at South Charleston                                   

Returns, Harris Lead SC to 48-34 Comeback Win

Defending state champion South Charleston rallied for five second half touchdowns to come from behind and defeat Parkersburg High 48-34 at Oakes Field in South Charleston.

Allan Wasonga of PHS returned from a two-game injury hiatus to square off against South Charleston's Tyler Harris in a meeting of last year's two top vote-getters in the race for the Kennedy Award. And like he did in the voting, Harris had the slight edge in the meeting of the two all-staters.

Harris ran for three touchdowns and passed for two more scores while collecting 347 yards in total offense. The talented South Charleston quarterback ran for 169 yards on 21 attempts and scored on runs of 17, 16 and 12 yards while completing 14 of 26 passes for 178 yards (with two interceptions). His TD passes came on plays covering 34 yards to Mo Mekhene and 20 yards to Pierria Henry. It was Henry's 60 yard punt return with 10:17 left in the game that snapped a 234-all tie and gave the Black Eagles the lead for good.

Wasonga scored four touchdowns while gaining 187 yards on 23 carries. His touchdown runs came on plays covering three, 11, 23 and 44 yards but he was held out of the end zone over the last 20 minutes when South Charleston came back from a 34-21 deficit.

The game was fairly even from a statistical standpoint, PHS holding a 22-21 edge in first downs while being out-rushed 261-250. In the air, the visiting Big Reds had 134 yards as junior Alex Ash completed 14 of 20 passes. So the total offense was 439-384 in favor of the Eagles.

The key points for South Charleston came in the first quarter when George Streater picked up a fumble, ran 50 yards and then lateraled the ball to Davontae Edwards who ran the final 25 yards for a touchdown and early in the fourth quarter when Henry ran back the punt for the go-ahead touchdown.

PHS scored on its first possession of