more yards and a touchdown with 11:18 left in the game to cut the score to 31-12.

        An interception by Lewis gave the PHS the ball back with 8:03 left in the game but on fourth down from their own 34 the Big Reds came up just short and Huntington put an insurance touchdown on the board with a seven yard run by Tayveon Wilson which was aided by two big penalties against PHS.

#4 Huntington vs #16 Parkersburg (Nov. 1, 2024 at Parkersburg)

Score by Quarters        1       2       3       4       Total

Huntington                  7       10     14     6       37

Parkersburg                0       6       0       6       12

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 03:27 HUNT - Keegan Sack 18 yd run (Jordan Price kick), 1-18 0:07

2nd 11:14 HUNT - Jordan Price 41 yd field goal, 7-11 2:22

06:33 HUNT - Keegan Sack 74 yd run (Jordan Price kick), 2-80 0:40

01:15 PHS - Brady Thorn 6 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick blockd), 12-71 4:55

3rd 07:28 HUNT - Deuce Olden 12 yd pass from Avonte Crawford (Jordan Price kick), 5-51 2:51

05:01 HUNT - Keegan Sack 5 yd blocked punt return (Jordan Price kick)

4th 11:18 PHS - Jakel Shelton 22 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Cooper Cancade pass failed), 8-89 3:09

03:24 HUNT - Tayveon Wilson 7 yd run (Jordan Price kick failed), 6-40 2:54

HUNT        PHS

FIRST DOWNS                                       17               11

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                        34-192       26-69

PASSING YDS (NET)                             129             185

Passes Att-Comp-Int                                19-10-3     30-15-0

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS    53-321       56-254

Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0              0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                  1-30           0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                            2-18           4-83

Interception Returns-Yards                     0-0             3-26

Punts (Number-Avg)                               1-38.0        5-15.2

Fumbles-Lost                                            0-0             0-0

Penalties-Yards                                         4-75           9-86

Possession Time                                       20:27         26:45

Third-Down Conversions                       6 of 11       5 of 14

Fourth-Down Conversions                     0 of 0         2 of 4

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      3-5             1-2

Sacks By: Number-Yards                        2-7             2-26

RUSHING: Huntington-Keegan Sack 17-157; Tayveon Wilson 3-20; Antonyo Paschall 2-10; Andreas Reese 3-5; Marc. Henderson 1-3; Avonte Crawford 8-minus 3. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 14-38; Cooper Cancade 8-27; Ethan Jones 3-5;  Bryan Gregory 1-minus 1.

PASSING: Huntington-Avonte Crawford 10-19-3-129. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 15-30-0-185.

RECEIVING: Huntington-Tayveon Wilson 4-68; Keegan Sack 3-28; Tavian Chandler 1-16; Deuce Olden 1-12; Andreas Reese 1-5. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 5-90; Braxton Kupfner 4-28; Ethan Jones 3-7; Brady Thorn 2-39; Tytan Parsons 1-21 .

INTERCEPTIONS: Huntington-None. Parkersburg-Zane Lewis 1-17; Javel Chandler 1-9; Cyrus Backus 1-0.

FUMBLES: Huntington-None. Parkersburg-None.

Huntington (8-1) vs. Parkersburg (3-6)

Date: Nov. 1, 2024 • Site: Parkersburg • Stadium: Stadium Field

Attendance: 500

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:01 • Total elapsed time: 2:31

Upset Minded PHS Hosts Huntington

          Facing another stern test in their rugged schedule, the Parkersburg Big Reds will have upset on their minds Friday night as they try to pull off a signature win and prepare for the upcoming playoffs by hosting the highly regarded, once-beaten Highlanders from Huntington.

          Huntington enters the 7:30 game ranked fourth in Class AAAA and riding a six-game winning streak. Overall 7-1, the Highlanders have only one loss and that is to top seeded Martinsburg by a 47-15 score back in week two at the Bulldogs’ home field.

          The visitors are coming off a 49-7 win over Capital, a game which saw senior running back Keegan Sack (5-11, 195) score four rushing touchdowns in the first half alone. Meanwhile PHS is 3-5 and fresh from a 27-12 win over St. Albans, a team Huntington beat 58-6 back in week three.

          Huntington nipped Hurricane 38-35 to open the season and then lost to Martinsburg before swamping St. Albans. That was followed by a 47-0 win over Riverside, a 52-7 victory over Cabell Midland, a 40-21 victory over Spring Valley and a 59-14 triumph over South Charleston.

          Last year PHS played Huntington close for nearly a half before losing 49-21. The Big Reds trailed 14-7 in the second quarter only to give up two quick scores on a fumble recovery in the end zone and then an 85 yard punt return by Zah Jackson, who returns this year as a 5-foot-11, 180 pound senior after scoring twice a year ago against PHS.

          Also returning for Huntington is 6-foot-3, 180 pound senior Avonte Crawford, who threw for three touchdowns and 222 yards a year ago and ran for another against the Big Reds.

          Sack leads the Highlanders with 830 yards rushing on 106 carries with 18 touchdowns while Jackson is second with 253 yards on just 24 carries and four touchdowns. Crawford has completed 97 of 137 passes for 1,462 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Leading receivers are Jamari Tubbs with 26 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns along with Tayvion Chandler with 17 receptions for 330 yards and three scores. Sack has scored 21 times this year for Huntington while Jackson has seven touchdowns and Jordan Price has kicked six field goals and 31 of 32 extra points.

          The series between the two teams stands all even at 14-14 with the last PHS victory coming in 2020 by a 25-14 score.

          Defensive leaders for PHS are sophomore Devin Widman with 69 tackles (eight for loss) and senior Zane Lewis with 56. Lewis returned an interception against St. Albans for a touchdown – his second defensive score of the season – and has six tackles for loss. Freshman Javel Chandler is third on the team with 41 tackles and has one interception and two forced fumbles.

          Offensively, senior Jakel Shelton leads the team with eight touchdowns (all rushing) and 684 yards on the ground and another 184 yards on a team high 25 receptions. Junior Ethan Jones has 302 yards rushing and senior Cooper Cancade 302. Both each have three touchdowns on the ground.

          Cancade has completed 112 of 176 passes (63.6%) for 1,217 yards and five touchdowns with freshman Brady Thorn having caught 17 passes for 272 yards and three scores. Thorn also has a kickoff return touchdown.

          Senior Quinton Wright, a crossover from the soccer team, has now kicked seven of eight field goals to pull within two of tying the school record for field goals in a single season held by Tyler Warner and Conner Louden. Wright has kicked 17 straight extra points.

Dowler Joins PHS Hall of Fame

         Team captain of the finest three-year won-lost record in Parkersburg High School football history, Matt Dowler was called by his coach “Without a doubt the finest offensive lineman in the state of West Virginia.”

          With such a glaring recommendation it is little wonder Dowler has been selected to the Big Red Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted Friday night at Stadium Field prior to the Huntington game.

        A three year starter at offensive guard, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound Dowler was named first team all-state as a senior and was a Hunt Award nominee after leading his team to three straight Mt. State Athletic Conference championships, an undefeated state championship in 1999 and two straight title game appearances while compiling a 38-3 overall record as a Big Red.

          As a sophomore the Big Reds went 12-1, losing in the state semifinal game to eventual undefeated champion Nitro 24-15. As a junior PHS went 14-0, beating Riverside 31-28 in the title contest. As a senior the team lost to Riverside in the regular season but avenged that with a 14-0 triumph in the semifinals and then lost to undefeated Morgantown in the championship game.

          He was the leader of an offensive line that helped set a record for total offensive yards in 2000 and also played in the BACF all-star game and the North-South all-star game.

          Head coach Marshall Burdette said of Dowler, “I’ve been blessed to be able to see a lot of kids from the best programs and he, without a doubt, is the finest offensive lineman in the state of West Virginia.”

          PHS quarterback Marc Kimes remarked that Dowler is the go-to guy for him and the rest of the PHS backfield. “If you have a situation where you need a yard or two yards, Matt Dowler is who you want blocking for you. You know he’s going to get you the room that you need to get that yardage when it matters the most.”

          After high school, Dowler went on to play at Virginia Military Institute in the Southern Conference. After a red-shirt year he was a four-year starter at center, graduating in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He currently resides in Richmond with his wife Jennifer and twin 12-year-old sons Garrett and Peyton. He has worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance as an insurance agent for the past 10 years.

Shelton Leads PHS To 27-12 Win

Game Statistics / Game Photos

Jakel Shelton scored two touchdowns while rushing for 168 yards to power Parkersburg to a 27-12 Mountain State Athletic Conference win over St. Albans Friday night at Stadium Field.

          In beating St. Albans for the 16^th time in a row the Big Reds also got an interception return touchdown from Zane Lewis and two field goals from Quinton Wright to end their own two-game losing streak going into next week’s showdown with Huntington.

          The Big Reds started slowly, allowing the Red Dragons (now 2-6) to drive 42 yards in nine plays only to miss a 30 yard field goal on the game’s first series. PHS went 3-and-out on its first series and St. Albans’ Sean Mccord broke off a 63 yard run to the PHS one yard line on the first play. Mccord appeared stopped in the backfield but no whistle was sounded and the visiting speedster broke away all the way to the one. After Lewis tackled Mccord in the backfield for a three yard loss, Deshaun Stotts scored on the next play to put the Dragons up 6-0 with 5:15 on the first quarter clock.

          PHS responded with a field goal from 22 yards out by Wright but had settle for that after getting a first and goal from the eight yard line only to be hit by a penalty following an incomplete pass. A third down pass from Cooper Cancade to Braxton Kupfner made it only to the five and the Big Reds elected to go for three points from the nearly automatic Wright.

          The Big Red defense came through on the next series when Lewis stepped in front of a St. Albans pass over the middle and the PHS senior took it into the end zone from seven yards away with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. Wright’s kick made it 10-6.

          A fumble recovery by Kupfner at midfield set up the second Parkersburg score, a six yard run by Shelton, who carried the ball 20 times for his 168 yards. Big plays on that drive included an 18 yard pass from Tytan Parsons and a 17 yard run by Shelton.

          Shelton’s second TD came with 53 seconds left in the half to complete a 75-yard, nine-play drive. Shelton had runs of 12, 14 and 18 yards on that series with the touchdown coming on a five yard run untouched up the middle behind some outstanding blocking. Wright’s kick made it 24-6.

          The PHS defense set up Wright’s second field goal (his seventh of the season in eight attempts). The Big Red kicker is now just two field goals away from the season record of nine held by Tyler Warner and Connor Louden. St. Albans went for it on fourth down at midfield but Ethan Jones sacked the Red Dragon quarterback for a seven yard loss.

          Leading 27-6, PHS gave up a 60 yard pass completion from Reese Lilly to Duece Mcclain to the Big Red six yard line and on the first play of the fourth quarter the visitors got the touchdown on a five yard run to cut the lead to 27-12.

          The Big Reds went for it on their next possession and came up two yards short at the St. Albans 36 yard line. The Dragons drove all the way to a first and goal at the 10 but four plays lost a yard when Jones and Lewis making the stop on a fourth down play with 4:43 left in the contest, which started a half hour late due to a power outage in half the stadium.

          Helping Shelton in the rushing department was Jones with seven carries for 58 yards while Cancade completed 10 of 15 passes for 64 yards with Kupfner catching three for 20 yards while Parsons, Shelton and Hunter Leavitt all caught two passes.  

Score by Quarters 1     2       3       4       Total

St. Albans             6     0       0       6       12

Parkersburg       10   14       3       0       27

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 05:15 SA - Deshaun Stotts 4 yd run (Gavin Duncan kick failed), 3-64 1:38

01:49 PHS - Quinton Wright 22 yd field goal, 8-59 3:20

00:30 PHS - Zane Lewis 7 yd interception return (Quinton Wright kick)

2nd 07:31 PHS - Jakel Shelton 6 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 4-48 1:24

00:53 PHS - Jakel Shelton 5 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 9-75 3:57

3rd 00:59 PHS - Quinton Wright 38 yd field goal, 7-16 3:13

4th 11:52 SA - Sean Mccord 5 yd run (Reese Lilly pass failed), 4-68 0:59

SA              PHS

FIRST DOWNS                                       10               13

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       31-120       33-242

PASSING YDS (NET)                            171             64

Passes Att-Comp-Int                                22-12-1     15-10-0

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS    53-291       48-306

Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0             0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                  0-0             1--1

Kickoff Returns-Yards                            5-96           3-34

Interception Returns-Yards                     0-0             1-7

Punts (Number-Avg)                               2-28.5        2-34.0

Fumbles-Lost                                            1-1             1-1

Penalties-Yards                                         2-10           2-10

Possession Time                                       24:11         23:15

Third-Down Conversions                       4 of 11       4 of 9

Fourth-Down Conversions                     0 of 4         0 of 1

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      2-4             4-4

Sacks By: Number-Yards                        0-0             3-18

RUSHING: St. Albans-Sean Mccord 18-132; Deshaun Stotts 7-15; Ava King 1-0; Reese Lilly 5-minus 27.

Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 20-168; Ethan Jones 7-58; Cooper Cancade 6-16.

PASSING: St. Albans-Reese Lilly 12-22-1-171.

Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 10-15-0-64.

RECEIVING: St. Albans-Duece Mcclain 5-145; Sean Mccord 4-23; Deshaun Stotts 2-5; Kadir Maxwell 1-minus 2.

Parkersburg-Braxton Kupfner 3-20; Tytan Parsons 2-23; Hunter Leavitt 2-10; Jakel Shelton 2-3; Brady Thorn 1-8.

INTERCEPTIONS: St. Albans-None. Parkersburg-Zane Lewis 1-7.

FUMBLES: St. Albans-Reese Lilly 1-1. Parkersburg-Javel Chandler 1-1.

St. Albans (2-6) vs. Parkersburg (3-5)

Date: Oct 25, 2024 • Site: Parkersburg • Stadium: Stadium Field

Attendance: 500

Kickoff time: 8:00 (delay power outage) • End of Game: 10:10 • Total elapsed time: 2:10 Temperature: 63 • Weather: rain

 

 

PHS Finally Returns Home; Host St. Albans

 

For the second week in a row the Parkersburg Big Red football team will be playing a team which started the season with five straight losses but turned things around.

          This Friday the Big Reds are hoping for a different outcome as they host St. Albans at 7:30 p.m. at Stadium Field in search of their third win of the season. The 2-5 Big Reds will be facing a Red Dragon team which is also 2-5 after winning its last two games.

          PHS dropped a 48-21 decision at Cabell Midland (a team which lost its first five games) last Friday and faces a St. Albans team which beat Lincoln County 18-12 last week after ending its 0-5 start two weeks ago with a 29-7 win over South Charleston. The Dragons slow start saw them score just two touchdowns total in those first five games, losing to George Washington 39-0, Nitro 35-6, Huntington 58-6, Capital 37-0 and Hurricane 56-0. The first three teams St. Albans played have a combined 19-3 record now while Hurricane is 5-2. Only Capital has a losing record at 2-5.

          The Big Reds have some things going in their favor this week, playing at home for the first time since Sept. 13, having a few of their injured players slowly returning to action, and owning a 15-game win streak against St. Albans. The last two years PHS has won their Red Dragon battle by scores of 56-0 and 52-0 to push their overall advantage in the series between the two teams to 20-4. Last season the Big Reds scored an incredible five touchdowns while touching the ball offensively just four times to start the game. They took just one play to score each of the first four times they got the ball and added an interception return for a touchdown.

          St. Albans comes into the contest led by 6-3, 185-pound junior quarterback Reese Lilly who has completed 41 of 79 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns. His leading receivers are Duece Mcclain (5-9, 165 sr.) with 15 catches for 144 yards, Kemonte Gravely (5-6, 140 sr.) with 12 receptions for 92 yards and Sean Mccord (5-11, 200 sr.) with eight receptions for 67 yards and one touchdown. Deshaun Stotts (5-9, 185 sr.) is the team’s leading rusher with 269 yards on 78 carries with two touchdowns and Mcclain with 201 yards on 40 carries. Mccord had the teams only other rushing touchdown and is the third leading tackler with 36 total including three for loss. Mcclain tops the team with 71 stops while Stotts has 38.

          The Big Reds are led by quarterback Cooper Cancade with 1,153 yards passing (102 completions in 161 attempts for 63 percent) and five touchdowns while also rushing for 234 yards and three scores.

          Jakel Shelton has rushed for 516 yards on 133 attempts with six touchdowns while also catching 23 passes for 181 yards.  Shelton scored twice against St. Albans last year. Ethen Jones is second in rushing with 244 yards and three touchdowns while Brady Thorn has caught 16 passes for 264 yards and three scores. Quinton Wright has scored 29 points, hitting five of six field goals and all 14 extra point attempts.

          Defensively, Devin Widman leads the team with 57 tackles, including four for loss, while Zane Lewis now has 43 stops and Javel Chandler 30. Aeneas Lauderman had eight tackles for loss while Cyrus Backus has two interceptions.

Famous Football Family Members to Enter Hall

This week’s Hall of Fame ceremony is indeed a family affair and includes some of the most prominent and recognizable names in Big Reds’ football history.

From the Murrin family in the early 1920s to the Marchi brothers later that same decade to current coach Matt Kimes, who joins baby brother Marc in the PHS Hall of Fame, Friday’s induction is a celebration of Parkersburg’s glory days with long overdue recognition for several all-state performers.

The Murrin name was synonymous with gridiron greatness for Parkersburg High School in the early roaring 1920’s. Together, brothers Clarence and Julian Murrin and cousin George Murrin earned six all-state selections from 1920-1922 and played together on the 9-0 1921 state championship team that outscored its opponents 317-25. The three Murrins and PHS teammates Ross McHenry, Roland Hobensack, Robert “Pete” Barnum, Wayne Funk, and Ed Trainer earned 8 of the 22 first and second team all-state selections that year.

Older brother Clarence was inducted into the PHS Football HOF in 2016. This week honorees are cousin George “Chunky” Murrin and younger brother Julian “Judie” Murrin.

George Murrin was a second team all-state center on the 1921 team and a first team selection in 1922, which was also a state championship year for PHS. He went to Notre Dame where he played center, weighing only 164 pounds, for famed coach Knute Rockne in 1924-1926. Upon graduation George went to Notre Dame College of Law, following which he relocated to the Houston, Texas area where he practiced law until his death in 1963.

Julian Murrin was an extremely versatile athlete. He was PHS’s leading rusher and scorer (12 TD’s) in his second-team all-state junior season of 1921. As a senior in 1922, despite an early-season ankle injury, he scored 4 touchdowns in one game, including returning a punt 90 yards. He was an outstanding basketball player and track athlete, and for a period he held the state record in the 220-yard hurdles. He was Vice-President of his Senior I class and served on the Quill staff.

Julian matriculated at WVU where his 1923 freshman team was undefeated. He played either end or halfback, weighing 162 pounds, for five varsity seasons in 1923-27, lettering in four of them. He was widely acclaimed for scoring the first touchdown in Old Mountaineer Field in 1924. That year he broke his nose twice and suffered skin burns from the lye used to mark the field. Over that timespan WVU’s record was 31-11-4 while coached by Dr. Clarence Spears and then Ira “Rat” Rogers. His teammates at WVU included older brother Clarence and former PHS teammates Ross McHenry and “Pete” Barnum. Amazingly, he also found time to play WVU varsity basketball in 1924-26. He was a member of Sigma Chi, Mountain, Sphinx, Torch and Serpent, and the Varsity Club.

After graduation in 1928 Julian became head coach of both football and basketball at Williamstown High School. From there he went to Kingwood High School in Preston County as head football and track coach for the 1929 and 1930 seasons.

Not long after that, he was hired by the American Viscose Co. in Parkersburg. Julian worked his way up during the depression to eventually become plant manager of American Viscose in Nitro from 1942, when Viscose “produced parachute fabrics rather than women’s nylons”. He remained in that position until his retirement in 1970 from FMC, the company which purchased American Viscose.

Julian was renowned and relied upon by industrial, governmental, and civic leaders. During his tenure Viscose created a new Rayon fabric. Nitro Viscose won the Neren Plaque in 1946 for having no lost time to injury for the first time in its history. The Secretary of the United States Treasury, John Snyder, named him chairman of an industrial advisory committee in the late 1940’s to promote the sale of savings bonds. In 1949 he was the first former WVU athlete to be elected State President of West Virginians, Inc., the University booster organization. Governor Arch Moore appointed him in 1972 to be a citizen representative to the commission on the Buffalo Creek mine disaster.

Julian’s love for sport carried on. He played golf at Berry Hills in Charleston. He was instrumental in supporting a major league-affiliated baseball team in Charleston and supported the annual trip of the most outstanding West Virginia high school football player to the Heisman Trophy ceremony.  His former WVU coach Ira Rogers said about him that “he was one of the finest I ever coached”. Julian died on November 1, 1976.

Julian and his wife Helen Louise Brooks from Clarksburg had six children and nine grandchildren. The family, eight of whom are here this evening, recognized him as “a force of nature” who instilled in them a sense of pride and respect for others, according to their youngest and lone surviving child Anne Murrin Scott. Former WVU teammate Robert Kaye described him as “a tough but delightful friend; no one ever doubted how he stood with Julian”.

Basilio “Boz” Marchi (1908-1997) was a big man who left a big mark on Parkersburg football.  He was also big brother to Louis “Gooley” Marchi (1910-1987) and this week both men are honored with induction into the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame.

From his glory days at PHS to his time playing center at New York University to his stint in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Pirates (before they became the Steelers) and Philadelphia Eagles, the elder Marchi, at 6-2 and 220 lbs., stood tall among the rest.

Boz Marchi was the centerpiece of a Big Reds team that went 27-4-1 over a three-year period from 1926-1928, capturing the 1927 state title.  That team went 10-0 and allowed only three touchdowns the entire season.  He was difficult to block and equally difficult to tackle as the burly fullback bulldozed his way to 18 touchdowns in his Parkersburg playing days.  Marchi was so athletic that he had a school-record three interceptions in a game against Marietta in 1926.  He held that record outright for 58 years and shared it for 93 years until Sam Potts snagged four interceptions in a game in 2019.

After a stellar career at NYU, Marchi reached the NFL in 1934, playing five games for Pittsburgh as a 26-year-old rookie.  He later joined Philadelphia in 1942, playing 7 games for fellow Big Red – head coach Earle “Greasy” Neale.  That is the longest gap between seasons in NFL history!

Baby brother Louis, a hulk of a man in his own right, took charge of the team in 1929 and 1930 for new coach Ross McHenry.    Although those two squads finished with just an 11-5-5 record, they recorded an amazing 13 shutouts and gave up only 81 points.

The big tackle was named first-team all-state in 1930 along with fellow 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Garner Roush.

The Marchi boys grew up in Middleport, Ohio but moved to Parkersburg where their dad and uncle established a business called Marchi Brothers. Gooley took over the family business when his father died. A few years later, Gooley became a salesman for Tri-Pure Water Company and eventually became the owner of Hudepohl Distributor Company. He expanded the business with Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. The Company became known as Gooley Distributing Company and was very successful. Gooley remained close with his brother Big Boz, who was an employee there.

Boz and Gooley married sisters Vera and Ida Tei.  The two couples were next door neighbors.

Both men were very active at Parkersburg Catholic High School and St Francis Xavier’s Church. They were instrumental in getting the crew team started at PCHS. Big Boz actually went to pick up the boats and drove them back to Parkersburg!

The Gooley Marchi Award was established in the 1970’s at PCHS to honor a top athlete who demonstrates leadership and good character both on and off the field.

Basilio’s three children, Boz Jr., Lou and Molly Marchi Cannon have returned to Parkersburg for this long overdue honor for their father and uncle.

Long before he became the coach at his alma-mater, Matt Kimes was an all-state running back at Parkersburg High.  As a senior in 1996, he rushed for 1156 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as the Big Reds went 7-4, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Wheeling Park.

That squad was ground heavy as Kimes, Kelly Wilfong and fellow Hall-of Famer John Kunze combined for 1987 yards on the turf.

The Kimes-led 1996 team laid the foundation for the best 5-year run in Parkersburg history as the Big Reds compiled a 61- 8 record from 1997 to 2001 with four title game appearances in five years.  Kimes’ younger brother Marc, a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class, was the quarterback in three of those championship games.

Coach Kimes senior season still ranks in the Top 20 best rushing seasons in school history.  Highlights included a career-best 231 yards rushing and four touchdowns versus Cabell Midland and 216 yards and four touchdowns against Canton McKinley.

He was first team all-state football and baseball; 1st team All-MSAC football, basketball and baseball. He was assistant coach at PHS 2005-2012; Offensive coordinator at Park. South 2013-2018; head coach Warren (Oh) 2018-2021, record 16-14. His coaching highlights include back-to-back state championships (2006-2007) at PHS; first playoff appearance and first playoff win in school history at Warren (2020). His record at PHS prior to this year was 11-11 and included a first playoff win for PHS since 2018.

A part owner of Skate Country, His family includes wife Kristen, daughters Kendall (15) and Katyn (11), and son Karsen (13).

Midland Runs Past PHS 48-21

        Game Statistics / Game Photos

.........ONA – With less than two minutes played in the game the Parkersburg Big Reds found themselves in a 14-0 deficit and although they tried valiantly to come back they could not overcome mistakes and penalties and dropped a 48-21 decision to Cabell Midland here Friday night.

        The run of bad luck seemed to never end for PHS as the visitors dropped their 12^th straight game to the Knights who won their second game in a row after starting the season with five straight losses.

        Midland used a tackle-breaking running game to account for all but eight of its 469 yards in total offense. The Knights tried just two passes, one early in the game and one late in the contest.

        On the second play of the game and just 54 seconds into the contest, Midland scored on an 85 yard breakaway run by quarterback Caden Pauley.

        On Parkersburg’s first offensive play, the Big Reds fumbled the ball away on their own 17 yard line. Two plays later Pauley scored again on a keeper and the speedy signal caller would finish the game with 150 yards on just seven rushes and with the successful two-point conversion the home team had a 14-0 lead with just 1:59 off the clock.

        Overall, PHS was able to generate 334 yards of its own offense as Ethan Jones and Jakel Shelton accounted for 82 and 63 yards rushing respectively while Cooper Cancade passed for 164 yards (10 of 13 attempts) including a 57 yard TD pass to Brady Thorn and the senior quarterback also ran for a pair of touchdowns but was sacked five times.

        The Big Reds were penalized 13 times for 123 yards while Midland was flagged 10 times for 93 yards.

        After falling behind quickly, PHS was able to put together a mini-drive but had to punt after a couple of first downs and Midland responded with a 91-yard, nine play drive (all on the ground aided by two PHS penalties) that made it 21-0 with 55 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

        The Big Reds finally settled down in the second quarter and put together a nine play drive to the Midland 29 but came up inches short on a fourth down pass to Ethan Jones.

        Midland also tried for a fourth down at midfield on the ensuing possession but PHS held with Tyler Shahan and Devin Widman making the defensive stop at the PHS 42.

        A 26-yard pass to Braxton Kupfner was followed by a 15 yard completion to Tytan Parsons and Cancade then ran for seven yards to the 10. Two plays later Cancade kept up the middle to the end zone and Quinton Wright’s extra point kick made it 21-7 with just 28 seconds left in the half.

        Things looked bright to start the second half as Jones went 68 yards up the middle to the Midland nine on the first play and two plays later Cancade again kept up the middle for the touchdown and the extra point made it 21-14 just 59 seconds into the third quarter.

        But Midland answered thanks to three big running plays, the final covering 30 yards to the end zone by Logan Hobbs to make it 28-14 with 9:29 on the clock.

        Hobbs added another short TD run just five minutes later and the Knights tacked on two early fourth quarter scores (one a 30 yard breakaway) to make it 48-14 before PHS found the end zone against on a 57 yard aerial bomb to Thorn with 4:59 left in the game.

#14 Parkersburg vs #16 Cabell Midland (Oct 18, 2024 at Ona)

Score by Quarters    1       2       3       4       - Total

Parkersburg              0       7       7       7       - 21

Cabell Midland        21     0       14     13     - 48

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 11:06 CABMID - Caden Pauley 85 yd run (Andrew LaFon rush fumbld), 2-87 0:54

10:01 CABMID - Caden Pauley 15 yd run (Logan Hobbs rush), 2-17 0:53

00:55 CABMID - Marcus Dean 7 yd run (Andrew LaFon kick), 9-91 5:35

2nd 00:28 PHS - Cooper Cancade 10 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 5-58 2:10

3rd 11:01 PHS - Cooper Cancade 5 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 3-77 0:53

09:29 CABMID - Logan Hobbs 30 yd run (Andrew LaFon kick), 3-72 1:26

04:07 CABMID - Logan Hobbs 4 yd run (Andrew LaFon kick), 6-51 3:04

4th 11:45 CABMID - Carson Christia 30 yd run (Andrew LaFon rush fumbld), 1-30 0:09

07:24 CABMID - Carson Christia 14 yd run (Andrew LaFon kick), 4-67 2:03

04:59 PHS - Brady Thorn 57 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 5-80 2:25

PHS            CABMID

FIRST DOWNS......................... 12 ...........18

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                32-170      41-461

PASSING YDS (NET)                    164            8

Passes Att-Comp-Int                  13-10-0    2-1-0

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 45-334    43-469

Fumble Returns-Yards              0-0             0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                    0-0             2--12

Kickoff Returns-Yards                7-100        4-67

Interception Returns-Yards     0-0             0-0

Punts (Number-Avg)                  3-38.0       0-0.0

Fumbles-Lost                                2-1             2-0

Penalties-Yards                           13-123      10-93

Possession Time                          22:08        20:53

Third-Down Conversions         6 of 11      1 of 4

Fourth-Down Conversions      1 of 3        2 of 3

Red-Zone Scores-Chances       2-2             4-4

Sacks By: Number-Yards           0-0             5-18

RUSHING: Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 6-82; Jakel Shelton 13-63; Cooper Cancade 12-21; Aeneas Lauderman 1-4. Cabell Midland-Caden Pauley 7-150; Carson Christia 9-82; Caleb Kitchen 5-56; Logan Hobbs 7-55;

Andrew LaFon 2-52; Lancy Massey 4-34; Thomas Gibson 1-8; Justin Sterling 1-7; Marcus Dean 3-7; Braylon Wing 1-5; Jeff Lewis 1-5.

PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 10-13-0-164. Cabell Midland-Eian Duffy 0-1-0-0; Caleb Kitchen 1-1-0-8.

RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Brady Thorn 3-80; Braxton Kupfner 2-34; Jakel Shelton 2-33; Tytan Parsons 1-15; Ethan Jones 1-3; Conner Petty 1-minus 1. Cabell Midland-Caden Pauley 1-8.

INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-None. Cabell Midland-None.

FUMBLES: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 1-1; Cooper Cancade 1-0. Cabell Midland-Caden Pauley 2-0.

Parkersburg (2-5) vs. Cabell Midland (2-5)

Date: Oct 18, 2024 • Site: Ona • Stadium: Knight Stadium

Attendance: 1500

Kickoff time: 7:00 • End of Game: 9:33 • Total elapsed time: 2:33

Temperature: 65 • Wind: calm • Weather: sunny

Cabell Midland Hosts PHS Friday

ONA – Parkersburg will try to rebound from another tough loss to a team with an outstanding record by playing a team which has had similar problems winning against an equally very tough schedule.

The Big Reds will put their 2-4 record up against host Cabell Midland here Friday night at 7 o'clock and will face a Midland team which won its first game of the season (against five losses) last Friday against winless Musselman by a 49-35 score. Those 49 points were almost the total offensive output the Knights had been able to manage through the first five games of the season (53 points).

But like Parkersburg, Midland had played five outstanding teams in its first half of the season. All five had had a total of just eight losses with three having just one defeat and none of the five had losing records. The Knights lost to a 7-1 Ironton team by a 63-7 score but then gave once-beaten George Washington fits before falling 21-13. That is the same GW team that PHS lost to last week by a 30-23 margin.

In week three Midland dropped a 49-19 game to Spring Valley and then fell to twice-beaten Hurricane 48-7 and once-beaten rival Huntington 52-7.

By contrast PHS has lost to once-beaten (GW) and three teams with two losses (Morgantown, Hurricane and Parkersburg South).

Midland’s rough start was made even tougher by having a new head coach in John Ashworth, who took over for 13-year Midland mentor Luke Salmons. Salmons, the former Ravenswood and Marshall standout, took his 118-37 record to become head coach at Corbin (KY) where his squad is currently 6-1 on the season. Salmons coached Midland to five Mt. State Athletic Conference titles in 13 years and were state runner-up in 2019.

Parkersburg has a long losing streak to break against the Knights as they have not beaten Midland since 2011 (37-34). That streak has now reached 11 games and gives the Knights an 18-14 advantage in the overall series between the two teams.

The Big Reds have been plagued by injuries, turnovers and big plays as evidenced by their latest loss where a 100-yard interception return and an 80 yard run were the difference in the loss to George Washington. That was a game where seven PHS starters were on the sidelines.

Cooper Cancade continues to lead the Big Red offense which has produced 135 points in six games. Cancade had thrown for nearly 1,000 yards (989) and ran for another 213 yards. He is completed 92 of 148 passes for 62.2 percent and four touchdowns. Most notable is that he has completions to an amazing 15 different receivers.

Jakel Shelton is the leading receiver out of the backfield with 21 catches while freshman Brady Thorn has caught 13 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Zane Lewis has 12 receptions and Hunter Leavitt 11. Shelton is the leading rusher with 213 yards and six touchdowns.

Quinton Wright has kicked five field goals in six attempts and 11 extra points.

Defensively, Devin Widman has been the workhorse with 51 tackles, four for loss. Lewis now ranks second with 33 stops while Aeneas Lauderman is tied with injured Adam Elder with 27 tackles. Lauderman has eight tackles for loss while Cyrus Backus leads the team with two interceptions.

Big 4^th Quarter Plays Lift GW Ove PHS, 30-23

Game Statistics / Game Photos

CHARLESTON – A 100-yard interception return by Solomon Ferrell for one fourth quarter touchdowns and an 80 yard run from scrimmage that set up a short touchdown run by quarterback Cy Persinger proved the difference at George Washington defeated Parkersburg 30-23 here Friday night.

The Big Reds once again dominated time of possession and the statistics but could only punch in three touchdown runs by Jakel Shelton as they dropped to 2-4 on the season while GW improved to 6-1.

PHS held a 31.56 to 17.04 advantage in time of possession and ran 66 offensive plays to just 35 for GW while holding a

341-280 margin in total yards.

        And going into the fourth quarter the visitors from Parkersburg were ahead 16-14 on the scoreboard after Shelton’s 12 yard TD run with 12 seconds left in the third period. Shelton’s scoring run over the left side caped a 13-play, 58-yard drive in which the big play was a 21 yard pass from Cooper Cancade to Braxton Kupfner on a fourth down play. That was one of four fourth down conversions by the Big Reds in the go-ahead drive that made it 16-14 heading into the fourth quarter.

        After a short punt put PHS on offense at the GW 37, the visitors drove to a first and goal at the eight but on third down Cancade’s pass was picked off in the end zone and the GW defender took it 100 yards for the touchdown.

The Big Reds immediately tried to answer, driving to the GW 16 but a fourth down pass fell incomplete.After a timeout GE standout Sai’Vion Brown went 80 yards up the middle to the PHS two yard line and Persinger then scored on a sneak to give the home team a 30-16 lead.

PHS answered with an eight-play, 60 yard drive with Shelton scoring from the on with 57 seconds left to make it 30-23 after Quinton Wright’s extra point kick.

It then appeared as if PHS had recovered Wright’s onside kickoff attempt but officials ruled the ball had hit a PHS player on the leg and GW was able to run out the clock.

The Big Reds scored on their first possession of the game, going 52 yards in eight plays with Shelton scoring from the one after a 29 yard run two plays earlier.

GW pulled within a point on an 18 yard run by Brown with an extra point miss but Wright kicked a 20 yard field goal in the second quarter to make it 10-6. The home team took a 14-10 halftime lead on an 18 yard pass to Hunter Giacomo with 2:59 left before the half.

A 26-yard run by Shelton put PHS in position to score again just before the half but a bad snap ended that threat on the GW 14.

The fourth quarter heroics by GW ruined a fine game by Shelton, who had 103 yard rushing on 23 carries and caught three passes for 32 yards as Cancade completed 15 of 26 aerial attempts for 273 yards but suffered two interceptions. Zane Lewis caught four passes for 52 yards.

Brown led the winners with 143 yards on eight attempts, most of it on the long run in the fourth quarter.

 

#13 Parkersburg vs #10 George Washington (Oct 11, 2024 at Charleston)

Score by Quarters        1 2 3 4 - Total

Parkersburg                7 3 6 7 -     23

George Washington   6 8 0 16 -   30

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 07:13 PHS - Jakel Shelton 1 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 8-52 4:47

00:00 GW - Sai'Vion Brown 18 yd run (Preston Roach kick failed), 4-38 2:02

2nd 05:59 PHS - Quinton Wright 20 yd field goal, 10-49 0:00

02:59 GW - Hunter Giacomo 18 yd pass from Cy Persinger (Sai'Vion Brown pass from Cy Persinger), 7-80 3

3rd 12:01 PHS - Jakel Shelton 12 yd run (Cooper Cancade rush fumbled), 13-58 0:00

4th 08:05 GW - Solomon Ferrell 100 yd interception return (Sai'Vion Brown rush)

02:49 GW - Cy Persinger 2 yd run (Hunter Giacomo pass from Cy Persinger), 2-82 0:19

00:57 PHS - Jakel Shelton 1 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 8-60 1:45

.....................................................PHS                    GW

FIRST DOWNS                                       20               12

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       40-168       26-194

PASSING YDS (NET)                            173             86

Passes Att-Comp-Int                                26-15-2     9-7-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS    66-341       35-280

Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0             0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                  0-0             0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                            4-33           3-43

Interception Returns-Yards                     1-0             2-100

Punts (Number-Avg)                                0-0.0          1-15.0

Fumbles-Lost                                            0-0             0-0

Penalties-Yards                                         4-20           8-45

Possession Time                                       31.56         17.04

Third-Down Conversions                       5 of 14       2 of 6

Fourth-Down Conversions                     4 of 5         1 of 3

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      3-5             3-3

Sacks By: Number-Yards                        1-14           0-0

RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 23-103; Cooper Cancade 12-45; Ethan Jones 3-15; Bryan Gregory 1-3; Conner Petty 1-2. George Washington-Sai'Vion Brown 8-143; Hunter Giacomo 9-42; Guner Flores 4-26; Cy Persinger 5-minus 17.

PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 15-26-2-173. George Washington-Cy Persinger 7-9-1-86.

RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Zane Lewis 4-52; Braxton Kupfner 3-39; Jakel Shelton 3-32; Hunter Leavitt 2-21; Brady Thorn 2-19; Bryan Gregory 1-10. George Washington-Hunter Giacomo 4-40; Solomon Ferrell 2-39; Sai'Vion Brown 1-7.

INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Zane Lewis 1-0. George Washington-Solomon Ferrell 1-100; Sai'Vion Brown 1-0.

FUMBLES: Parkersburg-None. George Washington-None.

Parkersburg (2-4) vs. George Washington (6-1)

Date: Oct 11, 2024 • Site: Charleston • Stadium:

Attendance: 2500

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:00 • Total elapsed time: 230

 Big Reds Travel To 5-1 GW Patriots

.................CHARLESTON  - With a week to get healthier, Parkersburg faces another one-loss team on the road again as the Big Reds hope to begin a win streak of their own this Friday against host George Washington.

                The 13th-ranked Big Reds are 2-3 and coming off an open week after an upset win over Capital and face a George Washington team which is 5-1 and also coming off a win over Capital. Two weeks ago PHS beat host Capital 31-19 behind Cooper Cancade’s two touchdown passes to freshman Brady Thorn. The Patriots were ranked 10th a week ago.

                Meanwhile, last week the GW Patriots downed Capital 28-14 as Sai’vyon Brown ran for a pair of touchdowns in a game that was not as close as the score. Brown, a 6-1, 170 pound senior,  ran for touchdowns of 52 and 16 yards respectively while Guner Flores 96-2, 200 sr.0 added a short TD run and Cy Persinger threw a 15 yard scoring pass to Solomon Ferrell.  It was the fifth touchdown pass for the 6-foot-3, 185 pound junior Persinger this season, four of them to Ferrell (6-3, 195 sr.0.  Brown has run for seven touchdowns this year while averaging over 100 yards rushing per game.

                George Washington defeated St. Albans 39-0 to open the season and followed that with a 14-6 win over John Marshall. The Patriots then best Cabell Midland 21-13 and South Charleston 54-0 before losing to Spring Valley 28-18 two weeks ago.

................A year ago the Big Reds out-played the Patriots but lost the game 22-11 thanks to three turnovers. PHS out-gained the Patriots 368-257 in total yards but a 60 yard TD reception and a 68 yard interception return – both by Hunter Giacomo (who returns this year). Giacomo has five touchdowns this year. That was the fourth loss in a row PHS at the hands of George Washington, which leads the series between the two teams by a 16-11 margin.

                The injury-plaqued Big Reds are led by quarterback Cancade who has completed 63% of his 122 passes for 812 yards and four touchdowns. He is also the second-leading rusher with 166 yards (4.4 average) and one touchdown. Jakel Shelton leads the team with 352 yards rushing on 96 attempts with three TDs and has caught 19 passes to lead the team in that category.  Ethan Jones has scored three touchdowns on the ground. Thorn has caught 11 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Quinton Wright has made four of five field goal attempts and kicked nine of nine extra point attempts. Devin Widman leads the team with 42 tackles including four for loss.  Aeneas Lauderman has eight tackles for loss and Cyrus Backus has picked off two passes.

 Cancade’s 2 TD Tosses to Thorn Help Big Reds Bounce Back, 31-19 

      Game Statistics / Game Photos

.........CHARLESTON – Cooper Cancade threw two touchdown passes to freshman Brady Thorn to help the Parkersburg Big Reds bounce back with a 31-19 victory over the eighth ranked and previously once-beaten Capital Cougars here Friday at the University of Charleston’s Laidley Field.

        Cancade completed 12 of 18 passes for 152 yards with Thorn catching four for 83 yards while Jakel Shelton turned in another workhorse effort in the backfield with 19 rushes for 92 yards and five receptions for 25 more yards. Cancade, in addition to his passing yardage, ran nine times for 55 yards and directed a back-breaking 14-play drive in the third quarter that used 8:44 of the 12-minute period.

        The Big Reds controlled the game virtually from start to finish but had a tough time putting away the much-improved Cougars. PHS had a 21-9 margin in first downs and ran for 190 yards for a total offense of 328 yards on 53 plays while limiting Capital to 187 yards on 38 plays. Time of possession was 30:06 to 17:54 in favor of the visitors.

        The game was close because Capital scored on a 22-yard interception return touchdown and a 53 yard scoring run by speedy David Robinson, who accounted for most of the Cougar’s offense with 113 yards rushing on 11 carries and three receptions for 26 yards.

        PHS also got a defensive touchdown from Zane Lewis on a 22 yard fumble recovery and iced the victory on a nine-yard run by Ethan Jones.

        The Big Reds got a defensive stand on the first series of the game, holding the home team on downs at their own 16 yard line and then went ahead on a 10-play, 84-yard drive that ended when Cancade rolled left and found Thorn at the left sideline corner of the goal line for a 23-yard pass play.

        After forcing Capital to punt, the Big Reds found themselves in a hole on their own seven yard line and gave up a pick-six interception to the Cougars’ Jamal Dotson, who ran the ball in from 22 yards out with 9:52 left in the second quarter.

        With just over two minutes left in the first half Cyrus Backus had a 20-yard punt return to the Capital 38 and on the first play following Thorn made a great catch for the touchdown, juggling the ball at the goal line and coming down with the completion in the end zone.

PHS used its defense to produce points just 33 seconds later when Aeneas Lauderman stripped the Capital quarterback of the ball and Zane Lewis picked it up and ran it into the end zone. Quinton Wright’s extra point made it 21-7 just 23 seconds left before the intermission.

The Big Reds then started the second half with the nearly nine minute scoring drive that was capped by Wright’s 31 yard field goal – his fourth of the season.

Capital recovered from that with a 55-yard kickoff return by David Robinson which led to a four yard run by versatile Fernado Valdivia which cut the lead to 24-13. Robinson followed that a few minutes later with his 53 yard scoring jaunt where he simply out-ran the Big Red defenders down the left sideline. That cut the lead to 24-19 with 7:57 remaining in the contest.

A 33-yard kickoff return by Connor Petty and a 22-yard run by Cancade set up Jones for his nine-yard scoring play with 4:11 left that iced the victory by pushing the lead to 12 points.  Javel Chandler followed that with an interception with 2:40 remaining.a bye week coming up followed by a trip to George Washington on Oct. 11.

(Sep 27, 2024 at Charleston)

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 - Total

Parkersburg (2-3) 7      14    3      7   -  31

Capital (2-2)          0       7     6      6    - 19

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 02:36 PHS - Brady Thorn 23 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 10-84 4:34

2nd 09:52 CAP - Jamal Dotson 22 yd interception return (Brayden Robinson kick)

01:55 PHS - Brady Thorn 38 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 1-38 0:08

00:23 PHS - Zane Lewis 22 yd fumble recovery (Quinton Wright kick)

3rd 03:09 PHS - Quinton Wright 31 yd field goal, 14-60 8:44

00:34 CAP - Fernado Valdivia 4 yd run (Kayden Flower kick failed), 6-33 2:23

4th 07:57 CAP - David Robinson 53 yd run (Fernado Valdivia rush failed), 2-61 0:59

04:11 PHS - Ethan Jones 9 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 6-56 3:29

...........................................................PHS         CAP

FIRST DOWNS                                      21            9

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       36-190     23-122

PASSING YDS (NET)                           138          65

Passes Att-Comp-Int                               17-11-1   15-7-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS     53-328     38-187

Fumble Returns-Yards                            1-22         0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                1-20         0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                           4-63         5-142

Interception Returns-Yards                    1-0           1-22

Punts (Number-Avg)                              0-0.0        2-35.0

Fumbles-Lost                                          1-0           2-1

Penalties-Yards                                       6-30         6-55

Possession Time                                     30:06       17:54

Third-Down Conversions                       4 of 9       1 of 7

Fourth-Down Conversions                     2 of 4       0 of 2

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                     2-2           1-2

Sacks By: Number-Yards                       0-0           0-0

RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 19-92; Cooper Cancade 9-55; Ethan Jones 7-29; Bryan Gregory 1-14. Capital-David Robinson 11-113; Fernado Valdivia 6-29; Camdyn Harris 2-minus 1; Peyton Grigsby 4-minus 19.

PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 11-17-1-138. Capital-Peyton Grigsby 7-15-1-65.

RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 5-25; Brady Thorn 4-83; Preston Riffle 1-16; Devin Widman 1-14. Capital-Fernado Valdivia 3-31; David Robinson 3-26; Turay Rush 1-8.

INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Javel Chandler 1-0. Capital-Jamal Dotson 1-22.

FUMBLES: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 1-0. Capital-Peyton Grigsby 2-1.

Attendance: 500

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 9:53 • Total elapsed time: 2:23

Big Reds Hope to Bounce Back at Capital

          CHARLESTON – Parkersburg tries to end a slump here Friday night at Laidley Field against a Capital Cougar team that is not only on a winning streak but in a different classification this year than the Big Reds and are ranked eighth in that new class.

          While the Big Reds must try to bounce back from last week’s defeat at the hands of city rival Parkersburg South in this week’s 7:30 game they will be facing a Capital team which is riding a two-game winning streak. Capital opened its season with a 41-12 loss at Princeton but routed host Riverside 38-14 and then shut out St. Albans 37-0 in a game halted with over 10 minutes left to play when the injury-plagued Red Dragons lost a player on a kickoff return.

          Capital, coached by Jon Carpenter, was led by sophomore running back David Robinson in the St. Albans (now 0-4) game. He ran for 100 yards on 10 carries and scored three touchdowns, including a 16 yard TD reception from freshman quarterback Peyton Grigsby, who also threw a touchdown to Turay Rush. Grigsby completed 14 of 19 passes for 131 yards with Fernando Valdivia catching six for 50 yards. Valdivia, a 5-9 junior, was the Cougar quarterback a year ago when PHS posted a 56-14 win. Overall, Capital was 3-7 a year ago.

          The Big Reds got three touchdowns from Jakel Shelton a year ago against Capital. Shelton ran for 89 yards on 18 carries against South last Friday and caught five passes for 27 more. This year he leads the team with 260 rushing yards and three touchdowns while also being the top receiver with 14 catches for 90 yards.

          Cooper Cancade threw for one touchdown and ran for the other against South as he completed 176 of 27 passes for 185 yards with one interception but was sacked three times for minus 19 yards. He had 61 yards rushing not counting the sacks. Hunter Leavitt was the leading receiver with six catches for 103 yards and a 75 yard touchdown.

          For the season Cancade has passed for 660 yards while completing 63 percent of his 102 passes for two touchdowns. Leavitt has now caught nine passes for a team-high 123 yards.

          Defensively, sophomore Devin Widman had 14 tackles and junior Adam Elder chipped in with eight against South and the duo combined for three tackles for loss. Overall, Widman and Elder have 34 and 27 tackles respectively with nine stops for lost yardage.

          Overall, the series between Capital and PHS is tied at 16 games apiece. PHS has won the last three meetings by scores of 28-20, 44-14 and 56-14.

South Defeats PHS 26-17

Takeaways, 1-2 Punch Lift South Over PHS

   Game Statistics / Game Photos

     Four turnovers coupled with Parkersburg South’s one-two punch of Eli Bartley and Collin Hayes combined to cripple Parkersburg’s chances in the city rivalry as the host Patriots prevailed 26-17 over the Big Reds at the Erickson All-Sports Facility.

        Three lost fumbles and an interception kept the PHS offense at bay while Bartley and Hayes combined to run the ball 37 times for 306 yards  of their team’s totals of 39 rushes and 313 yards while scoring all four South touchdowns.

        The Big Reds got a 75-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Leavitt from Cooper Cancade, who also ran for the other PHS score. Quinton Wright added a 25 yard field goal and two extra point kicks for the visitors.

        South jumped out to a 6-0 lead on Bartley’s 42 yard run with just 1:25 into the game. The speedy Patriot went up the middle, broke a tackle, spun outside and out-raced the defenders up the sideline for the touchdown.

        PHS put together a 13-play drive that ended on the third play of the second quarter with a field goal by Wright. A fourth-and-five pass to Jakel Shelton for eight yards to the South 31 was the big play and another 18 yard completion to Shelton put the ball on the South four yard line but the Patriots came up with back-to-back defensive stops for minus nine yards and forced the Big Reds to settle for three points.

        A Cyrus Backus interception got the ball back to the Big Reds just three plays later and Leavitt made South pay by turning a Cancade connection into a long scoring play. Wright’s kick made it 10-6 with 9:16 left in the half.

        South answered with an 11-play, 73-yard scoring drive that saw Bartley pick up seven yards on a fourth-and-three play at the PHS 17 and on the next play Hayes scored after a missed tackle in the backfield. Alex Hanna’s extra point kick made it 13-10 at the half.

        The Big Reds regained the lead late in the third quarter after an 80-yard drive that was a combination of the running of Shelton, Cancade and Ethan Jones.  Cancade got the touchdown from 11 yards away as he kept the ball around right end and side-stepped a would-be tackler as he crossed the goal line.  Wright’s kick made it 17-13 PHS with 52 seconds left in the third period.

        But on the second play of the fourth quarter, Bartley broke loose for 61 yard touchdown run right up the middle as he made two tacklers miss at the line of scrimmage. That put South up 20-17 with 11:25 left to play.

        Bartley was the workhorse again for the Patriots on their next possession as he carries six times on a nine-play drive and gained 52 of the 80 yards that resulted in a five-yard scoring run by Hayes.

        PHS, which got 81 yards rushing on 17 rushes and another 27 yards on five receptions from Shelton, never threatened the rest of the way. Cancade completed 16 of 27 passes for 170 yards and added 41 yards on 11 carries while Leavitt caught six passes for 88 yards.

        Bartley finished with 242 yards rushing on 28 carries while Hayes added 64 on nine attempts while completing nine of 16 passes for 88 but suffered two interceptions (by Jones and Cyrus Backus). Devin Forshey caught five passes for 47 yards for the winners.    

Score by Quarters        1       2       3       4       -        Total

Parkersburg (1-3)       0       10     7       0       -        17

Park. South (3-1)        6       7       0       13     -        26

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 10:35 SOUTH - Eli Bartley 42 yd run (Wyatt Bartley kick failed), 5-70 1:25

2nd 11:14 PHS - Quinton Wright 25 yd field goal, 13-63 6:47

09:16 PHS - Hunter Leavitt 75 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 2-18 0:51

04:43 SOUTH - Collin Hayes 17 yd run (Alex Hanna kick), 11-73 4:13

3rd 00:52 PHS - Cooper Cancade 11 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 10-80 4:29

4th 11:25 SOUTH - Eli Bartley 61 yd run (Wyatt Bartley kick), 3-61 1:24

03:43 SOUTH - Collin Hayes 5 yd run (Wyatt Bartley kick blockd), 9-80 3:39

..............................................PHS           SOUTH

FIRST DOWNS                                       18               19

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       35-129       39-313

PASSING YDS (NET)                            170             88

Passes Att-Comp-Int                                27-16-1     16-9-2

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS    62-299       55-401

Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0             0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                  0-0             1-1

Kickoff Returns-Yards                            5-38           4-87

Interception Returns-Yards                     2-8             1-0

Punts (Number-Avg)                               2-30.0        2-43.0

Fumbles-Lost                                            4-3             0-0

Penalties-Yards                                        2-20           8-100

Possession Time                                       26:47         20:27

Third-Down Conversions                       5 of 12       5 of 11

Fourth-Down Conversions                     2 of 3         2 of 3

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      2-3             2-2

Sacks By: Number-Yards                        0-0             3-15

RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 17-81; Cooper Cancade 11-41; Hunter Leavitt 2-4; Ethan Jones 5-3. Park. South-Eli Bartley 28-242; Collin Hayes 9-64; Dedrick Riggs 2-7.

PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 16-27-1-170. Park. South-Collin Hayes 9-16-2-88.

RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Hunter Leavitt 6-88; Jakel Shelton 5-27; Zane Lewis 3-27; Bryan Gregory 1-16; Isaac Dailey 1-12. Park. South-Devon Forshey 5-47; Taj Joyce 2-19; Brendon Kelley 1-16; Eli Bartley 1-6.

INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 1-6; Cyrus Backus 1-2. Park. South-Taj Joyce 1-0.

FUMBLES: Parkersburg-Hunter Leavitt 2-2; Zane Lewis 1-1; Cooper Cancade 1-0. South-None.

Parkersburg (1-3) vs. Park. South (3-1)

Attendance: 4000

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:10 • Total elapsed time: 2:40

City Backyard Brawl Is Friday

        Parkersburg’s own version of the Backyard Brawl will take place Friday night at 7:30 at the Erickson All Sports Facility as the Big Reds of Parkersburg High take on the Patriots of Parkersburg South for the 57^th time.

        Although PHS still holds a big lead in the all-time series 39-17 thanks to some early domination (winning 20 of the first 23 meetings). The last two decades have seen an amazing parity with PHS having won 10 meetings and South nine not counting the covid forfeit over South in 2020.

        This year the teams enter the early season meeting having played just three games each with South having won its last two games after an opening loss while PHS is 1-2.

        The Patriots lost their opener to Wheeling Park 35-14 but bounced back to beat University 49-20 and Beckley Woodrow Wilson 35-19.

        Meanwhile PHS lost its opener to Morgantown 24-13 despite a huge advantage in yardage and time of possession. Then came another dominating effort that resulted in a win, 37-0 at South Charleston. Last week the Big Reds fell to highly touted Hurricane 49-14 after trailing by only a touchdown at the half. Luck has not been kind to PHS with several key injuries depleting what was a very deep Big Red squad.

        Last year’s meeting between the two city rivals was a wild one with PHS coming from a 35-33 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 43-35 as Big Red quarterback David Parsons threw for 410 yards and five touchdowns (while rushing for 86 yards and another score) against South. Anthony Ice caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores while Andrew Stalnaker caught four for 122 and one TD and Casey Stanley had four receptions for 84 yards and two scores as well as kicking a field goal to close the scoring with just over two minutes remaining.

        Last year South’s Gage Wright ran for 292 yards and scored four touchdowns while Devon Forshey, who returns this year, caught six passes for 142 yards and an 80 yard touchdown on the first play of the game. There were 26 accepted penalties in that game, which lasted nearly four hours (3:42).

        This year Forshey, a 6-2, 185 senior, has caught 15 passes for 243 yards while Taj Joyce (6-4, 185 jr.) has caught 13 passes from Collin Hayes for 253 yards and all three touchdowns. Hayes (a junior) has completed 47 of 93 passes (68%) for 587 yards. On the ground Hayes has rushed for 177 yards and four touchdowns while Eli Bartley (6-0, 190, sr.) has rushed for 207 yards on 31 carries and scored six times while also catching nine passes.

        Defensively for South Derek Sandy (5-8, 145 jr.) leads the way with 32 tackles while senior nose guard Tyson Wagoner has 31 stops including 9.5 tackles for loss. A total of 31 times South has tackled opponents for losses including 10 sacks (4 of them by Wagoner). Kinzyn Lutchmansingh (a junior) leads the team with three interceptions.

        The Big Reds are led defensively by Devin Widman with 20 tackles while Adam Elder had 19 including four for loss.

        Offensively, PHS is led by Jakel Shelton with 171 yards rushing on 59 carries while Ethan Jones has 117 on just 19 attempts and Cooper Cancade 71 on 18 tries. Cancade has completed 48 of 75 passes (64%) for 475 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions (two of them on tipped passes). Shelton is also the leading receiver with nine catches for 63 yards while Brady Thorn has caught seven for 82. Thorn has returned one kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.

Big Second Half Lifts Hurricane Over PHS

.......After a relatively close first half Hurricane turned its high-scoring offense loose for four second half touchdowns to defeat Parkersburg 49-14 before a homecoming crowd Friday night at Stadium Field.
        The Redskins raised their record to 2-1 with a second straight win by completely controlling the second half. Meanwhile, PHS fell to 1-2 as the Big Reds were unable to get anything going offensively or defensively in the second 24 minutes of play.
        After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, PHS rallied to tie the game at 14-all before allowing the visitors to put together a long scoring drive just before the first half ended to take a 21-14 advantage at the intermission.
        The first half saw PHS with a 13-6 margin in first downs and only trailed in total yardage 201-142 despite a more than double advantage in time of possession.
        But the second half was a different story as Hurricane ran 34 plays for 288 yards while PHS managed just 18 plays for 31 yards.
        PHS took the opening kickoff and drove to the Hurricane 36 in seven plays but an interception by Joey Quijano was returned 60 yards for a touchdown to put the visitors on top.
        The second Big Red possession resulted in a punt and two plays later Noah Vellaithambi threw a 50 yard pass to Ja’Lei Burnette to set up an 18 yard scoring toss to Sha’Lik Hampton and converted a two-point conversion pass to make it 14-0 with 4:47 left in the first period.
        A scintillating 80 yard kickoff return touchdown by Brady Thorn quickly put PHS back in the game 12 seconds later and after giving up a 60 yard pass completion the Big Red defense held on downs at the PHS 12 yard line.
        The Big Reds then drove 88 yards in 16 plays to tie the game at 14-all when Isaac Dailey caught the ball on his back in the end zone from 11 yards out with 7:38 left in the second quarter. A seven yard completion to Dailey and a horse collar penalty was the big play on the long drive.
        However Hurricane answered with a 10-play scoring drive with the big play being a five yard run by Vellaithambi on a fourth-and-five situation. The touchdown came with 3:45 left in the half on the next play on a run by the quarterback, who had a big day with 240 yards passing on 15 completions in 20 attempts with Burnette and Tyshawn Dues accounting for almost 200 of the yards themselves.
        The second half saw Hurricane score on its first two possessions, going 64 yards on nine plays and 44 yards on eight plays with Kylan Grace getting the first TD on a 23 yard run and Vellaithambi throwing to Dues for 15 yards and a second score.
        An 80-yard run by Grace made it 42-14 in the fourth quarter and the final TD came with 5:35 left in the game on a pass to Rhett Mcgrew from 10 yards out.
        PHS quarterback Cooper Cancade completed eight of 15 passes for 57 yards with one interception while four different receivers caught two passes each. Jakel Shelton was the workhorse on the ground as the Big Red senior ran for 60 yards on 24 carries.
        Overall, Hurricane had a 489-156 advantage in total yards.

Game Statistics / Game Photos

#3 Hurricane vs #11 Parkersburg (Sep 13, 2024 at Parkersburg)

Score by Quarters        1       2       3       4      -        Total

Hurricane                    14     7      14     14     -        49

Parkersburg                7      7        0       0      -        14

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 08:38 HURR - Joey Quijano 60 yd interception return (Isaiah Kutscher rush failed)

04:47 HURR - Sha'Lik Hampton 18 yd pass from Noah Vellaithambi (Rhett Mcgrew pass from N. Vellaithamb

04:35 PHS - Brady Thorn 90 yd kickoff return (Quinton Wright kick)

2nd 07:38 PHS - Isaac Dailey 11 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 16-88 6:45

03:45 HURR - Noah Vellaithambi 4 yd run (Seth Casto kick), 1-95 0:29

3rd 08:46 HURR - Kylan Grace 23 yd run (Seth Casto kick), 9-64 3:05

04:37 HURR - Tyshawn Dues 15 yd pass from Noah Vellaithambi (Seth Casto kick), 8-44 2:41

4th 09:16 HURR - Kylan Grace 80 yd run (Seth Casto kick), 1-80 0:14

05:35 HURR - Rhett Mcgrew 10 yd pass from Noah Vellaithambi (Seth Casto kick), 6-40 2:20

HURR        PHS

FIRST DOWNS                                       20               14

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       37-249       35-99

PASSING YDS (NET)                            240             57

Passes Att-Comp-Int                                20-15-1     16-8-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS    57-489       51-156

Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0             0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                                  0-0             0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                            2-17           6-186

Interception Returns-Yards                     1-60           1-17

Punts (Number-Avg)                               0-0.0          7-28.9

Fumbles-Lost                                            2-0             1-0

Penalties-Yards                                         8-79           5-25

Possession Time                                       17:43         27:00

Third-Down Conversions                       5 of 9         5 of 11

Fourth-Down Conversions                     2 of 4         1 of 1

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      3-5             2-2

Sacks By: Number-Yards                        2-9             0-0

RUSHING: Hurricane-Kylan Grace 15-152; Aj Gregory 7-42; Noah Vellaithambi 14-35; Tyshawn Dues 1-20.

Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 24-60; Ethan Jones 3-23; Cooper Cancade 6-19; Daleon Evans 1-minus 1;Tyler Cameron 1-minus 2.

PASSING: Hurricane-Noah Vellaithambi 15-20-1-240. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 8-15-1-57; Tyler Cameron 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Hurricane-Ja'Lei Burnette 6-106; Tyshawn Dues 5-88; Sha'Lik Hampton 2-29; Rhett Mcgrew 1-10; Kylan Grace 1-7. Parkersburg-Brady Thorn 2-20; Isaac Dailey 2-18; Jakel Shelton 2-16; Ethan Jones 2-3.

INTERCEPTIONS: Hurricane-Joey Quijano 1-60. Parkersburg-Bryan Gregory 1-17.

FUMBLES: Hurricane-Noah Vellaithambi 2-0. Parkersburg-Tyler Cameron 1-0.

Hurricane (2-1) vs. Parkersburg (1-2)

Attendance: 1500

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 9:58 • Total elapsed time: 2:28

High-Scoring Hurricane Invades

                The Stadium Field scoreboard could be in for a lot of action Friday night as the Big Reds of Parkersburg play host to the Redskins of Hurricane in a key Mountain State Athletic Conference 7:30 p.m. clash.

          Both teams evened their records at 1-1 last week and put a combined 100 points on the board in those wins as PHS downed South Charleston 37-0 and Hurricane out-lasted Spring Valley 63-48. And the two teams with Native American nicknames have shown a propensity to put points up when they have met on the field.

          Both teams opened their season with losses as Hurricane fell to highly regarded state runner-up Huntington 38-35 while PHS dropped a 24-13 to Morgantown despite dominating the statistics.

          A year ago the rivals met in the first round of the playoffs and PHS pulled off a 47-23 upset before falling to Princeton in the second round. The teams did not play in 2022 but in 2021 Hurricane won 42-30 and in 2020 the Redskins prevailed 60-36. The last PHS victory came in 2019 by a 42-28 score but the Big Reds still maintain an 8-3 advantage in the overall series.

          Coached by veteran Donnie Mays, the Redskins had an 8-3 record a year ago and were ranked third in the pre-season polls because of the large number of returners on hand. Chief among those players coming back was 6-foot, 205 pound senior quarterback Noah Vellaithambi, who threw for 141 yards and one touchdown a year ago while also rushing for 89 yards against the Big Reds. Also back is Kylan Grace (5-10, 200 jr.) who had 64 yards rushing a year ago against PHS and Tyshawn Dues (5-11, 183 sr.) who caught eight passes against the Big Reds.

          This year in two games Vellaithambi has completed 24 of 37 passes for 409 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He has also rushed for 227 yards and four scores on 20 carries. Grace leads the Redskins with 229 yard on 29 attempts and also had four rushing touchdowns. Dues has caught eight passes for 155 yards while Ja’lei Burnette (6-0, 183 jr.) has eight catches for 127 yards and Sha’lik Hampton, a 6-foot-4, 220 pound senior target, has caught six passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

          Defensive leaders for Hurricane are senior linebacker Joey Quijano (5-10, 205) and senior defensive back Jai’don Smith (6-0, 165) with 20 and 18 tackles respectively.

          A year ago Hurricane averaged nearly 50 points per game and had scoring totals of 81, 89 and 93 points in single games.

          The Big Reds, who have been hit by their share of injuries, are led by Jakel Shelton with 111 yards rushing on 35 carries and three touchdowns while Ethan Jones is averaging 5.9 yards per carry with two touchdowns and Aeneas Lauderman has one TD and is averaging 4.9 yards per rush.

          Quarterback Cooper Cancade has added 52 yards rushing to his 418 yards passing as he has completed 40 of 60 passes (67%) to 11 different receivers. Shelton is leading the way with seven catches while Tytan Parsons has caught six and Brady Thorn and Zane Lewis five each.

          Cole Sisk has kicked two field goals and Quinton Wright one each.

          Defensively the Big Reds have done an outstanding job so far, giving up just three touchdowns, two of them on long runs. As a team they are allowing just 144 yards in total offense per game and that includes the two long TD runs that accounted for 135 yards.

          Devin Widman and Adam Elder pace the team with 12 and 11 tackles respectively while the squad has nine tackles for loss (three by Elder and 2.5 by Lauderman. The team has also come up with four turnovers.

 Williams, Kunze to Enter Hall of Fame
Two defensive stalwarts are the latest Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame honorees and will be inducted Friday night prior to the Hurricane game at Stadium Field.
Mark Williams, the only all-state nose guard in the illustrious PHS history, will be joined by linebacker John Kunze as the latest members of the prestigious hall.
Tough.  Hard-nosed.  Strong.  Scrappy.
          All of those adjectives describe Williams, who was the first-team, all-state nose guard in 1980 for coach Buddy James.
Winner is another word to describe the 5-11, 195-pound Williams.  He played on the 1978 state championship team as a sophomore and reached the state semifinals as a junior and senior, losing both times to the eventual state champion.
The 1980 Big Reds were built around ball-control and defense.  They ran off six workmanlike wins to start the season before running into annual thorn-in-the-side Brooke.  But they bounced back with four straight victories, including a playoff win over George Washington.  Parkersburg’s season came to an end at the hands of eventual state champion North Marion, 21-3.
In 12 games, Parkersburg scored 275 points and allowed just 92 (7.7 points per game).  The Big Reds registered five shutouts.  PHS was strong at all three levels of the defense as Williams controlled the line of scrimmage, all-state captain Rob Lockhart roamed the middle and defensive back Jeff Eddy held down the back end.  Together those three contributed to an astounding 17 shutouts in 37 career games.
After high school Williams served in the Navy for 15 years as a nuclear component welder.  He and his family moved to Washington state in 1998.  He has four children and eight grandchildren.
High School buddy and teammate Mike Lambert will be accepting the Hall of Fame plaque on his behalf.
Definition of BUCK WILD: “very unrestrained or uninhibited; crazy”.
Whether or not Big Red John Kunze thought of himself that way during his first team all-state senior season of 1996, it's likely that many of his opponents did. A fierce competitor, and one of only three returning regulars from the veteran 1995 team which reached the playoff semifinals, he played linebacker on defense and running back on offense of a 7-4 team that lost in the opening round of the playoffs. Its three regular season losses were to eventual state champion John Marshall and runner-up Capital, and the third to St. Albans, which won a first-round playoff game.
In the playoff loss to Wheeling Park Kunze led the team with 83 yards rushing while teammate, current Big Red football head coach, and hall of fame fellow Inductee this year, Matt Kimes, added 74. On one play, Kunze was reported by the late News and Sentinel Sports Editor Steve Hemmelgarn to have “hammered 10 yards to the six, lowering his head to literally run over the last defender in his path”. Kunze recently remarked that he loved carrying the ball because he could always hit tacklers harder than when blocking, since tacklers couldn't try to avoid him.
This 1996 team was the foundation for the best 5-year run in Parkersburg history (1997-2001), with a record over that span of 61-8 with four championship game appearances in five years. On this team, Kunze led the team in tackles with 102, 70 of which were solo. On a run-dominated offense he was part of a 1-2-3 punch along with Kimes and fellow senior Kelly Wilfong. He rushed for 216 yards on 29 carries, leading the team with 7.3 in yards per carry. He was the team’s second leading receiver with 13 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown. He also punted that year.
He was always inspired by the example of his older brother Joe Kunze who led his 7-3 Buddy James-coached 1988 team in rushing with 803 yards and 6 touchdowns on 129 carries.
Kunze was named to the 1996 All-Mountain State Athletic Conference first team as a utility player, along with teammates Kimes at running back and Brett Marlow as a tackle. He was subsequently selected to the 1996 Class AAA all-state first team as a linebacker and was joined on that team by Kimes as a running back and Marlow as a second team offensive lineman.
After graduation from PHS he matriculated at Marshall, and later transferred to Ohio Valley University from which he graduated with a degree in business. During that time, he worked as an electrician for five years. His experience over that period in his life helped forge his strongly motivated, goal-directed work and life ethic. He earned a master's certificate from Georgetown University. He is a Supervisory Project Manager at the Bureau of Fiscal Service, where he has been employed for the last fifteen years.
Inspired by his father, he taught himself to play piano and guitar. Despite not participating in any musical groups at PHS, he became a country music singer /songwriter. He was the 2016 West Virginia/Ohio state winner of the local and state rounds of the country’s largest country music competition, the Country Showdown. Kunze has also recorded several songs in Nashville, including “God’s Little Angel” in 2022 and “I’m Buck Wild”. He is a competitive bass fisherman, and his biggest hit song “Fishing with Dad” has been used by Bass Pro Shops for their Father’s Day commercials seen nationwide since its inauguration on Father’s Day 2022. He continues to work with Bass Pro Shops and recently was the guest speaker at a large conference. Just two weeks ago he released his newest song “God’s Hand on a Working Man”.
He lives on a farm not far from Veto Lake with his wife Natalie, who was a cheerleader at Ohio State, and their daughters Kinley, 12 and Brooklyn, 8, both of whom are involved in youth sports. They all also spend a good deal of leisure time fishing with Dad.

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

 Game Statistics / Game Photos

       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.

Parkersburg vs South Charleston (Sep 06, 2024 at South Charleston)

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total

Parkersburg             13    14    3      7      -       37

South Charleston    0      0      0      0      -       0

Qtr Time Scoring play

1st 04:49 PHS - Jakel Shelton 7 yd run (Cole Sisk kick), 6-32 4:41

02:13 PHS - Ethan Jones 52 yd run (Cole Sisk kick blockd), 1-52 2:08

2nd 05:35 PHS - Jakel Shelton 3 yd run (Cole Sisk kick), 8-78 4:58

01:31 PHS - Ethan Jones 5 yd run (Cole Sisk kick), 8-46 3:51

3rd 00:26 PHS - Cole Sisk 32 yd field goal, 9-70 4:47

4th 00:50 PHS - Aeneas Lauderman 1 yd run (Cole Sisk kick), 15-52 10:24

PHS         SCHAR

FIRST DOWNS                              18            4

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)               35-172     16-19

PASSING YDS (NET)                   220          54

Passes Att-Comp-Int                       20-14-2   11-5-1

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 55-392 27-73

Fumble Returns-Yards                    0-0           0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                        2-16         0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                   0-0           6-92

Interception Returns-Yards            1-68         2-20

Punts (Number-Avg)                      0-0.0        4-32.2

Fumbles-Lost                                  0-0           2-2

Penalties-Yards                               12-93       9-92

Possession Time                             35:07       12:47

Third-Down Conversions               5 of 9       1 of 7

Fourth-Down Conversions             3 of 3       0 of 1

Red-Zone Scores-Chances             5-5           0-1

Sacks By: Number-Yards               0-0           1-8

RUSHING: Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 7-83; Jakel Shelton 13-45; Aeneas Lauderman 7-34; Cooper Cancade 6-12; Austin Jones 1-minus 1; Bryan Gregory 1-minus 1. South Charleston-Kayden Hackman 4-12; Malcolm Brown 8-9; Joey Scragg 1-1; Cortez Lacy 1-0; Tavarish Porter 2-minus 3.

PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 13-17-2-200; Bryan Gregory 1-3-0-20. South Charleston-Kayden Hackman 5-9-1-54; Joey Scragg 0-2-0-0.

RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Brady Thorn 3-37; Austin Craven 2-48; Devin Widman 2-37; Zane Lewis 2-33; Conner Petty 1-28; Tyler Shahan 1-20; Ethan Jones 1-12; Hunter Leavitt 1-5; Jakel Shelton 1-0. South Charleston-Malcolm Brown 2-33; Tavarish Porter 1-18; Cortez Lacy 1-5; Bryson Johnson 1-minus 2.

INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Cyrus Backus 1-68. South Charleston-Jermain Smith 1-14; Malcolm Brown 1-6.

FUMBLES: Parkersburg-None. South Charleston-Cortez Lacy 1-1; Malcolm Brown 1-1.

Parkersburg (1-1) vs. South Charleston (0-2)

Date: Sep 06, 2024 • Site: South Charleston • Stadium:

Attendance: 500

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 9:51 • Total elapsed time: 2:21

 Big Reds Look To Rebound Friday at South Charleston

          After scoring just one touchdown despite dominating their opponent in the season-opener a week ago, the Parkersburg Big Reds will face a team this Friday that they scored 63 points against a year ago – in a single half.

          South Charleston will host PHS this week and the Black Eagles will try to stop a Big Red team that is determined to show their opening loss to Morgantown was just a fluke, a once-in-a-season happening.

          Both teams are 0-1 after the Big Reds were defeated 24-13 by the Mohigans while the Black Eagles lost to Ripley 38-21.

          PHS lost despite running 83 plays to just 25 for the winners while compiling a 22-4 advantage in first downs and a 331-185 margin in total yards. A dropped punt snap and two long touchdown runs proved the difference for the winners.

          Meanwhile South Charleston, which went 0-10 a year ago, saw Ripley build a 38-0 lead and then held on to win by 17 with Viking reserves playing most of the second half. A year ago the Big Reds built a 63-0 halftime lead and maintained that margin throughout the second half against the Black Eagles. Two years ago PHS won 52-17 with a 27 point third quarter. This year’s PHS starting tailback Jakel Shelton scored one touchdown two years ago and added two scores last year and hopes to continue his outstanding play for a third year in a row this season.

          Shelton ran for his team’s lone touchdown last year while gaining 66 yards on 22 rushes and caught six passes for 47 more yards against Morgantown. Senior quarterback Cooper Cancade made a great first varsity start for PHS by completing 27 of 43 passes for 218 yards and rushed for 29 more yards.

          Other bright spots for PHS in the opener includedTytan Parsons with six receptions for 56 yards (he was one of 10 different Big Reds who caught passes, showing the depth of this year’s Big Red receiving group which last year centered around four main pass catchers. Quinton Wright kicked two field goals for PHS while Devin Widman and Adam Elder were the leaders on defense.

          South Charleston is led by Malcolm Brown, who scored all three Black Eagle touchdowns against Ripley including an 80-yard interception return, a four yard run and a 36 yard pass reception. He finished with 75 yards rushing on 14 carries and caught three passes for 46 yards.

          Ripley only out-gained South Charleston 162-111 as the Vikings relied on special teams play to build its comfortable lead.

          The series between the two Mountain State Athletic Conference rivals is currently tied at 11-all.

Big Reds Dominate But Drop Opening Game

Game Statistics / Game Photos

Parkersburg’s Big Reds dominated Morgantown – but lost.

In a one-sided effort that went for naught the home team did everything but win the game as the Mohigans turned three plays – and three plays only – into a 24-13 victory Friday night in a season-opening game delayed two hours by lightning.

PHS ran an amazing 83 plays to just 25 for the visitors, piled up a 22-4 margin in first downs and had a 331-185 advantage in total yards but somehow lost the game as Morgantown had only three positive plays but turned them into touchdowns that produced the advantage on the scoreboard. Two long touchdown runs of 66 and 69 yards and a fumble recovery on the PHS seven-yard line produced the other Morgantown touchdown on the very next play after the recovery.

Several outstanding efforts by PHS players were wasted as Jakel Shelton ran for 66 yards, caught passes for 47 more and scored a touchdown while Cooper Cancade completed 27 of 43 passes for 218 yards. Morgantown tried just three passes and completed none and had just 50 yards in 23 plays other than the two long scoring runs. Tytan Parsons also caught six passes for 44 yards for PHS which had 10 different players catch passes.

The Big Reds took the opening kickoff and drove for a 32 yard field goal try but the attempted was missed. After forcing a punt the Big Reds got the ball back at midfield and drove to the nine yard line but had to settle for another field goal try. This time Quinton Wright’s 30 yard attempted was blocked and returned 35 yards to the Morgantown 45.

Again the PHS defense held and got the ball back after a long punt by Morgantown’s Aiden Stire (who showed why West Virginia University has given him a scholarship with his powerful leg). But PHS was forced to punt and the kick went just 11 yards and Morgantown took over at the PHS 35 from where the Mohigans moved to the 29 yard line and Stire wound up kicking a 48 yard field goal. .

The Big Reds misfortune continued on their next possession when a dropped punt snap gave Morgantown the ball on the PHS seven yard line. A.J. Thomas ran it in for a 10-0 lead with 5:10 left in the first half.

A 37 yard field goal by Wright after a 12-play drive cut the lead to 10-3 on the last play of the first half. It was a half which saw PHS hold the visitors to just 9 yards on 13 plays while the Big Reds had 145 yards on 39 plays and an 11-1 margin in first downs.

The pace picked up in the third quarter as PHS got a break to begin the half with Sylas Cheuvront knocking the ball loose on the kickoff and Tyler Shahan recovered on the Morgantown 22 yard line. Six plays later Jakel Shelton went over right tackle for the touchdown and Wright’s PAT kick tied things at 10-all.

But Morgantown immediately regained the lead on a 66 yard TD run by Carsin Lawhun.

The Big Reds then moved from their own 20 to the Morgantown 23 before a two hour lightning delay halted play.

When the teams finally returned to the field, PHS drove on to the 10 yard line but a sack proved costly and Wright came on to boot his second field goal and cut the lead to 17-13 with 7:31 left in the third period.

PHS put together another long drive to start the fourth quarter, driving all the way to the Morgantown one yard line but a four yard loss followed and two plays later the Big Reds failed on a fourth down run attempt that lost three yards.

The Big Red defense forced another punt, which went just 18 yards to the Morgantown 23 but two plays later a fumble stopped that scoring attempt and A.J. Thomas made PHS pay by ripping off a 69 yard tackle-breaking scoring run which ran the score to 24-13 with 4:05 left to play.

A last-ditch scoring threat for PHS ended at the Morgantown 27.

Aug. 30 at Parkersburg)

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total

Morgantown (1-0)        0        10        7      7 - 24

Parkersburg (0-1)         0         3       10      0 - 13

Qtr Time Scoring play

2nd 05:48 MORG - Aiden Stire 48 yd field goal, 4-6 1:27

05:10 MORG - AJ Thomas 7 yd run (Aiden Stire kick), 1-7 0:08

00:00 PHS - Quinton Wright 37 yd field goal, 13-60 5:23

3rd 09:10 PHS - Jakel Shelton 1 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 6-22 2:37

08:48 MORG - Carsin Lawhun 66 yd run (Aiden Stire kick), 1-66 0:12

01:17 PHS - Quinton Wright 27 yd field goal, 15-70 7:31

4th 04:05 MORG - AJ Thomas 69 yd run (Aiden Stire kick), 2-77 0:54

.....................................................MORG       PHS

FIRST DOWNS                                4                 22

RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                 22-185        40-113

PASSING YDS (NET)                      0                 218

Passes Att-Comp-Int                          3-0-0        43-27-0

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 25-185      83-331

Fumble Returns-Yards                       0-0              0-0

Punt Returns-Yards                           0-0              0-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards                       3-49            1-12

Interception Returns-Yards                0-0              0-0

Punts (Number-Avg)                         4-29.8         1-11.0

Fumbles-Lost                                     2-1              2-1

Penalties-Yards                                  8-45            3-26

Possession Time                                11:25         35:44

Third-Down Conversions                  1 of 7          11 of 19

Fourth-Down Conversions                0 of 0          0 of 3

Red-Zone Scores-Chances                 1-1              3-6

Sacks By: Number-Yards                   1-7              0-0

RUSHING: Morgantown-AJ Thomas 12-124; Carsin Lawhun 2-68; Rhys Wells 4-13; Zaiden Lockett 1-minus 2;

Matthew Hennige 1-minus 6; Rem Hawkins 2-minus 12. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 22-66; Cooper Cancade 6-29; Sylas Cheuvront 2-20; Ethan Jones 9-11; Cole Sisk 1-minus 13.

PASSING: Morgantown-Matthew Hennige 0-3-0-0. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 27-43-0-218.

RECEIVING: Morgantown-. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 6-47; Tytan Parsons 6-44; Ethan Jones 3-22; Zane Lewis 3-21; Brady Thorn 2-25; Austin Craven 2-14; Hunter Leavitt 2-13; Devin Widman 1-15; Preston Riffle 1-12; Sylas Cheuvront 1-5.

FUMBLES: Morgantown-Matthew Hennige 1-0; AJ Thomas 1-1. Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 1-1; Cole Sisk 1-0.

Attendance: 2500

Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 12:14 (2 hour weather delay)• Total elapsed time: 2:48 Temperature 96

Morgantown First Game Opponent

A dangerous and unpredictable Morgantown team will come to town Friday night to help Parkersburg open the 2024 high school football season for a 7:30 p.m. game at Stadium Field.
The Mohigans of coach Sean Biser have always proven to be a tough opponent for any school they face and this year’s team will be no different as they come off a 7-4 season a year ago to face a Big Red team which went 7-5. The noticeable difference is that Morgantown lost its first-round playoff game to Huntington by a 59-13 score while PHS defeated Hurricane 47-23 before nearly pulling off an upset at Princeton only to lose 41-37. Pre-season rankings have Morgantown fifth and Parkersburg ninth.
Morgantown has its usual array of talent headed by kicker Aiden Stire, a senior who has already signed to play for West Virginia University next year.
The Mohigans beat two teams last year that went on to win 11 games, Bridgeport (22-14) and Fairmont West (21-19). They also nipped Musselman 10-6 and rival University 26-18 but lost to Wheeling Park, Parkersburg South (38-34) and Linsly.
The Big Reds and Mohigans have met 15 times on the gridiron with PHS winning 12.  They have played four times since 2000 with the teams splitting. The last meetings were 2019 with PHS winning 27-21 and 2018 with Morgantown winning that game 45-35.
The real oddity to this season is that all teams in the new Quad A classification have apparently already clinched a playoff berth since there are only 16 teams in Class AAA.
So far this season PHS has played two scrimmages against Bridgeport and Wheeling Park and have shown the ability to move the ball with the passing of Cooper Cancade to a variety of receivers and the running of returning senior Jakel Shelton. Defensively, after a rough time against Bridgeport’s unusual offensive alignment the Big Reds turned in a stellar defensive effort against Wheeling Park.

Roush, Hammell To Enter Hall of Fame
Two outstanding linemen from nearly 100 years apart on the field head up the first inductees for the class of 2024 of the Parkersburg High School Big Red Football Hall of Fame.
Adam Hammell, whose older brother Al was elected to the Hall of Fame 10 years ago, becomes the eighth brother combination to make the hall after an outstanding four-year career at PHS from 2000-2003.
Joining him is a standout from the 1930 season, Garner Roush, who transferred from Ravenswood ala another Hall of Famer, Josh Romeo.
Both will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Friday, Aug. 30, prior to the Morgantown season opener at Stadium Field.
Roush was a solid 6-foot two-way guard who was also selected to the Parkersburg Sentinel first all-state team after helping the Big Reds of coach Ross McHenry win six games against three losses and two ties. McHenry called Roush a consistent 188 pounds of muscle and bone and his defensive play was outstanding on a team which shut out six opponents and held another to only a safety. PHS lost two heartbreakers to Wheeling (13-6) and Fairmont West (7-0) in addition to Charleston (20-12) but did upset highly touted Erie (PA) Academy, 6-0.
A modern day version of Roush was Hammell who went from the gridiron to the griddle as he became a highly regarded chef after graduation from high school.
Hammell was a two-year letterman and one of four captains as a senior when the Big Reds reached the 700-win milestone for the football program and compiled a 7-5 record under coach Bernie Buttrey. His final year saw Hammell accumulate 77 total tackles including a team high tying nine for loss. He was honored for his play by making first team all-state at offensive tackle.
A starter for both years of college football at Division II level, Hammell then became a chef and manager in several cities including Charlottesville, Virginia (which is a leading culinary hub in the country). He currently works for a leader in the Controlled Environment Agriculture industry and resides in Anderson, South Carolina, with his wife Jillian and three daughters, Madalyn (age six), Laurel (age two) and Allison (2 months).

 

Big Reds Ready For Return To Elite Programs In State

        The Parkersburg Big Red football team appears ready for a return to being among the elite of the state.

        The 2024 season could prove third-year head coach Matt Kimes right as he thinks with the depth and young talent he has on hand this year and that last year’s quarterfinal appearance and narrow defeat at the hands of state runner-up Princeton shows the Big Reds are ready to return to being one of the premier programs in the state.

        After winning six regular season games including two narrow defeats at the hands of top 10 teams George Washington and Spring Valley the Big Reds upset fourth ranked Hurricane 47-23 in the first round of the playoffs and had Princeton down by nine points in the fourth quarter before the Tigers pulled off a winning rally before their home fans. Princeton then scored 73 points the next week against Bridgeport to reach the finals where they lost to Martinsburg.

        The Big Reds lost a quarterback and four big playmakers to graduation and all five will go on to play college football this year. But the Red and White return seven starters and a bevy of talented young players who will provide a lot of depth against a schedule that is loaded with seven playoff teams including newcomer Morgantown.

        While PHS lost 330 points on offense to graduation including three-year starting quarterback David Parsons and his 33 touchdown passes, the Big Reds do return their second-leading rusher in Jakel Shelton along with underclassmen Ethan Jones and Sylas Cheuvront and quarterback Cooper Cancade. Cancade has been a three-year backup to Parsons and led the junior varsity to a 4-4 record and who has grown to a strapping 6-foot-5. He completed six of 14 passes in a reserve role a year ago for 86 yards.

        Shelton returns after scoring eight touchdowns (seven on the ground) while rushing for 416 yards and catching 19 passes in addition to returning nine kickoffs a year ago. He is up to a solid 190 pounds this year.

        Also returning is Ethan Jones (5-9, 176, jr.) who ran for one touchdown and averaged seven yards per carry and Sylas Cheuvront (5-11, 180, jr.) who also ran for one score. Adding to the depth is transfer 185 pound senior Aeneas Lauderman.

        The receiving corps this year will not be a four-man contingent but could go 10 to 12 players deep including a couple of members of an outstanding freshman class. Zane Lewis (6-2, 170 sr.) and Tytan Parsons (6-2, 188 jr.) lead the way with Parsons, the younger brother of quarterback David Parsons, having caught 10 passes in a single jayvee game a year ago.

        Up front PHS returns six players who started at one time or another including center Rudy Colombo (5-10, 207, sr.) who started every game. Those players expected to see plenty of action include Adam Elder (6-1, 220 jr.), Chris Cox (6-2, 254, sr.), J.D. Pauley (5-7, 235 sr.), D.J. Chambless (5-6, 200 sr.), Drew Grinter (6-2, 295 so.), Jackson Roe (6-0, 245 so.) and Jordan Hess (6-0, 300 jr.). Hess is the strongest player on the team.

        Defensively the Big Reds should be much improved with the return of six of their top 12 tacklers and with some players being moved around to different positions.

        Lewis returns at linebacker after being third on the team a year ago with 94 stops. Also back is Elder on the line after making 75 tackles a year ago and Cox is back after getting 55 tackles last season. Shelton, Conner Petty (5-11, 165 sr.) and Cyrus Backus (5-8, 146 sr.) are also back after finishing among the team’s top 12 in tackles.

        Others who will help on defense include Jones, Lauderman, Cheuvront, Parsons, Braxton Kupfner, Devin Widman and Bryan Gregory.

        Several players will be in new positions on defense like Shelton moving to free safety and Lewis to linebacker while Cheuvront is now playing middle linebacker and Parsons is also now at linebacker to show how much depth the Big Reds have on hand this season.

Replacing Casey Stanley as the kicking specialist for PHS will be tough since he was a first and second team all-state pick but Cole Sisk did an excellent job on the junior varsity and senior Quinton Wright is also capable.

If the Big Reds can stay healthy and take care of the ball they are hoping the hunger for a playoff spot will grow into a hunger for a home playoff game and a return to a position where the entire state feared playing a Big Red football team and gain them a spot in the state finals in Charleston. The taste was there a year ago. Reality is only a season away.

 

99 Participants at Youth Camp

Big Reds Hope To Build Off 2023 Postseason Experience

5 Big Reds Sign To Play College Football
Stanley Headed For WVU
PARKERSBURG — It’s been a journey for Parkersburg High School senior Casey Stanley, but the 2022 triple-A first team all-state kicker is a West Virginia University Mountaineer following Wednesday’s national signing day.
“The walk-on life at WVU is exactly like the scholarship life except you are paying for school,” quipped Stanley, who was rarely off the field for the Big Reds of head man Matt Kimes and owns records with 72 kicking points in a season, 193 career kicking points and 19 career field goals. “(Ohio) gave me a preferred walk-on. As a kicker that’s what you need to get.
“They are not going to hand out scholarships to kickers they aren’t sure about yet. Kicking is an easy way to get on the field, but you are not going to get money going into college until you are the guy. I’m hoping being from a small town who supports WVU like no other I will be able to get some (NIL) deals here and there. That would be ideal and pretty cool.”
Stanley, who visited the Bobcats in Athens and even took in the Miami of Ohio game, actually missed the WVU kicking camp, but it all turned out for the best.
“Was obviously my place I wanted to go,” admitted the A-student and future business major.
“At first I wasn’t really getting looked at by them and I had kind of given up until this past summer.”
A follow on Twitter from Coastal Carolina’s special teams coordinator gave him another option and eventually set things in motion.
“It was a crazy coincidence because I had already planned to go to that camp over the summer and I hadn’t heard anything from WVU so I had some decision making to do. I got the text from WVU saying they wanted me up there.
“It honestly worked out better because at those camps a bunch of people go to the WVU camp. It’s harder to get looked at and it’s a lot more pressure. When you are in a group of four kids it’s a lot easier for them to see you and notice you and see what you are doing.”
As it turned out there were plenty of watchful eyes.
After getting to Morgantown with three other kickers the Big Red did his thing.
“I got there and they use a thing called a Trackman,” he said. “It’s nuts. I did really good in the kickoff aspect and I did OK in the field goals.

“I was kind of leaving there thinking I didn’t do bad. I gave them what I could. I was satisfied with how it was. I knew I was coming back in a couple days for the 7-on-7 they host.”
Everything picked up after arriving with his teammates for the 7-on-7s.
“I had played our first two games (WR/DB) and I got approached by Neal Brown actually,” Stanley recalled of the WVU head coach. “I was walking off because we had just got done with a game. He has this real nice golf cart he goes around in and he was sitting up against the front of that and I’m like ‘oh, man, that’s Neal Brown’ and we had made eye contact, and he waved me over. I was like ‘oh, is he pointing’ and I looked around. I was like ‘he’s talking to me, OK,’ and I walked over there and he goes ‘hey man you’re Casey Stanley, right?’ And I was like ‘yeah, I am, actually.'”
As it turned out coach Brown proceeded to tell him that “I was watching you guys the other day when you were kicking and I went back through the Trackman stuff and you’ve got the best kickoff numbers I’ve ever seen out of a high school kid. I was like, ‘wow, oh, OK.’ He said at the end of the day we’ll talk a little bit more about what we want from you. We finished the day and he talked to my mom (Susan) and I about coming back for a visit in July to kind of get going to see if I liked it and everything. I tried to contain myself because I was beside myself with excitement.”
One person who is not excited to see Stanley go is coach Kimes.
“He is one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever coached,” Kimes stated. “If he wanted to be a position player in college I’m confident that he could do that as well. I think he made a great decision choosing WVU because we all know how much West Virginia people love one of their own.
“Once he gets a little more consistent with his field goal accuracy he will compete for that spot. I won’t be surprised if he’s kicking off on Saturdays this season for a Top 25 ranked team. He will just continue to get better as he is developed as a specialist only type player.”
Stanley’s former Big Red teammate Quayvon Cyrus just finished his first season with the Mountaineers.
“I’ve got friends up at WVU so I’ve been there on game days,” Stanley added. “I’ve got to see ‘Q’ here and there. He said it’s definitely hard. It’s definitely hard. It’s like a job. He’s telling me to just put your time in. It’s made me feel a lot better talking to him because he’s gone through it.
“I get to kind of hear his side of it and what to expect and everything. Granted, I’m a kicker and he’s a defensive back so it’s a little bit of a difference, but it’s still the same stuff. I kind of got an idea of what I’m getting myself into and it’s nice to have him there to tell me that.”

Stanley is trying to look at the next chapter of his life along the same lines as when he arrived at PHS.
“I’m a little nervous because that’s Power 5 and it’s a business up there,” he said. “Like between class and having to be at the facility for eight hours a day it’s definitely going to be something different I’m not used to. I’m thinking if I just do everything right and keep my head on straight I’ll be alright. It’s all about putting your time in.
“Trying to build the trust with the program and just buy in as much as you can and that’s what I’m going to do my best at is just try to buy in and show them that I want to be there. That’s what I did coming in as a freshman at PHS, granted I was the only kicker whenever I got there so they had no choice but to play me.”
Despite being tempted to run track this spring, the Big Red is going to concentrate on getting his leg stronger, spend time with family and prep for WVU.
“I think I just want to take a couple months to myself and work on things I need to work on before I go up there,” continued Stanley, who replied when asked about his upcoming change of scenery “Morgantown, it’s definitely a place. It’s a place. I love Morgantown. I’ve been there quite a bit and I’ve just grown to love Morgantown. Everybody in the community is just backing WVU. It’s a big college town. It’s a fun place.
“It’s easy to get sidetracked on what your goals are there and fall into the wrong crowd. If you keep your head on straight I feel like it’s nothing but up for you from there because it’s a great place. I do love Morgantown a lot. I love Parkersburg. I’ve been here my whole life. Grown up to be a Big Red. Grown up to hate South. Whenever you’ve grown up in a community you love it no matter what. There’s nothing to do here, but you just love it.”
One record Stanley wasn’t able to surpass was the career long field goal of 50 yards owned by Tyler Warner.
The opportunity never really presented itself and Stanley’s longest career boot was 46 yards.
“It’s OK. I’ve got a couple records in,” he said. “I’ll let Tyler Warner keep the record, but it wasn’t that big of a deal to me to be honest.”
Stanley, who said he felt more than comfortable inside 55 yards, gave props to his holder and heir apparent to David Parsons at quarterback in junior Cooper Cancade.
“I was proud of that kid. He really stepped up,” Stanley said of Cancade. “He had just started doing it last year. He really stepped up.”
As a team, the Big Reds also stepped up and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
“A lot of things. Mainly just playing for your town,” Stanley responded when asked what he’ll remember about PHS when he’s old. “Playing with the Big Reds across your chest. That’s just an unreal feeling and running out of the helmet on Fridays and look up in the stands and see your town right there cheering you on. High school you are playing with dudes you’re brothers with. Like you’ve grown up with. That’s the best part is you’re a family.
“I think this year we kind of emphasized that a lot because we knew it was our last year and we were kind of not wanting it to end so we were making the best of every situation. We really loved each other a lot this year. The one thing I’ll remember most about PHS football is the brotherhood and the family that was with it whenever we were playing. We were playing for each other. Nobody was playing for themselves.”
Stanley will have the chance to win the kickoff job and start for the Mountaineers this fall.
“If I’m not it’s no problem because usually freshmen don’t start their first year there,” Stanley said while adding he couldn’t have done it without the support of his father Steve. “A year in the program would do me good. The opportunity is there.
“I would like to thank my dad a lot. He’s put just as much work as me into this to be kicking in college. It was pretty exciting to see his reaction whenever I got the call. It was a good day. We hugged it out and everything because we were in it together.”
Parsons Headed For Morehead State
PARKERSBURG — The process is ongoing for Parkersburg High School record-setting signal-caller David Parsons, but after Wednesday’s national signing day he’ll continue to work on his craft for Division I FCS Morehead State University first-year head coach Jason Woodman.
“I’ve been to Morehead,” said the 6-foot-3 Parsons, who holds eight red and white records, had a 4.1 GPA last term and plans to major in business. “I went down for a camp this past summer and then I went down for a game day visit this fall and I just went back down again this past weekend. I committed on the fourth.
“I’m not paying a dollar. I’ve had a lot of talks with the head coach. He’s prone to playing freshmen. He’s not against it at all. If I’m the better player then he’s going to play me. Going into it I’m looking at it like it’s my spot until they tell me it’s not. That’s how I’m looking at it moving forward.”
The first team Class AAA all-state quarterback led the Big Reds to the state quarterfinals. His 2,731 yards and 33 touchdown strikes set single-season marks.

“It was never really planned for me to do that,” Parsons admitted of his records that also include career total offense (6,592), passing yards (6,108), touchdowns (67) and completions (428) along with total offense (506 vs. South) and completion percentage in a game (9 of 10 vs. Capital).
“I guess Marc Kimes is the GOAT of PHS people say. He won two championships. I think that’s the advantage he’s got on me. I’m not really too prone to the records. I mean I love it. Don’t get it twisted, but it’s more I’d rather have won a championship at the end of the day. My favorite one has probably got to be the all-time yards. That’s special.”
Parsons admitted everything involved with trying to figure out where to go to school was taxing.
“Recruiting, it’s tough because it’s a lot of coaches just telling you the same thing,” he said. “I didn’t get my first Division I offer until December, just a couple months ago. I was kind of worried about where I’m going to go and then a couple schools rolled in. VMI was first and then Morehead State and then Bucknell, and then WVU gave me a preferred walk-on. I was still in contact with some other FCS schools.
“I was kind of like I don’t know where I’m going to go. I went down to my official visit at Morehead State and it just felt like the right place. It felt like it was somewhere I could strive and somewhere I could be successful at, and especially with Anthony (Ice) getting the scholarship offer. I was like why not? Me and my parents sat down, talked it over and I felt like it was the best place for me.”
Ice, who was Parsons’ slot receiver, also signed with the Eagles on Wednesday.
“We’ve been playing together since peewee,” Parsons added. “It was kind of like why not, but at the same time it wasn’t like we had to do this together. It wasn’t really a plan, but once we got the offers it was like why not do it.”
Although away from home, MSU isn’t too far as Parsons said he can make it to campus in sub three hours.
“It’s cool to get away, but at the same time I’m still close enough to home where I don’t feel like nobody can come to my games,” said the Big Red. “My family will still be able to come and watch me. It will be cool just to be close to everybody.
“I really liked the campus. The campus is nice. It’s a little smaller. It’s not like one of these big, big schools. It’s kind of a more rural area I would say. It’s nice though. It kind of felt like home away from home.”
While Parsons’ days of competing at Stadium Field are over, PHS head coach Matt Kimes enjoyed the two seasons he had the signal-caller.

“He was a kid that has always had all the physical tools to be a college player,” noted coach Kimes. “He bought into the things that we needed from him to be a leader of our team.
“He matured so much physically and mentally over the last year which has prepared him to take this next step in his career. I’m confident that he is ready for this next chapter in his life and I can’t wait to watch him compete at the next level.”
Making the adjustment to the student-athlete life in college is something Parsons knows he has to be prepared for.
“I’m ready to embrace it and I’m excited, but I’m also nervous,” Parsons admitted. “I’m going to be on my own a little bit. With Anthony I think that gives me more of a shoulder to lean on coming from the same high school knowing that we are going to do it together.
“That makes me feel more comfortable about it looking forward. It’s a big difference. I’m just trying to soak in these last couple months of what I got in high school and move on with the rest of my life and hopefully be successful.”
The all-stater continued “high school was cool and it was fun and everything, but it’s always been a setup to get to the Division I level. I think coach Woodman and his staff can offer me things my high school staff couldn’t teach me. It was a build up for me really. It was more of a stepping stone to a longer thing.
“Coach Kimes and coach (Alex) Ash and the other people I worked with the most, coach (Sean) Smith. They taught me a lot of things and that’s how I got to the level I wanted to be, but there’s only so much they can teach me and so much that they know compared to what these guys know at the college level.”
Parsons said if MSU would’ve been a run first program he wouldn’t have entertained the idea to go there.
“He likes to throw the ball around and get creative with it. That’s one thing I’ll like about playing for him and I’m looking forward to,” said Parsons, who replied when asked to describe himself as a quarterback “I put myself first as a leader. I think I have a certain persona and I carry myself a certain way to people, you know, kind of look at me like I want to be like him. I want to follow him as far as football goes.
“I think that’s a big part of playing quarterback because if you can’t communicate and have a relationship with all your players you’re not going to be on the same page come Friday night or Saturday for a football game. I think that’s the first thing, but secondly I think of myself as a big playmaker. I get my guys the ball in space and I let them make plays. I’m a winner, I think. You know, I try to win. That’s first and foremost, for sure. Those three things I think make me up as a quarterback the most.”

Always willing to do whatever is best for the team, Parsons said he has no issues running with the pigskin if his number is called.
“Really, I’d rather sit in the pocket and throw the ball,” he said. “I’m a pass-first pro-style type, but I don’t mind running the ball either. I made a lot of plays this year with my legs. I had five rushing touchdowns and I ran for a couple hundred yards. I’d rather sit back there and deliver, but at the same time if I need to get on the ground I’ll run.”
Parsons said a redshirt had been discussed with coach Woodman.
“If you redshirt now in college football I think you can still play four games,” Parsons continued. “If I’m not the day one starter I think he’s kind of giving me the option on what I want to do.
“I want to play football for as long as I can and redshirt is a possibility if I’m not the day one guy then maybe redshirt is the route I go.”
The quarterback said he was “ready to go” and wouldn’t be shedding any tears upon leaving PHS, but his time as a Big Red has etched a place into his heart.
“Looking back on it, it’s the relationships,” Parsons said of what he’ll remember the most. “We were 15-, 16-, 17-, 18-years old at the time and it’s the best time of your life everybody always says. I created a lot of bonds and a lot of friendships. Even my teachers and just the people I talk to in my everyday life.
“You know, it’s just something I’ll never forget. I think looking back on it I already miss it. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like here soon. The biggest thing is just the relationships and the bonds that I’ve built and the people I’ve connected with.”
Hopefully, that also includes younger gridiron players because Parsons has a message for them.
“I just want people to see that and be like, if he can do it why can’t I,” he added. “I just want everybody to know that college is right there.
“You just got to go take it. Everybody has the same opportunity. What are you going to do with it?”
Ice Joins Parsons At Morehead State
PARKERSBURG — Slot receiver and return man Anthony Ice of Parkersburg High School announced Wednesday on national signing day he’s going to continue his career on the gridiron for Division I FCS Morehead State University.
The 5-foot-8 Ice, who despite missing four games finished with 37 catches for 750 yards and 11 touchdown receptions along with returning a kickoff for a score, will play for first-year head man Jason Woodman after he came from Fairmont State.

“It’s a blessing for sure,” admitted Ice, who will be joined in Kentucky by quarterback David Parsons. “I made an official visit there. I had UC (Charleston) and Fairmont heavily considered. I loved the campus and the people there. I got to meet with the players and things.
“That was pretty cool. They have one guy up there (Ryan Upp), he’s a senior this year and he kind of plays the same position I do. He’s really good at what he does. He led the (Ohio Valley) conference in like receiving yards and receptions so it’s a guy I can look up to.”
The Big Red, who carries a 3.5 GPA and is looking into sports business as a major, was a three-year starter at PHS and once again will run track this spring.
“I can really see myself doing that,” Ice said of sports business. “I can see myself doing something like physical therapy, too, because as an athlete you’re always getting hurt.
“Working with people who are hurt and helping people is what I want to do in my future. I still want to be around sports.”
Ice knows all about the injury bug.
“My junior year I was like hurt most of the year, the whole year really,” admitted Ice.
“I could still push through it and play, but I was never 100 percent. That always hurt me and I was just like ‘man, what would happen if I was 100 percent’ and through the offseason I really worked on staying healthy and being a better athlete and be better at football and try to stay out of the weight room.
“I got to my senior year and I felt like I was the best athlete on the field. I could move way better. I was way faster. I could jump higher and it helped me with my injuries, too. It’s a blessing man. I got to give all glory to God. It’s just crazy that I came this far. I haven’t even processed it. It’s not even real. I’m just ready to work. I can’t wait to work.”
One person who was pleased with Ice’s dedication was PHS second-year head coach Matt Kimes.
“The college level of commitment won’t be too much for him,” admitted coach Kimes. “The kid is a football junkie. He loves everything about the sport. We were a different team when Anthony was on the field this past season.
“I’m excited that David and him will have each other to help them through the transition from high school to college. He has always been a super talented kid, but his work ethic is what has provided him this opportunity to play at the next level. He will be a guy that I talk a lot about to returning players for years to come about what it takes to be a great player.
When asked about his favorite memory as a Big Red, the wideout was quick to point to this year’s victory against rival Parkersburg South.
“That was the best feeling ever,” he said. “That was great. I had a pretty good game that game and the rest of the team had a phenomenal game. That was definitely it for me.”
Ice said he prefers kickoff returns to punt returns and he expects to have an opportunity to show what he can do. He also isn’t expected to redshirt.
“I was up for a visit and he (Woodman) said he didn’t want me to redshirt and I want to play next year,” added the Big Red.
“It’s exciting to hear. I’m not going in there with the mindset that I’m not going to go take that spot.”
His injury this season didn’t end up being an overall negative, but it was a tough time for him when it happened.
“At the beginning of the year I had a few coaches,” Ice said of his early contacts. “WVU was looking at me. EKU (Eastern Kentucky) was looking at me and I had a few Division I schools looking at me. I sent them my film and things and then I got hurt in like the fifth week and that just took everything down.
“I didn’t get a text or a call for those weeks I was out. It hurt my pride and it hurt everything. I didn’t know if I was going to make it to the Division I level. I was thinking I was going to have to settle for D2, which is completely fine, then I was talking to coach Woodman and we had a good connection. They stayed after me and I had to take it. It’s great.”
When asked how he would describe his game on the field the Big Red thought for a split second and said, “fast. Fast and I have a bunch of energy out there. I definitely deliver some hits, field my blocks and I’m going to catch the ball and score every time. I got to work. That’s the biggest thing.
“I’m not 6-3 and I don’t have the best physique. I’m not that guy. I’m not that 5-star guy. I’m humble enough to know that, but I’m also humble enough I know I have to work. I have to work all the time everyday. Three times a day. Four times a day. Whatever I have to do to get to where I need to be and I’m going to do it.”
The Big Red said he hopes to get to MSU as early into the summer as possible.
“I got to thank God. I got to thank God for getting me here and helping my family,” Ice added. “My mom especially. My mom has been my rock ever since I was a little boy, and my grandparents.
“My papaw has done a lot for me. He’s really done a lot for me and I have to thank my friends for being there. I also have to say long live Chris Michael Walker. This is what I’m doing it for, for sure.”
Stalnaker Twins To Play at Charleston
PARKERSBURG — The dynamic twin brother duo of Matthew and Andrew Stalnaker have yet to scratch the surface of their talents in the mind of Parkersburg High School head football coach Matt Kimes.
On Wednesday afternoon, the elder twin Matthew — by a single minute — and his younger brother Andrew committed to the University of Charleston to continue their football careers in the Mountain East Conference for head coach Quinn Sanders.
The two-way players were key contributors on both sides of the ball for the Big Reds, who advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
“These guys haven’t even come close to reaching their full potential as football players,” admitted coach Kimes. “Charleston is getting a steal with these two.
“I’m interested to see what position they will end up playing in college because they have such a great frame and skill set to work with.”
As it currently stands, the twins only will be competing on the offensive side of the ball.
“We had a couple other offers from Fairmont State and Glenville State and Bluefield State, but other than that not really much,” said Matthew.
“UC just always stood out to Andrew and I. Every time we went up there it just felt like the place we wanted to be.”
Andrew, who led the team with 103 tackles to go along with five picks as well as 30 catches for 578 yards with 10 touchdowns and a punt return for a score, will join his brother as an exercise science major with an eye set on becoming physical therapists.
“Starting junior year we went to some camps there and then leading into senior year we got up there for a game day visit,” Andrew said. “A couple weeks ago in January we went up for an official visit. We went up for three visits in total and it’s just beautiful. They have a great campus right by the capitol.
“There’s a bunch of things to do in Charleston, all different kinds of entertainment and places to eat. We’ve grown up in Parkersburg and we thought Charleston would be a great place for us and a great place for us to play the sport we love for the next four years.”
When asked if it was a package deal the whole way Andrew replied, “it was always going to be both of us. Since we were young playing peewee, up through middle school and through high school we just thought you can’t separate us. We just have that bond to where we just got to play together.
“We decided to play college football together. Initially, they (UC) reached out to us and sent us a camp invite. We considered different places, but they’ve been talking with us for the longest and that’s the place we felt wanted. That’s a big thing is the program has to want you and we felt wanted there. We always felt like home there so that’s why we made our decision.”
Matthew finished his senior year with 100 tackles, which included six sacks and 23.5 TFL. He had two picks, a pair of fumble recoveries and hauled in 34 passes for 590 yards and five scores.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding in the end and up at UC they have a lot of hospitals around there so it’s easier to get an internship around there,” Matthew said of their major.
“It’s a lot of opportunities that will come out of going to UC. It’s (recruiting) such a stressful and long process, but now that we have a school picked out we’re just ready to go and ready to work.”
Matthew said that although he was recruited as a wideout his role could vary.
“They had talked about moving me to a tight end or an H-back, kind of what I played here at Parkersburg, but no defense” said the elder Stalnaker. “Maybe I could try it out a little bit at UC. I don’t know.
“I am willing 100 percent. I will be willing if I need to if that’s something that helps out the team. I’m going to miss it, but it definitely won’t be as tiring just playing on one side of the ball.”
Andrew concurred.
“Yeah, I’ll miss it, you know, flying around and hitting people,” said the younger Stalnaker. “Maybe if receiver doesn’t work out I might get moved to DB. You never know.”
Coach Kimes has little doubt they will be successful wherever they end up on the field.
“They have such a great frame and skill set to work with,” admitted the PHS boss. “I know that they will do whatever is best for the team and do it to the best of their abilities.
“I was very fortunate to get to coach such high quality kids that cared as much as anyone about the success of our program. Watching them develop over the last couple years, you could tell that they were motivated to play at the next level. They are a testament to hard work and commitment being rewarded.”
The younger Stalnaker also was more than happy to have signing day behind them.
“I loved playing with the guys. We worked really hard in the offseason and that’s why I think we all got the exposure, and the people who looked at us looking at us,” Andrew admitted.
“The recruitment process was really hard. It’s a really stressful process, but coming down and making a decision takes a lot of weight off your shoulders and it’s a great feeling knowing where you are going.”
Matthew knows that he and his brother have to get bigger, faster and stronger.
“I definitely got to put weight on and put muscle on before I go to college,” Matthew said. “That’s a big thing. Definitely with the tight end position because you are going to be on the O-line and you got to be able to put weight on and block these big 300-pound dudes on the D-line.”
The elder Stalnaker added of being a Big Red, “I’ll remember so much from this school. The great teammates we had, the great coaches and the great tradition that’s around Parkersburg High School. Running out that helmet is just something.
“Unless you play Parkersburg football that’s something nobody will ever get to experience. That pure joy of just running out of that helmet and seeing, especially the game versus Parkersburg South, the huge crowd just sitting there and cheering you on wanting you to win that one big game.”
Andrew admitted his plan was to focus on becoming a special teams starter and then try to move into the rotation at wide receiver.
“I think the strong suit is the catch rate. It’s the long arms, big hands, just a big physical guy,” Andrew said of his best attributes on the gridiron. “I think I’m good at blocking.
“You can always work on blocking, but I think that’s a big thing I have. Just have to work on speed and agility.”
When asked what he’ll remember years from now about being a Big Red Andrew replied, “I’m going to think about all the great memories I had, especially my senior year, but from freshman year and on all the friendships that you make and just the hard work and hours you put in with all your best friends and making those core memories you are never going to forget for the rest of your life.”
Like his younger brother, Matthew definitely isn’t taking anything for granted being a student-athlete at the Division II level.
“It’s definitely going to be a big change,” Matthew said. “Just got to stay on top of work is the main thing.”
Of course, Matthew is glad to have his little brother alongside him for the ride.
“I love it,” he said. “Me and my brother, we fight sometimes and we have our disagreements, but him being by my side this whole way just means so much to me. Having someone that’s going to be by my side going through this whole college thing, going through this whole change is going to mean a lot to me because maybe there’s going to be times I want to quit, but he’s going to be going through the same workouts that I am and the same pain. Having him by my side is definitely going to help a lot.”

Parsons Earns First Team All-State QB Honors; Other Big Reds Are Second Team Selections

        Parkersburg quarterback David Parsons has added another honor to his already impressive list of awards and record-setting accomplishments by being named first team Class AAA all-state quarterback as chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
.....Three other Big Red seniors were named to the second team including record-setting kicker Casey Stanley and the twins, Matthew and Andrew Stalnaker. Matthew was selected as a linebacker and Andrew was named as a defensive back.
.....Anthony Ice and Jason Williams were named honorable mention.
.....The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Parsons was selected after setting an amazing eight school records during his three-year career. He was also the first Big Red player since 1991 to be selected as first team quarterback and only the fifth player in PHS history to be named first team quarterback. Others were Wayne Funk (1921), Rich Duggan (1974), Dave Manzo (1976) and Eric Ranson (1991). Marc Kimes (2001) was selected as a utility player.
.....The list of records set by Parsons includes:
Game Total Offense – 506 vs. P. South (410 pass, 96 rush)
Career Total Offense – 6,592
Season Passing Yards – 2,731
Career Passing Yards – 6,108
Season Touchdown Passes – 33 (27 regular season)
Career Touchdown Passes – 67 (6 in playoffs)
Game Completion Percentage – 90.0 (9 of 10 vs. Capital)
Career Completions – 428
.....Among the second team selections, Stanley kicked seven of eight field goals and had 51 of 57 extra points to go with 41 touchbacks among his 74 kickoffs. He set school records with 72 season kicking points, 193 career kicking points and 19 career field goals.
.....Matthew Stalnaker had 100 tackles on defense with 23.5 being for lost yardage and added six sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries while also catching 34 passes for 590 yards and five touchdowns on offense.
.....Andrew Stalnaker led the team with 103 tackles (3 more than his twin brother) while getting eight tackles for loss and coming up with five interceptions while on offense he caught 30 passes for 578 yards and 10 touchdowns and returning a punt for another score.
.....Ice missed four games but was the team’s leading receiver with 37 receptions for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns plus a kickoff return score while Williams was the team’s leading rusher despite also missing four games as he ran for eight touchdowns and 476 yards while coming up with 11 sacks and 16 tackles for loss on defense.

........David Parsons...................... Anthony Ice................... Matthew Stalnaker................ Andrew Stalnaker

Four Big Red Seniors Earn First Team All-MSAC Recognition

         Four Parkersburg Big Red seniors have been named to the first team of the 2023 All-Mountain State Athletic Conference football team as selected by the coaches.
          Leading the way for the PHS contingent was quarterback David Parsons, who set a ton of Big Red single season and career records while leading the team to a 7-5 record and within four points of the state semifinals. Also named to the first team were the Stalnaker twins, Matthew as a tight end and Andrew as a defensive back. Wide receiver Anthony Ice rounded out the list of first team honorees from PHS.
          Parsons finished his senior year with 2,731 passing yards and 33 touchdowns – both school records. Among his other records were: career TDs accounted for (74), single game total offense (506 vs. Parkersburg South), career total offense (6,592), career passing yards 6,108), career TD passes (67) and career pass completions (428)

........Matthew Stalnaker caught 34 passes for 590 yards and five touchdowns while ranking second on the team with 100 tackles, including six sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Andrew Stalnaker led the team with 103 tackles and five interceptions while also catching 30 passes with 10 going for touchdowns (plus a punt return touchdown).
........Ice led the team in touchdowns with 12 despite missing four games with an injury. He caught 37 passes for 750 yards (20.3 average) and 10 touchdowns while returning 11 kickoffs for an average of 22.9 yards per return. He had an 86 yard pass reception touchdown and a 94 yard kickoff return score.
........Named to the second team were two PHS seniors and a junior. Casey Stanley was named as the second team kicker while senior Jason Williams was named as a second team defensive lineman and junior Zane Lewis made it as a second team linebacker.  
........Stanley led PHS in scoring with 114 points as he made seven touchdowns, kicked seven field goals and 51 extra points. He set school records for season kicking points (72), career field goals (19) and career kicking points (193). Williams led the team with 11 sacks among his 16 tackles for loss despite missing four games. Lewis was the team’s third-leading tackler with 94 stops, led the team with three blocked kicks and also had three interceptions.
........Special Honorable Mention Big Reds were Jake Bauman and Jakel Shelton while Carter Watts and Adam Elder earned Honorable Mention honors.
Player of the year was Wayne Harris of Huntington while Luke Salmons of league champion Cabell Midland earned Coach of the Year honors.

2024 Football Schedule Revealed
.....The 2024 Parkersburg football schedule has two changes from this year and continues to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, in the state with no less than seven teams that qualified for the 2023 playoffs.
.....While Spring Valley and Riverside are gone from the Big Reds’ schedule, two playoff teams take their place – north central power Morgantown and a very strong Hurricane team. Morgantown was ranked 15th this year and won seven games while Hurricane finished fourth in the final ratings with eight wins but fell to PHS 47-23 in the first round of the playoffs.
.....Still on the PHS schedule is top ranked Cabell Midland, second-ranked Huntington, ninth-ranked George Washington, 14th ranked Parkersburg South and 16th ranked Musselman.
.....Rounding out the list of opponents are long-time rivals St. Albans, Capital and South Charleston.
2024 Parkersburg Football Schedule
Date (Site) Opponent (2023 ranking & record)
8/30 (H)   Morgantown #15 (7-4)
9/06 (A)  South Charleston (0-10)
9/13 (H)  Hurricane #4 (8-3)
9/20 (A)  Parkersburg South #14 (6-5)
9/27 (A)   Capital (3-7)
10/04       Open
10/11 (A) George Washington #9 (6-5)
10/18 (A) Cabell Midland #1 (10-2)
10/25 (H) St. Albans (1-9)
11/01 (H) Huntington #2 (11-1)
11/08 (H) Musselman #16 (4-7)

Princeton Rallies To Beat Big Reds 41-37

   Game Statistics

    PRINCETON – Fifth-ranked Princeton came from nine points down in the final quarter to end another upset bid by 13th-ranked Parkersburg here Friday night at a rainy Hunnicut Field in the Class AAA playoff quarterfinals as the Tigers pulled out a 41-37 victory.
The win for the 11-1 Tigers advanced them into next week’s semifinals against Bridgeport, which upset number one ranked Cabell Midland 41-21. Princeton will host the game at a date and time to be determined Sunday.
The PHS versus PHS game figured to be a shootout and it was just that as everyone expected the game to come down to whomever had the last possession and it nearly had that ending.
After giving up the lead on a 30-yard pass from Chance Barker to Wyatt Cline with 4:57 remaining, Parkersburg actually had two last chances but could not capitalize on either.
Following the go-ahead score and a personal foul penalty that allowed the home team to kickoff from the visitors 45, the Tigers tried their second onside kick but Eli Bauman grabbed the ball in the air and returned it 54 yards to the Princeton nine yard line.
But two runs and two incomplete passes netted just one yard and Parkersburg turned the ball over with 3:12 left to play. The Tigers got out of the shadow of their own goal posts with a 44 yard run by Marquel Lowe on the very next play. Lowe, who ran for 170 yards on 22 carries, picked up 18 yards on the following play to take the ball to the Big Reds’ 30 yard line.
The Parkersburg defense was able to hold the Tigers on downs and take the ball over on its own 27 with 1:55 left to play but no timeouts remaining. A pass from David Parsons to Jason Williams netted six yards but on the next play Parsons scrambled but lost the ball with Princeton recovering on the visitors 37 yard line and the Tigers were able to runout the last 1:39 to secure the victory.
The game saw 11 touchdowns, a field goal and nearly 900 yards in total offense, 451 by Princeton and 405 by Parkersburg.
The difference in the contest was 212 yards in kickoff returns, including a 99-yard run back by Dominick Collins for Princeton.
Collins also scored on a seven yard run and caught nine passes for 124 yards for the winners while quarterback Chance Barker completed 20 of 26 passes for 241 yards and the final two touchdowns of the game.
Princeton started the game in a hurry as Collins returned the opening kickoff 56 yards and three plays later Lowe ran in from 13 yards out for a 7-0 lead.
Parkersburg immediately answered with a six-play, 60-yard drive that started with a 32 yard completion to Anthony Ice and ended when Williams ran in from the one with 7:17 left in the first period.
The Big Reds took the lead on the second play of the second quarter on a 12 yard pass from Parsons to Andrew Stalnaker to cap a 12-play, 91-yard drive as the visitors were able to overcome a holding penalty which wiped out an apparent 39 yard scoring pass to Ice. Casey Stanley’s extra point kick hit the upright and bounced away to make the score 13-7.
On the next series, Parkersburg held and forced a punt which was blocked by Zane Lewis with the Big Reds taking over on the nine yard line. This time the visitors had to settle for a 26 yard field goal by Stanley to up the margin to 16-7.
Princeton answered with an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 17 yard scoring run by Barker, who went back to pass the decided to run when he found an open field ahead of him.
After forcing a Big Red punt the Tigers went 92 yards in nine plays with Collins scoring on an end-around play. The extra point kick gave the home team a 21-16 advantage.
Parkersburg got the ball to start the second half and promptly went 67 yards in just five plays with Parsons hitting Stanley over the middle at the five yard line and the senior end stretched out to reach the end zone to complete the 36 yard play and then kicked the extra point for a 23-21 lead.
But that lead didn’t last long as the speedy Collins returning the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and a 28-23 lead.
Again Parkersburg answered with a 12-play, 71-yard drive to regain the advantage on a 21 yard scoring pass to Ice, who made the reception in a crowd with 5:41 left in the third period. Stanley’s kick made it 30-28.
After forcing a punt, the Big Reds went up by nine points by engineering a 71-yard, eight-play drive with Williams setting up the touchdown with a 28 yard run. Sylas Cheuvront got the TD over left guard just 12 seconds into the final period. Stanley’s kick made it 37-28.
Princeton responded with a two-point scoring drive highlighted by passes of 13 and 26 yards to Collins which set up the eight yard TD toss to Michael Diacomo. The extra point kick made it a two-point game, 37-35, with 9:40 left to play.
The Tigers then tried an onside kick and successfully recovered the ball on the Big Reds’ 44 yard line. Although the Big Reds held on downs at their own 41, Parkersburg had to punt four plays later and Princeton had the ball with 7:24 left on their own 33.
The running of Lowe and passing of Barker took the ball to the 30 and Princeton went ahead for good by four points on the pass to Cline and ensuing PAT kick with 4:57 remaining.
Following the big return by Bauman to the Tigers’ nine yard line and Parkersburg offense failed to capitalize and the big runs by Lowe all but sewed up the victory thanks to the fumble with 1:55 remaining.

#13 Parkersburg vs #5 Princeton (Nov 17, 2023 at Princeton)
Score by Quarters 1  2   3  4 - Total
Parkersburg          7   9 14  7 - 37
Princeton               7 14  7 13 - 41
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 10:38 TIGERS - Marquel Lowe 13 yd run (Saeed Aboulhosn kick), 3-41 1:22
07:17 BIGREDS - Jason Williams 1 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 6-60 3:15
2nd 11:49 BIGREDS - Andrew Stalnaker 12 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick failed), 12-91 3:33
08:37 BIGREDS - Casey Stanley 26 yd field goal, 4-0 1:53
04:59 TIGERS - Chance Barker 17 yd run (Saeed Aboulhosn kick), 8-80 3:38
00:44 TIGERS - Dominick Collins 7 yd run (Saeed Aboulhosn kick), 9-92 3:06
3rd 09:40 BIGREDS - Casey Stanley 36 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 5-67 2:16
09:20 TIGERS - Dominick Collins 99 yd kickoff return (Saeed Aboulhosn kick)
05:41 BIGREDS - Anthony Ice 21 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 12-71 3:37
4th 11:48 BIGREDS - Sylas Cheuvront 4 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 8-71 3:18
09:40 TIGERS - Michael Diacomo 8 yd pass from Chance Barker (Saeed Aboulhosn kick), 6-68 2:01
04:57 TIGERS - Wyatt Cline 30 yd pass from Chance Barker (Chance Barker rush failed), 5-67 2:27
.....................................................BIGREDS TIGERS
FIRST DOWNS                              19            22
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)               31-175     33-210
PASSING YDS (NET)                   230          241
Passes Att-Comp-Int                       30-14-0   26-20-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 61-405 59-451
Fumble Returns-Yards                    0-0           0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                        2-17         0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards                   6-92         4-212
Interception Returns-Yards            0-0           0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)                      3-47.3      3-23.0
Fumbles-Lost                                  2-1           0-0
Penalties-Yards                               8-60         4-28
Possession Time                             22:54       23:27
Third-Down Conversions               5 of 12     4 of 10
Fourth-Down Conversions             2 of 3       0 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances             5-6           4-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards               2-3           0-0
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jason Williams 16-87; David Parsons 10-61; Sylas Cheuvront 4-29; Anthony Ice 1-minus 2. Princeton-Marquel Lowe 22-170; Chance Barker 10-33; Dominick Collins 1-7.
PASSING: Parkersburg-David Parsons 13-29-0-223; Cooper Cancade 1-1-0-7. Princeton-Chance Barker 20-26-0-241.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Anthony Ice 4-76; Casey Stanley 3-72; Matthew Stalnaker 3-40; Andrew Stalnaker 2-24; Braxton Kupfner 1-12; Jason Williams 1-6. Princeton-Dominick Collins 9-124; Michael
Diacomo 4-54; Wyatt Cline 3-52; Bradley Mosser 2-12; Marquel Lowe 2-minus 1.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-None. Princeton-None.
FUMBLES: Parkersburg-Jason Williams 1-0; David Parsons 1-1. Princeton-None.
Parkersburg (7-5) vs. Princeton (11-1)
Date: Nov 17, 2023 • Site: Princeton • Stadium: Hunnicut
Attendance: 1500
Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:23 • Total elapsed time: 2:53

Princeton Stands In Path of PHS Semifinal Football Playoff Spot   

PRINCETON – Parkersburg looks to advance past the second round of the state football playoffs for the first time since 2007 in a game which could be another shootout for the Big Reds as they travel to Princeton Friday night at 7:30 to meet the once-beaten Tigers.
Fresh from a 47-23 upset of Hurricane the 13th ranked Big Reds are 7-4 and will face a 10-1 Princeton team which is ranked number five. The winner will face the victor of the No. 8 Bridgeport (10-1) vs. No. 1 Cabell Midland (10-1) in the semifinals.
The nearly three-hour trip for PHS will mark just the sixth meeting in history between the two teams with the Big Reds having won all five previous games. But it will be the first time in 34 years that the two teams have played since the last time they met was 1989 in the second of a two-year contract. Prior to that the teams met in 1979 and 1980 and before that there was a single meeting in 1928 with PHS winning 13-6.
Princeton’s only loss this year was to the same Hurricane team that PHS defeated on Friday. The Tigers dropped that high-scoring affair 56-42. Princeton, coached by first-year mentor Keith Taylor, advanced with a 37-7 win over Oak Hill, the second time this year the Tigers have beaten their near-by rivals having posted a 42-28 win in the season’s third game. Oak Hill is one of only three teams on the Princeton schedule that have a winning record this season the others being Tazewell (Va), a team they beat 42-0, and Parkersburg South which the Tigers defeated 48-27 in the last regular season contest.
Other Princeton wins were Lincoln County (49-0), Bluefield (27-6), Pulaski (49-40), Greenbrier East (56-7 and 55-0, they played each other twice) and Woodrow Wilson (56-20).
Princeton is averaging 50.2 points per game thanks to big trio of Dominick Collins, Marquel Lowe and Chance Barker. The Big Reds enter game with a 38.4 point per game scoring average. Both teams have quarterbacks with over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns passing.
Collins is a 5-foot10, 165-pound senior speedster who has scored 132 points with 21 touchdown receptions among his 1,274 yards receiving. He has three TD runs for a total of 24.
Lowe is a 5-11, 185-pound junior running back with 1,427 rushing yards and 108 points scored with 20 rushing touchdowns and four receiving scores.
The quarterback is sophomore Barker (6-2, 170) with 2,540 yards and 36 touchdowns through the air of 134 completions out of 187 attempts and only two interceptions. He has also run for one touchdown. Another of his favorite targets is Brad Mosser (5-11, 165 soph.) with 664 yards and six TD catches.
Out to stop that offensive output will be a Big Red defense led by the Stalnaker twins who have put up identical numbers to lead the PHS big-play prevent unit. Both seniors with 92 total tackles each, Andrew Stalnaker has five interceptions while Matthew Stalnaker has 22.5 tackles for loss including four sacks and two interceptions.
Zane Lewis has 86 tackles for PHS while Adam Elder has 66 including six sacks. Jason Williams is tied for the state lead with 11 sacks among his 42 tackles.  Cyrus Backus has four of the team’s 17 interceptions. Overall the Big Red defense has blocked six kicks and recovered nine fumbles.
Offensively the Big Reds are led by senior David Parsons with a school record 30 touchdown passes and 2,508 yards through the air on 150 completions of 242 attempts with seven interceptions. He has also run for five touchdowns.
The PHS receiving corps centers around the quartet of Anthony Ice (33-674-10), Matthew Stalnaker (31-550-5), Andrew Stalnaker (28-554-9) and Casey Stanley (25-408-6). Stanley is the team’s leading scorer with 101 points thanks to six (of seven) field goals and 47 (of 51) extra points and those six touchdowns. Ice also has a kickoff return touchdown.
On the ground the Big Reds got a season-best 131-yard effort from Williams against Hurricane as he carried the brunt of the rushing with Jakel Shelton out with an injury. Shelton leads the team with 416 yards on the ground while Williams now has 389. Both have rushed for seven touchdowns.

Parsons Leads PHS Upset of Hurricane

  Game Statistics

  HURRICANE – David Parsons threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more as Parkersburg stunned fourth-ranked Hurricane 47-23 here Friday night in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
Sparked by a blocked punt from Andrew Stalnaker on the game’s fourth play the 13th ranked Big Reds dominated the highly regarded Redskins to win just their second playoff game since 2007 and notched their seventh victory of the season. PHS will play the winner of Saturday’s Princeton-Oak Hill game on the road again at a date and time to be determined Sunday.
Parsons set another school record with the three TD tosses, giving him 30 on the season, as he completed 14 of 22 passes for 192 yards while adding 37 yards on the ground with eight rushes. He broke Jake Johnson’s record of 27 touchdown passes accomplished in 2004 in 13 games.
Other standouts for PHS included Andrew Stalnaker who not only caught two touchdown passes but blocked the early punt that gave the Big Reds the momentum they needed for the blowout. Playing without an injured Jakel Shelton, the team’s leading rusher, Jason Williams picked up the slack with 121 yards rushing on 16 carries, scored one touchdown on a 28 yard run and came up with a state-leading 11th sack of the season (and has only played six games so far).
The Big Reds got off to a quick start thanks to their defense as Andrew Stalnaker came up the middle to smother a Hurricane punt attempt and Tytan Parsons recovered on the two yard line. Three plays later Parsons faked a handoff and went around left end for the touchdown with 9:12 still showing on the first quarter clock. Casey Stanley kicked the first of his six extra points.
Hurricane, which came into the game averaging 52.5 points per game (second best in the state), went four-and-out again on its second possession and PHS drove inside the home team 20 yard line only to fumble the ball away.
The teams traded punts before Hurricane got on the scoreboard thanks to an 82-yard catch-and-run by Redskins speedster Tyshawn Dues to the PHS five yard line. Three plays later Dues scored and Grayson Maddox extra point tied the game at 7-all with 1:10 left in the first quarter.
But it took PHS less than a minute to go ahead for good as Williams broke off a 43 yard run on the first play to the Hurricane 11 and two plays later Parsons found Andrew Stalnaker  for the touchdown from eight yards out.
The start of the second quarter saw the Big Reds continue their strong defense and forced a quick punt from the Hurricane 33. A high snap caused punter Maddox to pick the ball up inside his 15 and he promptly kicked the ball intentionally out the back of the end zone, giving PHS a safety and a penalty for illegal touching. Hurricane was offside on the ensuing free kick and finally kicked the ball to Williams who returned it 13 yards into Redskin territory at the 49.
A great 34-yard reception in a crowd by Stanley took the ball to the Hurricane 15 and on fourth down he kicked a 24-yard field goal to make it 19-7.
Just before the end of the half PHS put more points on the board Parsons hit Stalnaker again the Big Red senior shook off a tackler to complete a 37-yard scoring play with 14 seconds on the clock to make the score 26-7 at the intermission.
The second half was more of the same as PHS took the kickoff and drove 70 yards in seven plays with Matt Stalnaker doing the honors this time on a 22 yard reception to make it 33-7 with less than four minutes gone in the third quarter.
Hurricane switched 1,000 yard rusher Noah Vellaithambi to quarterback but he threw an interception (by Matt Stalnaker) near midfield and PHS responded with another quick score on a 28 yard run by Williams with four minutes left in the period to run the lead to 40-7.
The Redskins got their second touchdown with 49 seconds left in the third period on a six yard run by Kylan Grace and then recovered an onside kick but could not score as the PHS defense came up with a goal-line stand at the 10-minute mark.
PHS got a couple of first downs but punted and Hurricane was able to score after a 34 yard run by Vellaithambi, who dropped the snap from center but weaved his way through the defense to the PHS six yard line. From there he hit Tyshawn Dues for the TD to make it 40-23 with 3:28 left in the game.
Hurricane tried another onside kick but Matthew Stalnaker picked the ball up on a bounce and returned it 41 yards to set up back-to-back seven yard runs to the end zone with just 2:25 remaining to make it 47-23.
An interception by Andrew Stalnaker sealed the victory four plays later.

#13 Parkersburg vs #4 Hurricane (Nov 10, 2023 at Hurricane)
Score by Quarters   1      2      3      4      -       Total
Parkersburg          14    12    14    7      -       47
Hurricane              7      0      8      8      -       23
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 09:12 PHS - David Parsons 2 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 3-2 1:18
01:10 HURR - Tyshawn Dues 2 yd run (Grayson Maddox kick), 3-79 0:47
00:06 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 8 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 3-54 0:55
2nd 10:46 PHS - TEAM safety
07:48 PHS - Casey Stanley 24 yd field goal, 6-42 2:49
00:14 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 37 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 6-74 1:46
3rd 08:11 PHS - Matthew Stalnaker 22 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 7-70 3:41
04:00 PHS - Jason Williams 28 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 3-46 0:59
00:49 HURR - Kylan Grace 6 yd run (Noah Vellaithambi rush), 9-80 3:11
4th 03:28 HURR - Tyshawn Dues 6 yd pass from Noah Vellaithambi (Michael Terrell pass from N. Vellaithambi),
02:25 PHS - David Parsons 7 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 2-14 0:52
...............................................................PHS         HURR
FIRST DOWNS                                      17            24
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                        30-151     35-132
PASSING YDS (NET)                            192          313
Passes Att-Comp-Int                               22-14-0   44-22-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS     52-343     79-445
Fumble Returns-Yards                            0-0           0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                1-16         0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards                           4-119       4-89
Interception Returns-Yards                    2-15         0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)                              3-39.0      4-26.8
Fumbles-Lost                                          1-1           1-1
Penalties-Yards                                       4-37         14-154
Possession Time                                      23:52       23:02
Third-Down Conversions                        4 of 8       5 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions                      0 of 0       3 of 5
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      4-5           3-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards                       1-4           1-5
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jason Williams 17-121; David Parsons 9-37;  TEAM 2-minus 2; Sylas Cheuvront 3-minus 5. Hurricane-Noah Vellaithambi 15-89; Kylan Grace 12-64; Tyshawn Dues 4-15; Jacqai Long 3-minus 3; Grayson Maddox 1-minus 33.
PASSING: Parkersburg-David Parsons 14-22-0-192. Hurricane-Noah Vellaithambi 13-29-2-141; Jacqai Long 9-15-0-172.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Andrew Stalnaker 3-46; Matthew Stalnaker 3-23; Casey Stanley 2-54; Jason Williams 2-26; Anthony Ice 2-21; Braxton Kupfner 1-15; Sylas Cheuvront 1-7. Hurricane-Tyshawn Dues 8-158; Michael Terrell 6-62; Rhett Mcgrew 4-63; Jai'den Smith 3-17; Laron Dues 1-13.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Matthew Stalnaker 1-15; Andrew Stalnaker 1-0. Hurricane-None.
FUMBLES: Parkersburg-David Parsons 1-1. Hurricane-Noah Vellaithambi 1-1.

High-Scoring Hurricane Hosts PHS In First Round of Playoffs Friday

      HURRICANE – Parkersburg’s return to the playoffs features a first-round game on the home field of one of the state’s highest scoring teams, the Hurricane Redskins, here Friday night at 7:30.
The Big Reds finished the regular season ranked 13th with a 6-4 record with all four losses coming against teams which finished in the top 10 in the ranking. Hurricane wound up fourth in the final overall ratings with an 8-2 record, losing to ninth ranked George Washington 17-14 and second-ranked Huntington 28-6 (last week). The Redskins finished as the state’s second-highest scoring team to Huntington, 52.5 to 53.8 points per game.
While Hurricane is coming off a loss to Huntington in which the Redskins failed to score any points three times inside Huntington’s 10 yard line, the Big Reds are fresh from an impressive 41-10 victory over 16th ranked Musselman, which made the playoffs with a losing record (4-6). Huntington (9-1) used a pair of goal-line stands and made another stop at their own 6 in defeating Hurricane.
Three times this season Hurricane has lit up the scoreboard for more than 80 points in a game, beating Capital 93-7, St. Albans 81-0 and South Charleston 89-7. The Redskins of former South Charleston state championship coach Donnie Mays also beat Winfield 63-0, Spring Valley 48-35, Princeton 56-42, Cabell Midland 31-28 and Riverside 44-7.
Meanwhile the Big Reds have played eight common opponents with the Redskins, having beaten St. Albans 56-0, Riverside 47-0, South Charleston 63-0 and Capital 56-14 while losing to Cabell Midland 42-16, George Washington 22-11, Huntington 49-21 and Spring Valley 27-21.
It will be the 11th meeting overall between Parkersburg and Hurricane with PHS holding a 7-3 advantage despite losing the last two meetings to the Redskins (42-30 in 2021 and 60-36 in 2020).
Hurricane is led by junior Noah Vellaithambi (6-0, 200), a converted quarterback who has rushed for 1,353 yards on 191 carries and 19 touchdowns while adding another TD on a pass reception. He carried the ball 43 times for 206 yards against Huntington but did not score.
Redskin quarterback Jacqai Long (6-2, 210 sr.) scored the lone touchdown against Huntington on a 20-yard scamper and has rushed for 394 yards on 56 carries with six touchdowns. In the air Long has completed 119 of 169 passes for 1,618 yards with 19 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Long has a large group of receivers with six of them having TD catches. Top target is Tyshawn Dues (5-11, 170 jr.) with 39 receptions for 724 yards and nine touchdowns while little brother Laron Dues (5-9, 170 soph.) has caught 23 passes for 305 yards and two scores. Michel Terrell (5-8, 170 sr.) has caught 27 passes for 464 yards and six touchdowns.
The Redskins play opportunistic defense with 20 total interceptions led by La’Ron Dues leading the way with four picks. They also have 32 quarterback sacks with Aaron Clark (6-2, 280 sr.) leading the way with 9.5. Hurricane is led in tackles by linebacker Joey Quijano (5-10, 205 jr.) with 63 and tackle Nate McKay (6-1, 265 sr.) with 50.
Hurricane senior kicker Will Mitchell has made 61 of 67 extra points and kicked four of five field goals with a long of 39 yards.
Parkersburg counters with record-setting quarterback David Parsons who has completed 136 of 220 passes (61.8 completion percentage) for 2,316 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has also run for three scores and even caught his own pass against Musselman for 13 yards.
The Big Reds have four receivers with more than 20 receptions each. Anthony Ice leads the way with 31 catches in just six games while scoring 10 times through the air and gaining 659 yards. Matthew Stalnaker has 28 receptions for 527 yards and four touchdowns while twin brother Andrew Stalnaker has 25 catches for 508 yards and seven scores. Casey Stanley has caught 23 for 354 yards and six touchdowns and has even thrown a touchdown himself.
On the ground Jakel Shelton has 416 yards (4.7 average per carry) with seven touchdowns while Jason Williams has 258 yards (5.6) and six scores in just six games.
Stanley has kicked 41 of 45 extra points and five of six field goals (long of 32) to go with his six touchdowns for a total of 92 points scored. He has also put 34 of 59 kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks.
Defensively, Williams has 10 quarterback sacks in just six games while the Stalnaker brothers each have 81 tackles to lead the team. Andrew Stalnaker has four interceptions while Matthew Stalnaker has a team-high 20 tackles for loss. Zane Lewis is right behind with 80 tackles and Adam Elder has 57 including six sacks.
The winner of the Parkersburg-Hurricane game will play the winner of the Princeton versus Oak Hill contest.

Big Reds Peel Applemen 41-10
To Earn 13th Playoff Position
Game Statistics

INWOOD – In a game with lots of playoff implications, Parkersburg spotted Musselman an early field goal then ripped off 41 unanswered points to defeat the Applemen 41-10 here Friday and earn the 13th spot in the final ratings.
The 6-4 Big Reds got a big return to the lineup effort from senior Anthony Ice with three touchdowns and will unofficially play third seeded Hurricane in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs. Official final ratings as well as the date and time of the game will be decided Sunday at the playoff meeting at the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission office.
Ice came back with a flourish in a hurry as he returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown just three minutes into the game after the Big Reds had fallen behind by a field goal thanks to a fumbled on Parkersburg’s first play from scrimmage. He later caught scoring passes of eight and 18 yards from David Parsons and finished with 68 receiving yards on four catches while Parsons completed 10 of 16 passes for 162 yards and three more touchdowns to add to his already record-setting total. Parsons has set the regular season record of 27 TD passes and that ties the overall season record including playoffs.
While Ice & Co. provided lots of offensive fireworks it was a fired-up Big Red defense that came up with the big plays that enabled the visitors to shut down the 15th ranked Applemen. Those plays included a blocked punt and recovery for a touchdown as well as three interceptions and fumble recovery. Andrew Stalnaker had the blocked punt and 12 yard return for a touchdown.
Jason Williams ran for 67 yards on just eight carries and a touchdown while Casey Stanley had the other TD reception, a 37-yard play as part of a 21-point first quarter.
The game begin the fourth quarter as part of the 35-point, mercy rule protocol that included a running clock. It was the fifth time this season the Big Reds have won a mercy-rule game.
Musselman took the 3-0 lead after recovering a fumble on the PHS six yard line but the defense, led by Andrew Stalnaker, held the home team on downs and Wilson Bonham had to kick a 31 yard field goal.
Ice answered that with a scintillating kickoff return for a touchdown and the rout had begun.
The second PHS possession resulted in a seven-play, 54-yard scoring drive with Williams breaking off a 24 yard run along the way and Parsons hitting Ice for the final eight yard with 4:58 on the first quarter clock.
The PHS defense came through again as Andrew Stalnaker recovered a Musselman fumble on the home team’s 40 yard line and it took three plays for Parsons to hit Stanley with a 37-yard scoring pass. Stanley’s third extra point kick made it 21-3 with 2:48 left in the first quarter.
On the Big Reds first possession of the second quarter, they were able to put together a 90-yard drive that took eight plays to reach the end zone again. Williams did the honors this time with a great second effort, tackle-breaking run covering 38 yards.
PHS continued its onslaught in the third quarter, driving from its own 10 to the Musselman 17 only to fumble the ball away. But once again the defense held on downs and this time Andrew Stalnaker broke through the block the punt attempt and then picked the ball up and rambled into the end zone to make it 35-3 midway through the period.
Connor Petty tipped a pass on the next series that Andrew Stalnaker intercepted and returned to the Musselman 21. Once again the Big Reds capitalized as Parsons found Ice with the sixth TD of the night and a 41-3 lead.
With the clock running in the fourth quarter Musselman was able to complete a 10-plau, 80-yard scoring drive thanks to some workhorse running by Brayden Miller.

#15 Parkersburg vs Musselman (Nov. 3, 2023 at Inwood, WV)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total
Parkersburg                          21     7    13    0  - 41
Musselman                            3     0      0    7  - 10
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 09:36 MUSS - Wilson Bonham 31 yd field goal, 4-0 2:14
09:22 PHS - Anthony Ice 94 yd kickoff return (Casey Stanley kick)
04:58 PHS - Anthony Ice 8 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 7-54 3:18
02:48 PHS - Casey Stanley 37 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 4-40 1:27
2nd 07:25 PHS - Jason Williams 38 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 8-90 4:05
3rd 05:52 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 12 yd punt return (Casey Stanley kick)
00:51 PHS - Anthony Ice 18 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick failed), 5-21 3:16
4th 07:45 MUSS - Brayden Miller 2 yd run (Wilson Bonham kick), 10-80 5:06
......................................................................PHS           MUSS
FIRST DOWNS                                                 15               10
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                                 31-139       24-43
PASSING YDS (NET)                                      162             83
Passes Att-Comp-Int                                       16-10-0     20-13-3
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS              47-301       44-126
Fumble Returns-Yards                                      0-0             0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                           1-12           0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards                                      2-94           4-105
Interception Returns-Yards                               3-19           0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)                                         1-19.0        4-25.0
Fumbles-Lost                                                     3-3             1-1
Penalties-Yards                                                  4-40           3-44
Possession Time                                                 20:39         19:36
Third-Down Conversions                                 4 of 9         2 of 9
Fourth-Down Conversions                               3 of 3         0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                                2-3             2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards                                  2-17           0-0
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jason Williams 8-67; Jakel Shelton 13-45; Sylas Cheuvront 2-18; David Parsons 5-9; Anthony Ice 2-1; TEAM 1-minus 1. Musselman-Brayden Miller 11-46; Logan Shelton 7-13; Blake Sanders 1-minus 1; Eli Fleming 3-minus 3; Michael Thompson 2-minus 12.
PASSING: Parkersburg-David Parsons 10-16-0-162. Musselman-Eli Fleming 9-14-3-56; Michael Thompson 4-6-0-27.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Anthony Ice 4-68; Matthew Stalnaker 3-43; Casey Stanley 2-45; Jakel Shelton 1-6. Musselman-Brayden Miller 5-49; Logan Shelton 3-13; Isaah Beard 2-13; Blake Sanders 2-6; Eli Fleming 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Andrew Stalnaker 2-19; Cyrus Backus 1-0. Musselman-None.
FUMBLES: Parkersburg-David Parsons 2-2; Cyrus Backus 1-1. Musselman-Brayden Miller 1-1.

Everyone Can Expect Wild Affair

When PHS Travels To Musselman   

 INWOOD – It should be another wild affair as the Parkersburg Big Reds close their regular season schedule here Friday night at 7 o’clock against the Applemen of Musselman.
It will be the fifth meeting between the two teams from opposite sides of the state and the two teams have split those previous four encounters with the winning team scoring points to the tune of 54, 28, 56 and 69 in each game.
The first ever meeting took place in 1999 in the playoffs with the Big Reds winning 54-14. The second confrontation was not until 2019 when Musselman won that playoff meeting 48-29. Two years ago it was a regular season contest and the Big Reds won a wild 56-52 slugfest. The return meeting last year at Stadium Field saw Ray Adames run wild for the Applemen with four long touchdowns to overshadow a 208-yard, three touchdown passing effort by PHS quarterback David Parsons.
This year should be more of the same as the Big Reds are clinging to a spot at the bottom of the playoff qualifiers (16th) with a 5-4 record after last week’s 27-21loss at Spring Valley.
Meanwhile, Musselman comes into the game with a 4-5 record and is currently ranked one spot above PHS at number 15. The Applemen have lost those five games to teams which have a combined 38-7 record. After opening with a 44-34 win over Handley (Va.) and a 22-15 victory over Loudoun Valley (Va.), the eastern panhandle squad dropped a 10-6 decision at Morgantown then fell to Spring Mills 26-3, lost to undefeated Martinsburg 42-0 and dropped a 42-14 decision at Cabell Midland.  Then came a 6-0 win at Hedgesville before falling at Jefferson 33-14. Last week the Applemen got three receiving touchdowns and 145 yards through the air by returning wide receiver starter Isaah Beard, who missed several games in the middle of the season with an injury.
The Big Reds should get back one of their starters this week as Anthony Ice is expected to dress for the final regular season game. Ice has missed three games with a foot injury. In five games this year he has caught 26 passes for 594 yards, a 22.8 average, and eight touchdowns.
He joins Andrew Stalnaker ((25-508-7), Matthew Stalnaker (25-484-4) and Casey Stanley (20-308-5) to give the Big Reds the most formidable group of receivers in the state.
Parsons has taken advantage of that group to throw for a school record 24 regular season touchdowns and 2,143 yards while completing 123 of 201 passes (61% completion). He has also run for three touchdowns.
Defensively PHS is led by Zane Lewis with 74 tackles, three interceptions and two blocked kicks. The Stalnaker twins are next in line with 71 stops each with Matthew getting 18.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Adam Elder has 54 tackles including six sacks while Jason Williams has made his presence felt over the last half of the season with 12 tackles for loss and a team-high eight sacks.
Musselman’s quarterback is Eli Fleming who was completing just fewer than 50% of his passes through six games with five touchdowns, four interceptions and 89 yards passing per game.
The Appleman’s leading rusher is Blake Sanders who had 369 yards and four touchdowns through seven games while Beard has five touchdown receptions in five games and Logan Shelton had three scoring catches in seven games while Brayden Miller was the top receiver in total passes caught. Colton Shelton was Musselman’s leading tackler through seven games with 59 stops, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Turnovers Cost Big Reds In 27-21 Tough Loss To Spring Valley

Game Statistics

     HUNTINGTON – Four turnovers, two of which became immediate touchdowns, and another which halted a potential go-ahead score, proved the difference here Friday night as Parkersburg dropped a 27-21 decision to Spring Valley in a battle of top 15 ranked teams.
Spring Valley, rated 15th coming into the game, won its fifth straight contest after opening the season with four straight losses, got two interception return touchdowns en route to a 27-7 lead at one point mid-way through the third quarter.
Parkersburg, rated 13th, dropped to 5-4 on the year but nearly pulled off a great comeback by scoring twice in the third quarter and got the ball back with 2:53 left in the game after holding the Timberwolves on fourth down at the visitor’s 24 yard line to finally halt a 12-play Spring Valley drive.
A five-yard run by Jakel Shelton was followed by an 11-yard pass to Shelton and then quarterback David Parsons hit Zane Lewis to the 50 yard line with over 90 seconds to play. But the Big Reds lost their chance to go for the victory on a lost fumble that Spring Valley recovered at the Parkersburg 46. The Wolves ran the ball twice and pulled a surprise completion for nine yards and a first down to end the Big Red hopes.
The Big Reds played the Timberwolves even from start to finish with a 282-267 advantage in total yards but the two interceptions and two lost fumbles proved the difference against a Spring Valley team which did not commit a turnover.
Parsons completed just 10 of 27 passes for 185 yards while Spring Valley’s rotating quarterbacks hit 11 of 19 passes for 158 yards. Casey Stanley caught three passes for 78 yards for PHS while Bryce Fuller had three receptions for 65 yards for the winners.
The first Big Red mistake came with 2:12 left in the first quarter when a bad snap wound up in the arms of a Timberwolf player near midfield.
Holding Spring Valley on downs at the PHS 25, the Big Reds then gave the home team the lead when Tucker Hammond stepped in front of a Parsons pass at the Big Red 27 and he took it to the end zone.
The Big Reds answered that with a seven-play, 71-yard drive that included a 32-yard completion to Stanley to the 12 yard line. Shelton carries to the five and Jason Williams then went over right guard for the touchdown. Stanley’s extra point gave PHS the lead at 7-6.
After forcing a punt, Spring Valley regained the lead on a 35-yard pass-and-run play to Jalyn Abercrombie with 1:31 left in the half and Cole Ferguson ran for the two-point conversion to give the Wolves a 14-7 lead.
PHS nearly pulled off an answer to that score as Stanley got behind the defense at the goal line but the pass was overthrown on third down. On fourth down near midfield, Parsons had his second pass picked off by Garrett Wagoner who weaved his way 60 yards for the touchdown with just 53 seconds left in the half. The extra point kick failed again but it was now 20-7.
A 27-yard kickoff return by Williams and a 35-yard completion to Matt Stalnaker put PHS on the Spring Valley but the visitors ran out of time and downs.
Spring Valley was able to put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive to start the second half and capped it with a two-yard run by quarterback Liam McGuire, who gained 29 yard on six carries in the drive that ran the score to 27-7 with 6:49 on the third quarter clock.
PHS responded with two touchdowns in the next five minutes to close the gap to 27-21.
First Parsons found Andrew Stalnaker in the end zone from 21 yards away to cap a 66-yard, seven-play drive and then the PHS defense came up with a blocked punt by Sylas Cheuvront that Shelton returned 15 yards to the Timberwolf five yard line. Shelton got the touchdown on the next play and Stanley’s kick made it a six-point margin.
Spring Valley tried to run the clock out in the fourth quarter after an exchange of possessions but after 12 plays the Big Red defense came up with a stop on its own 24 on a fourth down play. McGuire’s running accounted for most of the yardage on the 41-play drive that ended when Williams pressured McGuire on a fourth-and-nine play.
However the momentum shift only lasted three plays before the critical lost fumble which Hammond recovered and enabled the hosts to run out the clock thanks to the third down pass play.

#13 Parkersburg vs #15 Spring Valley (Oct 27, 2023 at Huntington)
Score by Quarters        1       2       3       4       -        Total
Parkersburg                0        7      14     0       -        21
Spring Valley               0       20      7      0       -        27
Qtr Time Scoring play
2nd 09:29 SV - Will McClure 27 yd interception return (Makiath Riddle kick failed)
06:42 PHS - Jason Williams 5 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 7-71 2:42
01:31 SV - Jalyn Abercrombie 35 yd pass from Liam McGuire (Cole Ferguson rush), 3-57 1:05
00:38 SV - Garrett Wagoner 60 yd interception return (Makiath Riddle kick failed)
3rd 06:49 SV - Liam McGuire 2 yd run (Makiath Riddle kick), 10-80 5:11
03:56 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 21 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 7-66 2:48
01:41 PHS - Jakel Shelton 5 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 1-5 0:06
............................................................PHS               SV
FIRST DOWNS                                       14               14
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       25-97         40-109
PASSING YDS (NET)                            185             158
Passes Att-Comp-Int                                27-10-2     19-11-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS   52-282        59-267
Fumble Returns-Yards                             0-0             0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                  1-26           0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards                            4-47           1-43
Interception Returns-Yards                     0-0             2-87
Punts (Number-Avg)                               3-35.3        4-28.2
Fumbles-Lost                                            2-2             0-0
Penalties-Yards                                         3-20           5-39
Possession Time                                       17:12         29:29
Third-Down Conversions                       2 of 11       3 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions                     0 of 2         1 of 4
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                      2-2             1-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards                        2-11           0-0
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 8-35; Jason Williams 10-32; David Parsons 5-29; TEAM 1-1; Andrew Stalnaker 1-0.  Spring Valley-Liam McGuire 18-44; Miguel Cain 8-42; Camrin Perdue 2-12; Braeden Booth 1-7; Jamison Smith 3-4; Garrett Wagoner 1-2; Garryk McFeeley 1-0; TEAM 1-minus 1; Jalyn Abercrombie
5-minus 1.
PASSING: Parkersburg-David Parsons 10-26-2-185; TEAM 0-1-0-0. Spring Valley-Liam McGuire 8-13-0-137; Jamison Smith 3-6-0-21.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Andrew Stalnaker 4-51; Casey Stanley 3-78; Matthew Stalnaker 1-35; Jakel Shelton 1-11; Zane Lewis 1-10. Spring Valley-Bryce Fuller 3-65; Jalyn Abercrombie 3-44; Cole Ferguson 3-32; Tate Adkins 2-17.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-None. Spring Valley-Garrett Wagoner 1-60; Will McClure 1-27.
FUMBLES: Parkersburg-Jason Williams 1-1; David Parsons 1-1. Spring Valley-None.

Spring Valley Will Be Stiff Test For Home Playoff Seeking PHS

  HUNTINGTON – While Parkersburg hopes to continue its new mini-win streak, Spring Valley has made a huge turn-around and will be a stiff test for the Big Reds here Friday night.
Spring Valley started its season with four straight losses but has since won four in a row, including a 17-14 victory last Friday over a George Washington team that beat the Big Reds 22-11 just three games ago. The Big Reds are ranked 13th in the state in Class AAA and Spring Valley is just two notches below at number 15.
Against GW the Timberwolves ran the ball 52 times and played a tough defense, especially in the first half. Junior quarterback Liam McGuire threw one touchdown pass and ran for another for Spring Valley while junior wide receiver Cole Ferguson (5-10, 158) caught six passes for 92 yards and a score.
The early losses for Spring Valley came at the hands of Huntington (42-7), Cabell Midland (28-20), Jefferson (42-20) and Hurricane (48-35) before the Timberwolves turned things around with wins over Riverside (49-12), South Charleston (63-0), Capital (62-0) and George Washington. So Spring Valley has given up just four touchdowns total in the last four games.
The two teams have had an unusual series, beginning in 2000. The teams met for five straight years with PHS winning three meetings and losing two with four of them being low-scoring affairs. The teams did not meet again until 2020 and have played each of the last three years with Spring Valley winning each time, last year by a 26-10 score.
Last year the Timberwolves took advantage of penalties and a 100-yard interception return touchdown to post the win despite being out-gained 333-275. Spring Valley only attempted four passes the entire game, completing one for a 44-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Jalyn Abercrombie scored twice for the Wolves a year ago versus PHS and leads the team in rushing this year with 486 yards on 67 carries with eight touchdowns while also catching 15 passes for 242yards and two scores. McGuire has completed 25 of 42 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions while rushing for 145 yards on 45 carries and collecting one touchdown. Tate Adkins is the leading receiver with seven receptions for 199 yards and five touchdowns.
The Big Reds are coming off a 56-14 victory over Capital, scoring all its points in the first three quarters. The victory has apparently clinched a playoff berth for PHS and two more wins could give the Big Reds a first-round home playoff game.
PHS quarterback David Parsons, who threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Ice in last year’s Spring Valley game, is now just 42 yards away from 2,000 passing yards. He has completed 113 of 175 passes for 1,958 yards with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also run for three touchdowns. His total of TD passes thrown is a record for regular season and the all-time record is 27 including playoffs.
Although Ice is not expected to play Friday while recovering from an ankle injury, the Big Reds still have Matthew Stalnaker with 24 receptions for 449 yards and four score, Andrew Stalnaker with 21 catches for 457 yards and six touchdowns and Casey Stanley with 17 receptions for 230 yards and five scores.
Jakel Shelton has 342 yards rushing and six touchdowns while also catching 17 passes for another score. Jason Williams has come on strong lately and now had four touchdowns rushing.
Defensively, Zane Lewis is the top tackler with 63 stops to go with three interceptions and two blocked kicks. Matthew and Andrew Stalnaker come in with 62 and 59 tackles respectively with 18 of Matthew’s stops being tackles for loss (including four sacks). Williams and Adam Elder have six sacks each.

Big Reds End Slide, Clinch Playoff Spot

    Game Statistics

   Parkersburg ended its three-game losing streak and apparently clinched a playoff berth with a 56-14 victory over old rival Capital Friday during Senior Night at Stadium Field.
Still playing without top receiver and touchdown maker Anthony Ice (out with an ankle injury), the 13th ranked Big Reds overcame four turnovers to produce three touchdowns in each of the middle quarters en route to their fifth victory in eight outings.
Showing off a running game for the first time this season the Big Reds rumbled for 203 yards on the ground as Jason Williams picked up 93 yards on just six carries, scoring three times, while Jakel Shelton added 84 on 11 attempts and also scored three times although one was on a pass reception from David Parsons.
Parsons only threw 10 passes but completed nine for two touchdowns while one of his favorite receivers, Casey Stanley also threw a touchdown. The Stalnaker twins, Andrew and Matthew, each caught a TD pass from Parsons and each had four receptions. Overall, PHS had 239 yards passing for a 442 total yardage total on just 37 plays.
The Big Reds took just 90 seconds to score as Williams broke off a 16 yard run on the first play from scrimmage and a facemask penalty was followed by an 18 yard scoring strike to Andrew Stalnaker with 10:30 on the first period clock.
A short punt gave PHS the ball back four plays later on the Capital 41 and four plays later Shelton went around right end from four yards out to make it 14-0 after Stanley’s kick.
Turnovers halted the Big Red offense on the next two tries, an interception in the end zone and a fumble on the Capital 25 but the onslaught continued early in the second period when Matthew Stalnaker sacked the Capital quarterback on a fourth down play on the Cougar 38. After a one yard run, Parsons threw a backward pass to Stanley who then threw a bomb across the field to a wide-open Shelton for an easy 29 yard touchdown play just 92 seconds into the second stanza to make it 21-0.
Capital, now 2-6, got on the board just 36 seconds later thanks to a 64 yard pass and run play from Fernado Valdivia to Jermer Smith. Stanley ran Smith down at the two yard line but two plays later Valdivia scored after a nice fake handoff and keeper around end.
A 58-yard punt return by Williams set up Parkersburg’s fourth touchdown, a slant over right guard with 5:57 left in the half.
A short punt gave PHS the ball back on the Capital 31 with 3:05 on the clock and on the first play Williams turned in a touchdown run that include some second and third effort to up the score to 35-7.
The Big Reds scored on their first and fourth plays in the second half. Parsons hit Matthew Stalnaker with a 59 yard pass and after another strong defensive effort got the ball back four plays later and it took Shelton and Williams four plays to cover 43 yards and make it 49-7.
The final Big Red points came with Shelton capping a five play, 40-yard drive with a one yard run. The speedy back gained 23 of the yards on four carries.
With a running black and 10-minute fourth quarter, Capital was able to score on an 80-yard drive against the PHS reserves when Valdivia broke off a 40-yard run to the end zone.
Williams had two of the three Big Red sacks and sparked a defense which held Capital to just 56 yards rushing and 86 passing and just six first downs. The Cougars attempted just three passes in the second half, completing none, to finish 4-of-11 through the air with 104 of their 142 total yards coming on just two plays and 56 minus yards on the night.

Capital vs #13 Parkersburg (Oct 20, 2023 at Parkersburg)
Score by Quarters  1      2      3      4 -    Total
Capital                 0      7      0      7 -    14
Parkersburg       14     21    21     0 -    56
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 10:30 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 18 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 3-62 1:30
06:01 PHS - Jakel Shelton 4 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 4-41 2:05
2nd 10:28 PHS - Jakel Shelton 29 yd pass from Casey Stanley (Casey Stanley kick), 2-30 0:37
09:52 CAP - Fernado Valdivia 1 yd run (Jayson Lee kick), 2-66 0:27
05:57 PHS - Jason Williams 5 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 3-25 0:55
02:54 PHS - Jason Williams 31 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 1-31 0:11
3rd 09:24 PHS - Matthew Stalnaker 59 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 1-59 0:12
06:24 PHS - Jason Williams 1 yd run (Conner Gribble kick), 3-43 0:00
03:07 PHS - Jakel Shelton 1 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 5-40 2:39
4th 08:15 CAP - Fernado Valdivia 40 yd run (Jayson Lee kick), 8-80 6:52
............................................................CAP        PHS
FIRST DOWNS                                      6              17
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       37-56       22-203
PASSING YDS (NET)                           86            239
Passes Att-Comp-Int                               11-4-0     15-13-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS     48-142     37-442
Fumble Returns-Yards                            0-0           0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                0-0           3-73
Kickoff Returns-Yards                           3-56         2-36
Interception Returns-Yards                    1-0           0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)                              9-28.4      1-28.0
Fumbles-Lost                                          3-1           3-3
Penalties-Yards                                       13-114     9-72
Possession Time                                     27:50       17:35
Third-Down Conversions                       3 of 13     1 of 3
Fourth-Down Conversions                     0 of 1       1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                     1-1           4-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards                       0-0           3-25
RUSHING: Capital-Fernado Valdivia 15-26; Camdyn Harris 9-17; David Robinson 6-8; Damian Johnson 7-5. Parkersburg-Jason Williams 6-93; Jakel Shelton 11-84; Ethan Jones 1-19; David Parsons 1-6; Cooper
Cancade 2-1; Allen Bradlee 1-0.
PASSING: Capital-Fernado Valdivia 4-11-0-86. Parkersburg-David Parsons 9-10-1-172; Cooper Cancade 3-4-0-38; Casey Stanley 1-1-0-29.
RECEIVING: Capital-Jermer Smith 1-64; Jamari Smith 1-12; Trisdon Ciampanella 1-7; Camdyn Harris 1-3. Parkersburg-Matthew Stalnaker 4-117; Jakel Shelton 4-49; Andrew Stalnaker 1-18; Eli Bauman 1-17;
Jason Williams 1-17; Braxton Kupfner 1-13; Ethan Jones 1-8.
INTERCEPTIONS: Capital-Damian Johnson 1-0. Parkersburg-None.
FUMBLES: Capital-Fernado Valdivia 2-1; David Robinson 1-0. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 1-1; Jakel Shelton 1-1; Jason Williams 1-1.
Capital (2-6) vs. Parkersburg (5-3)
Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:00 • Total elapsed time: 2:30

Big Reds Hoping To Begin Turn-Around Against Capital On Senior Night
After a rugged stretch of four games against outstanding opposition the Big Reds hope to celebrate senior night by ending a three-game skid against long-time rival Capital Friday night at Stadium Field.
Parkersburg is coming off a five-week period where the opponents included three top four ranked teams and another that had just scored a school record 98 points the week before. This week the Big Reds face a Capital team which has won just two of seven games but owns a 16-15 advantage in the overall series between the two Mountain State Conference opponents.
Having won the last two meetings with Capital, including a 44-14 victory a year ago, the Big Reds need to bounce back from last week’s loss to top ranked and undefeated Huntington. Even though PHS scored more points last week than all six previous opponents had managed to score against the Highlanders (21-20), the Big Reds have been hurt by turnovers and big plays in recent weeks. A fumble recovery touchdown and an 85 yard punt return TD were the back-breaking plays last week by Huntington.
Capital has been up and down this year with problems of its own especially on defense. The Cougars of coach Mark Mason opened the season by giving up 176 points in their first two games in losses to Parkersburg South (83-26) and Hurricane (93-7). The rebounded with a 48-18 win over St. Albans before having offensive troubles in losses to Huntington (58-0) and Cabell Midland (66-6) But Capital turned things around with a win over Riverside (27-23). Last week Spring Valley ran over the Cougars 62-0.
Capital is led by sophomore quarterback Fernado Valdivia who had a good game a year ago against the Big Reds as a freshman as he threw for 113 yards by completing eight of 18 passes for one touchdown and suffered two interceptions. He also ran for the other Cougar touchdown last year against PHS. This year’s Capital team has just three seniors listed on its roster.
The Big Reds got 250 yards passing a year ago against the Cougars as David Parsons completed 16 of 23 passes for three touchdowns. PHS scored six TDs against Capital, two each by underclassmen Anthony Ice, Casey Stanley and Andrew Stalnaker. Ice and Stalnaker each returned interceptions against the Cougars and Stanley had a blocked punt return score.
This year the Big Reds have returned four interceptions for touchdowns as well as a fumble return for a score. They have a total of 12 interceptions and six fumble recoveries while coming up with 15 sacks.
Adam Elder leads the way for PHS with six sacks and also has nine tackles for loss while Zane Lewis and Cyrus Backus have three interceptions each. Andrew Stalnaker and Lewis have 57 tackles each while Matthew Stalnaker has 54 stops. Lewis has two blocked kicks.
Offensively for the Big Reds, Ice leads the team with eight touchdowns despite missing two games with injuries including the Huntington game a week ago. Ice has 26 receptions for 594 yards (22.8 average) and eight scores.
Stanley and Andrew Stalnaker each have five touchdowns while Jakel Shelton and Matthew Stalnaker have reached the end zone four times each. Each Stalnaker twin has caught 20 passes this year while Stanley has 17 receptions.
Parsons has now completed 104 of 165 passes (63%) for 1,786 yards and 21 touchdowns with four interceptions. The senior signal caller is on track to become just the fourth 2,000 yard passer in school history. He has 1,938 yards in total offense.

Kick Returner Extraordinaire Wenzel Named To Big Red Hall of Fame
A long kickoff return for a touchdown just might be the most exciting thing that happens in a football game.
If that is the case, then Derek Wenzel may have provided the most excitement of any player in the history of Big Red football and will be inducted into the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame Friday night prior to the Capital game.

As a junior in 2008, despite a knee injury, he returned four kickoffs for touchdowns (99, 91, 85, and 84 yards), had one touchdown return called back because of a penalty, and had two other returns of 70 yards or more which were stopped short of the end zone. He also returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown.
The following year as a senior he added another kickoff return (88 yards), giving him a career total of five touchdown returns. His one-season total of four is a West Virginia state record, and was ranked fourth nationally for career kickoff return TDs. He currently is ranks ninth nationally in that category.
Wenzel wasn’t just an extraordinary kickoff returner. Coach Bernie Buttrey called him “one of the most talented individuals ever to wear a Big Red uniform.” In the course of his PHS career he was a two-way starter for two years, playing quarterback, wingback, cornerback, and safety. He was also an excellent punter, making all-state at that position as a junior, and holds the sixth longest season punting average in PHS history at 39.0 yards, including one of 73 yards. He had eight career interceptions including four in 2007 as a sophomore. He amassed 1600 yards in total offense rushing and passing in 2008. He was voted first team Mountain State Athletic conference in 2007 and 2008, and was awarded the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year for 2008-9.  He was a Big Red team captain as a junior and senior.
The son of Angie (Roach) and father Dave, he played all sports as a youth and once held the county track record in the 100 meters as a ninth grader at Jackson. He advanced to the Punt, Pass, and Kick Nationals in 2005 at Steelers’ Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
In part because of his injury, he did not play organized sports after high school. He attended WVUP for a short time, and soon became employed by Monongahela Power. With its support through its Power Systems Institute program, he graduated from Fairmont State University with an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science in Electrical Utility Technology and an Associates of Applied Science in Marketing and Management. He continues his ten-year employment with Mon Power as  a substation electrician. He is also the owner of Wenzel Property Group, LLC. 
He cherishes time everywhere with his two sons Ryker (9) and Lane (4) as well as his girlfriend Tara Gerber, His other passions include hunting and food plotting , fishing, and boating, and his favorite vacation destination is Lake Norman, NC.

#1 Huntington Uses Big Plays to Beat PHS

Game Statistics

       A fumble recovery in the end zone and an 85 yard punt return broke open a close game in the second quarter and powered number one ranked defending state champion Huntington to a 49-21 win over 12th ranked Parkersburg Friday night at Stadium Field.
The big plays enabled the Highlanders to win their school record 20th straight game and raise their season’s record to 7-0 while dropping the Big Reds to 4-3 with their third straight loss heading into next week’s game against visiting Capital.
Although failing on the scoreboard, PHS managed to win the statistic battle in first downs (18-14), rushing yardage (134-93) and time of possession (28:40-18:57) against the quick-striking visitors. Huntington got three touchdown passes from Avonte Crawford as he completed 12 of 16 passes for 227 yards. Overall the Highlanders held a 315-250 advantage in total yards.
After a 1-for-6 start, Big Red quarterback David Parsons finished 12 of 23 for 116 yards with Andrew Stalnaker caching four for 63 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground Jakel Shelton ran for 54 yards on 13 attempts while Jason Williams had a touchdown among his 12 carries for 47 yards. PHS played without leading receiver Anthony Ice who was injured two weeks ago.
A 26 yard punt return by Zah Jackson, who returned three punts for 122 yards including the big TD run, set up Huntington’s initial touchdown, a one yard run by Jackson. The visitors only had to go 37 yards on its first scoring drive.
Huntington made it 14-0 late in the first quarter on a 46 yard pass to Michael Johnson but PHS answered with a 73-yard, 12-play drive that ended on a seven yard TD pass to Stalnaker with 6:37 left in the second quarter.
PHS got pinned deep in its own territory on the 22 yard line after a Highlander punt. On the first play following the kick Parsons was flagged for his second intentional grounding penalty and the Big Reds were back on their own eight yard line. A false start penalty followed that and things got even worse when the Big Reds fumbled into their own end zone and Huntington recovered to make it 21-7.
The Big Reds moved into Huntington territory on its next possession to the 43 but a holding penalty killed that drive and forced a PHS punt that Jackson picked up on his 15, reversed field and raced 85 yards for a touchdown that made it 28-7.
At the half PHS held a 105-92 edge in total yards and a 10-3 margin in first downs while running twice as many plays (34-16) but still trailed by three touchdowns on the scoreboard.
Huntington came out throwing in the third quarter, hitting passes for 17, 20 and 30 yards to set up Crawford’s one yard run untouched around right end to run the score to 35-7.
PHS responded with a 40 yard TD toss to Stalnaker just 1:40 later to make it 35-14 but Huntington got another big pass play of 45 yards to Jamari Tubbs to set up a short pass from Tyrone McNeely which made it 42-14 with 5:02 left in the third quarter.
A 35 yard completion to McNeely set up Huntington’s seventh touchdown and made the fourth quarter a running clock situation.
PHS got its final touchdown after a 44 yard kickoff return by Williams, who also got the touchdown from two yards out with a second effort run over the left side with 22.1 seconds left in the game.

#1 Huntington vs #12 Parkersburg (Oct 13, 2023 at Parkersburg)
Score by Quarters   1      2      3      4  -Total
Huntington            14  14    21     0   -  49
Parkersburg          0     7      7      7   -  21
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 05:46 HUNT - Zah Jackson 1 yd run (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick), 7-37 4:08
01:04 HUNT - Michael Johnson 46 yd pass from Avonte Crawford (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick), 3-55 1:28
2nd 06:37 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 7 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 12-72 6:21
04:51 HUNT - Cameron Veazey 0 yd fumble recovery (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick)
00:34 HUNT - Zah Jackson 85 yd punt return (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick)
3rd 10:34 HUNT - Avonte Crawford 1 yd run (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick), 5-80 1:26
08:48 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 40 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 4-56 1:40
05:02 HUNT - Tyrone McNeely 7 yd pass from Avonte Crawford (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick), 7-80 3:46
00:10 HUNT - Jamari Tubbs 2 yd pass from Avonte Crawford (Jonathan Aya-Ay kick), 6-51 2:27
4th 00:23 PHS - Jason Williams 2 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 5-40 2:50
..............................................................HUNT PHS
FIRST DOWNS                                      14            18
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       20-93       34-134
PASSING YDS (NET)                           222          116
Passes Att-Comp-Int                               18-13-0   23-12-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS     38-315     57-250
Fumble Returns-Yards                            0-0           0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                3-122       2-44
Kickoff Returns-Yards                           1-8           6-85
Interception Returns-Yards                    0-0           0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)                              3-39.0      5-33.6
Fumbles-Lost                                          1-0           4-2
Penalties-Yards                                       10-106     10-109
Possession Time                                     18:57       28:40
Third-Down Conversions                       1 of 5       5 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions                     1 of 1       1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                     4-4           2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards                       1-19         1-5
RUSHING: Huntington-Zah Jackson 8-47; DEdrick Graves 7-44; Avonte Crawford 4-7; TEAM 1-minus 5.
Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 13-54; Jason Williams 12-47; Andrew Stalnaker 1-26; David Parsons 7-8; TEAM 1-minus 1.
PASSING: Huntington-Avonte Crawford 12-16-0-227; Jaxon Hatfield 1-2-0-minus 5. Parkersburg-David Parsons 12-23-0-116.
RECEIVING: Huntington-Tyrone McNeely 6-81; Tayveon Wilson 3-49; Jamari Tubbs 2-47; Michael Johnson 1-46; Zah Jackson 1-minus 1. Parkersburg-Andrew Stalnaker 4-63; Jason Williams 3-24; Matthew
Stalnaker 3-17; Casey Stanley 1-16; Jakel Shelton 1-minus 4.
FUMBLES: Huntington-Avonte Crawford 1-0. Parkersburg-David Parsons 2-2; Jason Williams 1-0; Sylas Cheuvront 1-0.
Huntington (7-0) vs. Parkersburg (4-3)
Date: Oct 13, 2023 • Site: Parkersburg • Stadium: Stadium Field
Attendance: 1000
Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 9:57 • Total elapsed time: 2:27
SACKS (UA-A): Huntington-Max Bohren 1-0. Parkersburg-Adam Elder 0-1; Jason Williams 0-1.
TACKLES (UA-A): Unofficial Parkersburg-Matthew Stalnaker 5-1; Jakel Shelton 3-2; Andrew Stalnaker 1-4; Jason Williams 1-3; Zane Lewis 3-0; Adam Elder 0-3; Tytan Parsons 1-1; Chris Cox 1-1; Eli Bauman 1-1; Jake Bauman 1-0; Austin Jones 1-0; Allen Bradlee 1-0; Casey Stanley 1-0.

Undefeated, Defending Champ Huntington Invades

      The task just keeps getting tougher for the Parkersburg Big Red football team this Friday night at Stadium Field.
And a daunting task it is as PHS faces its third top four ranked team in a row. The Big Reds host a Huntington team which is not only the defending state champion with two of its top players returning from a year ago but a team which has put up the most impressive numbers of anyone in West Virginia this season.
And PHS must try to bounce back from a disheartening 22-11 loss to George Washington. A loss which dropped the Big Reds’ record to 4-2. Meanwhile, Huntington will enter the game with a spotless 6-0 record and should be ranked number one in the latest Class AAA rankings after being number two prior to last week’s 49-0 win over Beckley Woodrow Wilson.
Coach Billy Seals and his Highlanders have outscored the opposition 354-20 in six games for an average of almost 60 points scored per game and have given up just three touchdowns. In the first half of their games the Highlanders have a 291-7 advantage on the scoreboard. Their other wins have come by scores of 42-7 versus Spring Valley, 86-0 over South Charleston, 42-13 against George Washington, 58-0 over Capital, 77-0 versus Riverside and Beckley.
The Big Reds will also be trying to avenge a 41-20 loss a year ago at Huntington. In that game Zah Jackson scored four touchdowns on runs of 76, 19 and 56 yards and returned an interception 13 yards for another score. He had 183 yards rushing on just seven carries and caught two passes for 19 more. Duane Harris, the all-state transfer from South Charleston, scored one touchdown and caught six passes for 120 yards.
Huntington did graduate all-state quarterback Gavin Lochow but have replaced him with 6-foot-3, 180 pound junior Avonte Crawford. All Crawford has done so far is complete 51 of 77 passes for 838 yards with 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has also rushed 11 times for 53 yards and one score.
Jackson, a 5-11, 180 junior, has only carried the ball 50 times this year since he has sat out most of the second halves of just about every game. He has gained 385 yards to lead the team and had eight rushing touchdowns. D’Edrick Graves (6-1, 220 jr.) is second on the team with 198 yards on 14 carries and five scores. Harris, a 5-10, 175 sr., has caught 17 passes for 291 yards and six touchdowns. Other top receivers are Tayveon Wilson (6-3, 205 soph.) with 233 yards and three touchdowns among his seven catches, Jamari Tubbs (6-0, 175 jr.) with six catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and Taviun Chandler (6-3, 170 jr.) with three touchdowns on his four receptions.
Harris leads the Highlander with 10 touchdowns while Jackson has nine and Wilson eight. Jonny Aya-Ay has kicked 49 out of 49 extra points.
Coming off a bye week the Big Reds should be better rested after two tough games in a row. Quarterback David Parsons and his elite receiving corps continue to lead the way on offense for PHS with an average of 285 yards through the air per game.
Parsons has completed 92 of 142 passes for 1,670 yards and 19 touchdowns while being intercepted four times. Anthony Ice has caught 26 passes for 594 yards (22.8 average) and eight touchdowns while the Stalnaker twins have combined for 33 catches, 691 yards and have split six touchdowns with Matthew grabbing 17 for 315 and Andrew 16 for 376. Casey Stanley has caught 16 for 214 and five touchdowns.
Stanley leads the team with 68 points on five touchdowns, 23 of 26 extra points and five field goals (in five attempts).
The Big Reds have returned four of their 12 interceptions for touchdowns as well as one fumble for a score. Zane Lewis leads the team with 51 tackles while Matthew Stalnaker has 49 stops and Andrew Stalnaker 47. Matthew Stalnaker has 13.5 tackles for loss including four sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception while Lewis has three interceptions, two blocked kicks and a safety.

Uhl, Hawk To Enter PHS Hall of Fame

        One of the strongest Big Reds ever and one of the best centers of all time and will enter the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame this Friday prior to the Huntington game at Stadium Field.
        Judd Uhl, a two-way, three-year starter at tackle in the late 1990s, and Clayton Hawk, a two-time all-state selection as a center in 1935 and 1936, and will enter the hall prior to the all-important game against the number one ranked Highlanders.
Cracking the starting lineup as a sophomore, Uhl played alongside all-staters Nathan Kirby, Leigh Barbour, Steve Haught and current PHS head coach Matt Kimes on teams which won 29 games in three years, making it all the way to the state finals in 1997 before losing to North Marion by a 16-6 score in frigid conditions.
Uhl was called by coach Marshall Burdette as the best offensive lineman at PHS since Rick Phillips and was praised for his unusual strength in the weight room for his ability to bench press over 375 pound. “He’s the strongest kid I’ve had here,” said Burdette. “In fact, he’s the only kid we’ve had to go over 350 pounds.”
The 1997 team captain, Uhl was first team all-state as well as being a Hunt Award nominee and earned the Buddy James Award.
Residing in Parkersburg with his wife of 18 years, Rebecca, and their three children, Von, Evelyn and Annalise, Uhl has been employed with CSX for the last 23 years as a freight conductor. He is a board member and coach for the North Parkersburg Ramblers and assists with the Parkersburg Cougars wrestling program and Vienna Rec programs. He hopes to see the day when his son can put on a PHS jersey and play on the same field he enjoyed for three years.
        Clayton Hawk, better known as Bus, was an outstanding three-sport athlete at PHS, graduating in 1937. He was born in Ravenswood in 1915 but played his football career for Ross McHenry and Floyd “Ben” Schwartzwalder.
Although weighing just 158 pounds he anchored both lines at PHS earning all-state honors second team as a junior and first team as a senior center. The Big Reds won 15 of 20 games those two years, posting 10 shutouts. Among his teammates was Walter “Piggy” Barnes. He also played basketball and golf and was president of the Big Red council.
Following graduation Hawk married Mary Estelle Taylor of
Parkersburg in 1940 in Paducah, Kentucky, moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee sometime later. He served in the Navy in World War II. They moved to Florida in the early 1950s and lived in the Gainesville area for the rest of his life. He became a chiropractor and continued to play highly competitive amateur golf and participated in Florida state tournaments on a regular basis through the early 1960s.
Hawk and his wife had three children, three grandchildren,
and three great-grandchildren. Granddaughter Kelly May of Florida emphasized that he had a wonderful sense of humor, was a huge Gator fan, and adored his three grandchildren. He died In 1986 at age 70.

Turnovers Costly As PHS Falls To GW, 22-11

Game Statistics

Turnovers are not something you want if you are trying to turn things around after your first loss.
The Parkersburg Big Reds turned the ball over three times against visiting George Washington Friday night at Stadium Field and the result was a 22-11 loss to the Patriots despite out-gaining their Kanawha county visitors by over 100 yards.
Suffering two interceptions, one on a trick play, and fumbling the ball away after a pass completion to the GW 27 yard line proved costly as PHS could not finish a couple of scoring drives. The Big Reds had to settle for a field goal on one drive and came away with no points after getting a first and goal at the six yard line in the fourth quarter.
The Big Reds out-gained the winners 368-257 in total yards as David Parsons passed for 339 by completing 23 of 42 passes but had one interception to go with one touchdown.
Hunter Giacomo proved to be the difference for the winners, catching a 60 yard scoring pass from quarterback Abe Fenwick just 3:34 into the game and then coming up with an interception return of 68 yards for another touchdown in the third quarter.
Following the first GW touchdown, Matthew Stalnaker blocked the extra point kick and then caught a 40 yard pass to set up Casey Stanley’s 20 yard field goal with 5:56 left in the first quarter to make it a 6-3 game. The Big Reds drove for a first and goal at the GW 10 but could get no closer than the two and had to settle for Stanley’s kick.
The visitors tacked on a 29 yard field goal with 1:31 left in the second quarter to make it 9-3 at the half.
The Big Reds took the second half kickoff and drove to the GW 27 on a pass to Matt Stalnaker but a fumble ended that opportunity. PHS got the ball back on a punt only to give up a touchdown on Giacomo’s big pick-six return of 68 yards.
PHS pulled to within six at 15-9 when Parsons hit Anthony Ice over the middle and the speedy senior out-ran the secondary to complete a 64 yard touchdown play with 50 seconds left in the third quarter. The extra point kick was blocked.
Zane Lewis made it interesting with a blocked punt on the following series and then tackled the GW player who recovered the ball in the end zone for a safety to make it 15-11 heading into the fourth quarter.
A 50-yard kickoff return by Jason Williams following the safety put PHS in GW territory at the 30 yard line but four plays lost a net of three yards and GW took over.
The Patriots gambled on fourth down on their own 41 yards line and got PHS to jump offside for a first down near midfield. The visitors moved to a first and goal at the PHS five before Fenwick scored on a fourth down sneak from the one yard line to make it 22-11 after the extra point with 3:10 left in the game.
PHS tried to rally by moving the ball to the GW six yard line mainly on a 69 yard catch and run by Ice but three incomplete passes and one rush ended the threat with 51 seconds left in the contest.
Ice finished with seven receptions for 149 yards while Matthew Stalnaker caught eight passes for 123 yards.

George Washington vs Parkersburg (Sep 29, 2023 at Parkersburg)
Score by Quarters      1       2       3       4 -     Total
George Washington   6       3       6       7-      22
Parkersburg               3       0       8       0-      11
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 08:26 GW - Hunter Giacomo 60 yd pass from Abe Fenwick (Jordan Price kick blockd), 6-76 3:34
05:56 PHS - Casey Stanley 20 yd field goal, 7-62 2:30
2nd 01:31 GW - Jordan Price 29 yd field goal, 13-80 6:08
3rd 02:51 GW - Hunter Giacomo 68 yd interception return (Abe Fenwick pass failed)
00:50 PHS - Anthony Ice 64 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick blockd), 4-80 2:01
00:00 PHS - Zane Lewis safety tackled GW player in end zone
4th 03:10 GW - Abe Fenwick 1 yd run (Jordan Price kick), 14-67 6:58
...........................................................GW           PHS
FIRST DOWNS                                   12               16
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                     32-51         15-29
PASSING YDS (NET)                          206             339
Passes Att-Comp-Int                             18-12-0     44-23-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS   50-257       59-368
Fumble Returns-Yards                            0-0             0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                 0-0             1-25
Kickoff Returns-Yards                           1-17           3-81
Interception Returns-Yards                     2-68           0-0
Punts (Number-Avg)                            4-30.2        1-42.0
Fumbles-Lost                                        0-0             1-1
Penalties-Yards                                     6-60           5-38
Possession Time                                   25:24         21:42
Third-Down Conversions                      4 of 10       4 of 12
Fourth-Down Conversions                     1 of 1         2 of 6
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                     2-2             1-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards                      1-9             4-39
RUSHING: George Washington-Keegan Sack 10-46; Anthony Valentine 11-10; Abe Fenwick 11-minus 5. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 4-17; Ethan Jones 1-7; Anthony Ice 1-3; Jason Williams 4-1; David Parsons 5-1.
PASSING: George Washington-Abe Fenwick 12-18-0-206. Parkersburg-David Parsons 23-42-1-339; Casey Stanley 0-1-1-0; Cooper Cancade 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: George Washington-Hunter Giacomo 3-89; Bryson Sowards 3-63; Anthony Valentine 3-34; Keegan Sack 2-12; Guner Flores 1-8. Parkersburg-Matthew Stalnaker 8-123; Anthony Ice 7-149; Casey Stanley 3-24; Jakel Shelton 2-28; Tytan Parsons 1-10; Jason Williams 1-4; Andrew Stalnaker 1-1.
INTERCEPTIONS: George Washington-Hunter Giacomo 1-68; Anthony Valentine 1-0. Parkersburg-None.
FUMBLES: George Washington-None. Parkersburg-Matthew Stalnaker 1-1.
George Washington (3-3) vs. Parkersburg (4-2)
Attendance: 2500
Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:04 • Total elapsed time: 2:34
SACKS (UA-A): George Washington-None. Parkersburg-Jason Williams 2-0; Ethan Jones 1-0; Matthew Stalnaker 1-0.
TACKLES Unofficial (UA-A): George Washington-None. Parkersburg-Jake Bauman 2-7; Jason Williams 6-2; AndrewStalnaker 2-5; Zane Lewis 1-4; Adam Elder 1-4; Matthew Stalnaker 2-2; Chris Cox 1-3; Anthony Ice 2-1; Jakel Shelton 2-0; Tytan Parsons 0-2; Conner Petty 1-0; Casey Stanley 1-0; Ethan Jones 1-0; Allen Bradlee 1-0; Eli Bauman 0-1; Carter Watts 0-1.

After Scoring 98 Points, GW Meets PHS Friday Night At Stadium Field

   How do you prepare for a team which just scored 98 points in their last game?
That’s what the Parkersburg defense will have to work on as they get ready to host George Washington Friday night at Stadium Field.
The Big Reds are coming off their first loss of the season and will face a GW Patriot team that rolled up a 98-7 winning score last Friday against South Charleston. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Stadium Field.
The Big Reds, who are now 4-1 and ranked sixth in the state after Friday’s 42-16 defeat at the hands of a still undefeated Cabell Midland team, will try to bounce back against a team which set a school record by 10 points against a still winless South Charleston team.
Midland beat George Washington 49-21 in the season opener. The Patriots followed that with a 42-21 loss to Ashland (Ky.) Blazer before coming up with a big 17-14 upset win over Hurricane. Two weeks ago GW dropped a 42-13 decision to Huntington before rebounding with a record offensive output that broke the school record by 10 points.
Against South Charleston, GW scored six touchdowns in the first quarter, five of them on passes, and tacked on five more in the second period for a 77-0 halftime lead. South Charleston elected to play full 12-minute quarters in the second half and gave up three more touchdowns before finally scoring its first touchdown of the season in a running clock fourth quarter.
Now 2-3 under veteran coach Steve Edwards, GW is led by quarterback Abe Fenwick, who has completed 52 of 108 passes (8 interceptions) for 8 touchdowns (6 of them last week) and 707 yards (200 of them last week). He is a 6-3, 205 pound senior who leads the team with four rushing touchdowns.
Last year Fenwick completed 28 of 35 passes for 316 yards and five touchdowns in a career day to lead his team to a 42-10 victory, the third straight GW win over PHS. That victory gave the Patriots a 15-11 advantage in the series between the two Mt. State Athletic Conference schools. The last Big Red win over GW was in 2018 (32-7).
Also in that game a year ago returning players Keegan Sack (5-10, 195 jr.) and Anthony Valentine (5-10, 195 sr.) contributed with two receiving and one rushing touchdowns. This year Sack is the leading receiver with 17 catches for 184 and one touchdown while rushing for 210 yards (6.6 avcrage per carry) and three touchdowns. Valentine has rushed for 305 yards (6.9 average) with two touchdowns while catching 16 passes for 180 yards and one score.
The Patriot defense is led by Sai’vyon Brown (5-11, 155 jr.) with four interceptions and linebacker Hunter Giacomo (6-0, 185 jr.) with 55 tackles.
The Big Reds defense will try to bring back the effort that produced shutouts in its first three games and is led by the Stalnaker twins, Matthew and Andrew. Matthew had 45 tackles (11 for loss) with three sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries while Andrew is third on the team with 36 tackles and two interceptions. Zane Lewis has 44 tackles and three interceptions.
Offensively, record-setting quarterback David Parsons will try to add to his already impressive numbers of 1,331 yards passing with 18 touchdowns. He has completed 69 percent of his 100 passing attempts. With his next passing touchdown he will become the all-time PHS career TD leader through the air, breaking the record set in 2001 by Kennedy Award winner Marc Kimes, the brother of Big Red head coach Matt Kimes.
His four top receivers have put up big numbers as Anthony Ice has 19 catches for 445 yards (23.4 average) and seven touchdowns while Andrew Stalnaker has 15 receptions for 375 yards (25.0) and three scores. Matthew Stalnaker has nine receptions for 192 yards (19.2) and three touchdowns while Casey Stanley has 13 passes caught for 190 yards (14.6) and five touchdowns.
Stanley leads the team with 65 points on five touchdowns, four field goals and 23 extra points.

Unbeaten Showdown Sees Midland Defense Lift Knights Over PHS, 42-16

 Game Statistics

       Cabell Midland came up with four goal-line stands and four take-aways to defeat Parkersburg 42-16 Friday night at Stadium Field in a battle of top five ranked, unbeaten teams.
Two times in each half PHS came up with first-and-goal situations but failed to capitalize and the Big Reds suffered an un-characteristic four turnovers, including the first three interceptions of the entire season.
The win put Midland at 5-0 and should improve their number five ranking while the loss drops PHS, which came into the game ranked second in Class AAA, to 4-1 going into next Friday’s home game with George Washington. George Washington defeated South Charleston 98-7 Friday to raise its record to 2-3.    
Midland broke open a tight game with three third quarter scores and finished the contest with 426 yards rushing as former Parkersburg South quarterback Robert Shockey scored three times and Curtis Jones added a pair of short touchdown runs. Shockey ran for 117 yards on 21 carries and passed for 118 yards although suffering three interceptions. Jones ran for 207 yards on 23 carries.
PHS went to the air 42 times with David Parsons completing 27 for 343 yards and two touchdowns but experienced his first, second and third interceptions of the year. His two scoring passes enabled him to tie the all-time school record of 52 career TD passes held by head coach Matt Kimes’ brother Marc.
Midland finished with 544 yards in total offense while PHS had 359 yards as the Big Reds could manage just 16 yards on 18 rushing attempts against a swarming Knight defense.
The Knights took the opening kickoff and drove 54 yards in 16 plays to the PHS 11 yard line but Jason Williams came up with a fourth down sack.
The Big Reds followed that with a 14-play, 81yard drive but could not push the ball into the end zone after getting a first down on the four yard line, turning it over on downs at the one on the first play of the second quarter.
An interception by Zane Lewis set the Big Reds up to take the lead when Casey Stanley kicked a 32-yard field goal with 7:59 left in the half. But Cabell answered with an 80-yard drive that took 10 plays with Shockey putting his team ahead on a one yard run.
The Big Reds almost answered that touchdown themselves, driving 68 yards to the Midland one yard line for a first down after a 27-yard reception by Matthew Stalnaker. Two runs gained nothing and on third down Parsons was picked off in the end zone by Miles Meadors with just 21 seconds left before intermission to preserve a 7-3 lead.
So, instead of being up 17-7, the Big Reds suffered a 3-and-out to start the second half and Midland churned out a 65 yard scoring drive capped by Jones’ two yard run.
Another Parsons interception two plays later put the visitors back in business and Jones ripped off a 22 yard run to set up a 19 yard scoring play when Shockey faked to Jones and kept the ball up the middle to score with 5:33 and the Knights were up 21-3.
The bad luck continued for PHS as a fumble on the ensuing kickoff put Midland on the Big Red 36 yard line. Shockey’s touchdown run of 19 yards came on an option play as he faked the pitch to Jones and kept up the middle to make it 28-3.
The Big Reds finally reached the end zone with 1:26 left in the third quarter as a 36 yard pass to Matthew Stalnaker set up a 28 yard TD toss to Andrew Stalnaker to cut the lead to 28-10.
With less than a minute to play in the third quarter Matthew Stalnaker came up with an interception and 18 yard return to the Knights’ five yard line. But once again PHS was turned away when two runs gained only two yards and two passes fell incomplete.
Midland then went 97 yards to score again thanks mainly to a 58 yard run by Jones, who was being tackled just five yards downfield only to be spun around and stay on his feet before taking the ball to the 10 yard line. Two plays later he scored to make it 35-10.
The Big Reds reached the end zone again on a 45 yard pass to Anthony Ice with 9:18 left in the game, cutting the margin to 35-16.
Midland put the game out of reach thanks mainly to a 31 yard run by Jayden Branch followed by a two yard TD run by Logan Hobbs.
The game ended after PHS drove 80 yards to a first and goal at the four but a pass to Jakel Shelton was stopped at the one yard line.
Ice, Andrew Stalnaker and Shelton all caught six passes in the game with Matthew Stalnaker catching four for 101 yards. Unofficially, Andrew Stalnaker had 11 tackles while Casey Stanley and Jake Bauman had nine stops each. Lewis had two interceptions while Matthew Stalnaker had one.  

#5 Cabell Midland vs #2 Parkersburg (Sep 22, 2023 at Parkersburg)
Score by Quarters 1      2      3      4      - Total
Cabell Midland     0      7      21    14    - 42
Parkersburg          0      3      7      6      - 16
Qtr Time Scoring play
2nd 07:59 PHS - Casey Stanley 32 yd field goal, 6-22 1:09
04:36 CM - Robert Shockey 1 yd run (Tony Hornbuckle kick), 10-80 3:23
3rd 07:31 CM - Curtis Jones 2 yd run (Tony Hornbuckle kick), 7-65 2:10
05:33 CM - Robert Shockey 6 yd run (Tony Hornbuckle kick), 4-44 1:21
02:46 CM - Robert Shockey 19 yd run (Tony Hornbuckle kick), 6-36 2:40
01:26 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 28 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 3-67 1:18
4th 09:40 CM - Curtis Jones 1 yd run (Tony Hornbuckle kick), 6-97 2:15
09:18 PHS - Anthony Ice 45 yd pass from David Parsons (David Parsons pass failed), 2-55 0:16
05:16 CM - Logan Hobbs 2 yd run (Tony Hornbuckle kick), 8-80 4:02
.............................................................CM         PHS
FIRST DOWNS                                      27            20
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       55-426     18-16
PASSING YDS (NET)                           118          343
Passes Att-Comp-Int                               15-9-3     42-27-3
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS     70-544     60-359
Fumble Returns-Yards                            0-0           0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                0-0           0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards                           1-26         7-82
Interception Returns-Yards                    3-21         3-31
Punts (Number-Avg)                              0-0.0        1-33.0
Fumbles-Lost                                          0-0           1-1
Penalties-Yards                                       10-87       7-46
Possession Time                                     27:09       17:20
Third-Down Conversions                       6 of 9       4 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions                     2 of 3       2 of 4
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                     6-8           1-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards                       2-16         2-9
RUSHING: Cabell Midland-Curtis Jones 23-207; Robert Shockey 21-117; Jayden Branch 4-57; Landon Nida 3-20; Logan Hobbs 2-13; Cannon Lewis 2-12. Parkersburg-Jason Williams 5-12; Jakel Shelton 6-12;
David Parsons 7-minus 8.
PASSING: Cabell Midland-Robert Shockey 9-15-3-118. Parkersburg-David Parsons 27-42-3-343.
RECEIVING: Cabell Midland-Miles Meadors 3-50; Curtis Jones 2-21; Michael Lunsford 1-20; Jayden Branch 1-18; Caden Bowen 1-7; Landon Nida 1-2. Parkersburg-Anthony Ice 6-83; Andrew Stalnaker 6-82; Jakel
Shelton 6-48; Matthew Stalnaker 4-101; Casey Stanley 4-23; Jason Williams 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS: Cabell Midland-Miles Meadors 1-20; Elijah Pratt 1-1; Jayden Branch 1-0. Parkersburg-Zane Lewis 2-13; Matthew Stalnaker 1-18.
FUMBLES: Cabell Midland-None. Parkersburg-Anthony Ice 1-1.
Cabell Midland (5-0) vs. Parkersburg (4-1)
Attendance: 2500 Total elapsed time: 2:54
SACKS (UA-A): Cabell Midland-Logan Hobbs 2-0. Parkersburg-Jason Williams 1-0; Casey Stanley 1-0.
TACKLES (UA-A): Cabell Midland-Logan Hobbs 2-0; Cannon Lewis 1-0. Parkersburg-Andrew Stalnaker 7-4; Casey Stanley 6-3; Jake Bauman 3-6; Zane Lewis 4-3; Adam Elder 3-3; Cyrus Backus 5-0; Jason Williams
3-2; Jakel Shelton 2-3; Anthony Ice 4-0; Allen Bradlee 3-1; Matthew Stalnaker 2-2; Carter Watts 0-2; Ethan Jones 1-0; Eli Bauman 0-1.

Unbeaten Midland Invades Friday In Another Test For 2nd Ranked PHS

........Out of the frying pan and right back into the fire.
        Fresh from a win over previously second ranked and undefeated Parkersburg South, the Parkersburg Big Reds will face now fifth ranked and undefeated Cabell Midland Friday night at Stadium Field. PHS has now replaced South as the state’s second-ranked team according to the latest Secondary School Activities Commission ratings.
        Morgantown is currently the state’s top-ranked team with PHS followed by Huntington, Princeton and Midland. South dropped to sixth overall.
        In fact the Big Reds will not only face another unbeaten squad but after beating Parkersburg South last week they will face a team led by former Parkersburg South quarterback Robert Shockey and his all-state running back teammate Curtis Jones.
        Now 4-0 Midland beat the Big Reds 31-10 a year ago on its home turf and returns several key players from a year ago when Jones rushed for 125 yards as part of a Knight offense that piled up 473 yards on the ground. And in the off-season coach Luke Salmons added transfer quarterback Shockey who has given Midland a passing attack to go with its ground game.
        Shockey, a 6-foot-2, 195 pounder, threw four touchdown passes in the first quarter last week as Midland set a school scoring record with a 75-0 win over South Charleston. The Knights were ahead 41-0 after a quarter and 69-0 at the half. In his last two games Shockey has completed 16 of 21 passes for 217 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards on 18 carries with one touchdown. Six different receivers have been his target.
        Jones, a 6-2, 210 pound 1,000 yard rusher a year ago, scored three touchdowns in a big 34-21 win over highly regarded Ironton two weeks ago and in week two scored the game-winning touchdown on a 75-yard fourth quarter run as Midland rallied for a 28-20 win over Spring Valley. Jones ran the ball one time last Friday for 32 yards and caught two scoring passes for a total of 54 yards before watching the shortened second half against the Black Eagles. In handing Ironton its only loss of the year, he ran for 141 yards on 30 attempts.
        The other Midland victory was a 49-21 triumph over George Washington. The Knights were ranked third last week in the WVSSAC ratings and are anchored on the line by 6-foot-2, 245 pound tight end/defensive end Michael Lunsford, a first team all-state selection a year ago when Midland lost in the first round of the playoffs by a 41-13 score to Bridgeport.
        Meanwhile the Big Reds have out-scored their four opponents so far 209-35 while forcing 15 turnovers, nine interceptions and six fumbles. PHS has just two turnovers (both fumbles) and has scored 14 of 15 times in the red zone.
        PHS quarterback David Parsons shattered the school single record for total offense with 496 total yards against South and nearly set an all-time passing yardage mark with 410 yards through the air and 86 yards rushing. He has now thrown for 988 yards and 16 touchdowns while playing only 10 quarters. He has completed 42 of 58 passes (72.4%) with no interceptions while rushing for 151 yards (8.4 average) and three touchdowns.
        His group of receivers is second to none in the state as Anthony Ice, Casey Stanley and the Stalnaker twins, Andrew and Matthew, have put up impressive numbers. Ice has 13 catches for 362 yards (27.8) and six touchdowns while Stanley has nine catches for 167 yards (18.6) and five scores. Andrew Stalnaker has nine catches for 293 yards (32.6) and two scores while Matthew Stalnaker has five receptions for 91 yards (18.2) and three touchdowns.
        Jakel Shelton leads the Big Red ground game with 176 yards (5.2 average) and four touchdowns.
        Stanley leads the team with 61 points on five touchdowns, three field goals and 22 extra points. He has also put 15 of 29 kickoffs into the end zone.
        Defensively, Matthew Stalnaker leads PHS with 38 tackles, 10 of them for loss (2 sacks) along with two fumble recoveries. Brother Andrew Stalnaker has 24 tackles and two interceptions while Zane Lewis has 32 stops along with an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt. Cyrus Backus has three interceptions and Adam Elder leads the team with four sacks.
        Midland leads the all-time series with PHS 17-14 and the Big Reds have not beaten the Knights since 2011.

Parsons Shatters Single-Game Record

        If you are going to set a record you might as well shatter the old record to pieces while you are accomplishing the feat.
That’s exactly was senior quarterback David Parsons did Friday night against arch-rival Parkersburg South when he amassed 496 yards in total offense to break the old record by a whopping 60 yards.
Parsons nearly broke the single-game passing yardage record of 429 with his 410 yard effort but when his 86 rushing yards were added to that total his record of 496 figures to stand for some time. The previous record was 436 yards of total offense accomplished just three years ago by Bryson Singer, who ran for 217 yards and passed for 219 yards against John Marshall.
The passing yardage mark of 429 was set by Jake Johnson in 2018 versus Wheeling Park but the Big Red quarterback suffered 24 yards in lost rushing yardage to give him a total offense mark of 405 (currently 5th best on the list). Rick Marshall is now third with 414 yards in total offense (accomplished against Parkersburg South in 1988 with a 343 yard passing and 71 yard rushing effort) while Singer is also fourth on the list with 412 yards against Hurricane in 2019.
In 10 quarters of action this year he has already thrown for 988 yards and 16 touchdowns. In case you were wondering the record for season passing yardage is 2,718 by Johnson in 1988 and the record for touchdowns in 27 in 2004 by Chance Litton, whose grandfather Keith was inducted into the PHS Football Hall of Fame on Friday. Parsons tied the regular season record of 22 touchdown passes last year. 

PHS Wins Wild One From South, 43-35

  Game Statistics

 It was certainly a game that lived up to his hype.
In a contest between two heavyweight fighters trading punches for four quarters, Parkersburg earned some respect from around the state by coming from behind to defeat second-ranked Parkersburg South 43-35 Friday night before 5,000 fans at Stadium Field.
The fourth-ranked Big Reds, who were only ranked 11th in state media polls, won the battle of attrition by coming up with five turnovers and getting a near-record 410-yard passing performance from David Parsons to win its fourth straight game and hand the Patriots their first loss in four outings.
PHS won despite giving up nearly 700 yards in total offense to a South team which came into the contest averaging 70 points per game and gave up its first touchdown of the year on the game’s first play from scrimmage.
The Big Reds won by making key defensive plays when they had to make them and by getting a huge game from Parsons, who threw for five touchdowns and scored a sixth himself on a 50 yard run. Although he came up nine yards shy of tying the all-time single game passing yardage record, Parsons was able to complete 18 of 25 passes with no interceptions while rushing for 86 yards on 12 attempts to account for all but 10 yards of his team’s total offense for the night.
His Big Four receiving corps put up some gaudy numbers themselves as Casey Stanley and Anthony Ice each scored twice and Andrew Stalnaker once on plays covering 29, 42, 38, 82 and 69 yards. Stanley caught four passes for 85 yards, Ice seven passes for 147 yards, Andrew Stalnaker four passes for 122 yards and twin brother Matt Stalnaker had two receptions for 54 yards.
The South offense put up an amazing 451 yards rushing thanks to another incredible performance by Gage Wright. The Patriot senior came into the game with 16 touchdowns and tacked on four more to his total on plays that covered 15 yards (on a pass), 80 yards, 30 yards and 12 yards while finishing the game with 292 yards rushing on 24 attempts and the one pass reception.
Patriot quarterback Turner Garretson completed 14 of 26 passes for 221 yards but suffered three interceptions and lost one of his team’s two fumbles. He ran for 106 yards on 19 carries.
The two teams combined for 44 first downs and 1,178 yards in total offense. South finished with 672 yards total on 79 plays with 451 coming on the ground while PHS had 96 rushing for a total of 506.
The Big Reds trailed 35-33 heading into the fourth quarter but went up for good on the first play of the period when Parsons found Andrew Stalnaker over the middle and the PHS senior sped to the goal line barely ahead of South’s Tristan Walker. Stanley’s extra point kick put PHS up by five.
South tried to regain the lead as it had done three times before but came up short on a fourth down play when Matt Stalnaker broke through and tackled Wright for a three-yard loss on the Big Red 18 yard line.
PHS then ran six minutes off the clock with a 10-play drive that ended when Big Red coach Matt Kimes elected to go for a field goal with 2:06 remaining on a four-and-one situation from the South 14 yard line. The kick was good and PHS was up by eight with 2:01 remaining in the game.
South’s offense went to the air on all but two of its last 11 plays and moved to the Big Red 34 yard line before Jake Bauman and Adam Elder sacked Garretson for a one yard line as time appeared to expire. After a lengthy delay, it was decided to put nine-tenths of a second back on the clock and Garretson’s end zone heave was picked off by Andrew Stalnaker to end the game.
The game lasted nearly four hours (3:42) thanks to 26 accepted penalties for 193 yards (12 on South and 14 on PHS).
South scored on the game’s first offensive play when Devon Forshey found himself all alone behind the PHS secondary and went 80 yards to the end zone. After a penalty, Wright ran for the two-point conversion.
The Big Reds answered with a 29 yard scoring toss to Stanley but the extra point kick was blocked and PHS found itself down by two points.
South moved to the PHS 16 yard line but fumbled the ball away at that point and PHS had to punt on its next possession. South fumbled again near midfield but PHS couldn’t convert on a fourth-and-one at the 40 and South increased its lead to 14-6 on the scoring pass to Wright with just 26 seconds left in the first quarter. The two-point conversion failed and on the last play of the period, Parsons faked a handoff at midfield and went up the left sideline for a touchdown. Stanley’s PAT kick made it 14-13 heading into the second stanza.
On the first play of the second quarter, Wright went 80 yards to the end zone, shaking off tacklers all along the way. The extra point kick made it 21-13.
The Big Reds cut it back to one point on a 42 yard scoring toss to Stanley, who found his way past the South secondary.
An interception by Ice set up PHS to take the lead 27-21 on a 38 yard pass to Ice, who got a clearing downfield block by Andrew Stalnaker.
South drove all the way to the Big Red three yard line on its next possession but first Stanley stopped Wright for no gain then two plays later Matt Stalnaker sacked Garretson for a nine yard loss and on fourth down the pass was overthrown in the end zone.
South regained the lead when Wright went 30 yard around end untouched and the extra point made it 28-27 only to see the Big Reds answer with an 82-yard scoring pass to Ice, who got open across the middle and beat the Patriot defender to the goal line. After four penalties (two each way), Stanley missed his first extra point of the season and PHS had a 33-28 advantage.
The Patriots retaliated in quick fashion, going 80 yards in 2:10 to score on a 12 run by Wright, who had earlier in the series broke one for 34 yards.
That set up the Parsons toss to Andrew Stalnaker to push PHS back on top by five, 40-35, and set up the wild finish.
Unofficially on defense the Big Reds were led by Matthew Stalnaker with 14 tackles while brother Andrew added 11 and Stanley and Zane Lewis had 10 tackles each.

#2 South Parkersburg vs #4 Parkersburg
(Sep 15, 2023 at Parkersburg HS)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total
Parkersburg South 14   7 14   0 -  35
Parkersburg            13 14   6 10 -  43
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 11:45 SP - Devon Forshey 80 yd pass from Turner Garretson (Gage Wright rush), 1-80 0:15
09:04 PHS - Casey Stanley 29 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick blockd), 5-63 2:40
00:26 SP - Gage Wright 15 yd pass from Turner Garretson (Collin Hayes pass failed), 6-60 2:31
00:11 PHS - David Parsons 50 yd run (Casey Stanley kick), 2-55 0:15
2nd 11:40 SP - Gage Wright 80 yd run (James Thompson kick), 2-80 0:25
09:13 PHS - Casey Stanley 42 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 6-74 2:20
06:50 PHS - Anthony Ice 38 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 3-48 1:11
3rd 06:53 SP - Gage Wright 30 yd run (James Thompson kick), 8-80 3:12
03:14 PHS - Anthony Ice 82 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick failed), 1-82 0:17
01:14 SP - Gage Wright 12 yd run (James Thompson kick), 7-80 2:00
4th 11:49 PHS - Andrew Stalnaker 69 yd pass from David Parsons (Casey Stanley kick), 2-66 1:15
02:06 PHS - Casey Stanley 32 yd field goal, 10-68 5:59
.............................................................PS           PHS
FIRST DOWNS                                      27            17
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)                       53-451     24-96
PASSING YDS (NET)                           221          410
Passes Att-Comp-Int                               26-14-3   26-18-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS     79-672     50-506
Fumble Returns-Yards                            0-0           0-0
Punt Returns-Yards                                2-0           0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards                           3-52         4-47
Interception Returns-Yards                    0-0           3-23
Punts (Number-Avg)                              1-27.0      4-37.5
Fumbles-Lost                                          2-2           0-0
Penalties-Yards                                       12-86       14-107
Possession Time                                     25:06       22:54
Third-Down Conversions                       6 of 13     2 of 8
Fourth-Down Conversions                     2 of 4       0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances                     2-5           1-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards                       0-0           3-11
RUSHING: South Parkersburg-Gage Wright 24-292; Turner Garretson 19-106; Eli Bartley 10-53. Parkersburg-David Parsons 12-86; Jakel Shelton 9-22; Sylas Cheuvront 1-minus 3; Cooper Cancade
2-minus 9.
PASSING: South Parkersburg-Turner Garretson 14-26-3-221. Parkersburg-David Parsons 18-25-0-410; Cooper Cancade 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: South Parkersburg-Devon Forshey 6-142; Eli Bartley 4-41; Triston Walker 3-23; Gage Wright 1-15. Parkersburg-Anthony Ice 7-147; Andrew Stalnaker 4-122; Casey Stanley 4-85; Matthew Stalnaker
2-54; Jakel Shelton 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS: South Parkersburg-None. Parkersburg-Anthony Ice 1-23; Andrew Stalnaker 1-0; Cyrus Backus 1-0.
FUMBLES: South Parkersburg-Gage Wright 1-1; Turner Garretson 1-1. Parkersburg-None.
South Parkersburg (3-1) vs. Parkersburg (4-0)
Site: Parkersburg HS • Stadium: Stadium Field
Attendance: 5000
Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 11:12 • Total elapsed time: 3:42
SACKS (UA-A): South Parkersburg-None. Parkersburg-Jake Bauman 0-2; Matthew Stalnaker 1-1; Adam Elder 0-1.
TACKLES (UA-A): South Parkersburg-Tyson Wagoner 7-0; Gage Wright 4-2; Turner Garretson 3-3; Cole Middleton 3-1; Eli Bartley 3-0; Triston Walker 3-0; Collin Hayes 2-0; Taj Joyce 2-0; Devon Forshey
2-0; Logan Middleton 0-2; Kyle Perkins 1-0; Preston Ceglar 1-0; Derek Sandy 1-0; Aeneas Lauderman 0-1. Parkersburg-Matthew Stalnaker 8-6; Andrew Stalnaker 6-5; Casey Stanley 7-3; Zane Lewis 4-6; Jake Bauman 3-5; Jakel Shelton 2-5; Cyrus Backus 3-3; Adam Elder 2-3; Chris Cox 0-5; Anthony Ice 3-0; Conner Petty 1-2; Caleb Norman 1-2; Carter Watts 0-1; Eli Bauman 0-1; Jacob Bohone 0-1; Tom Finnicum 0-1.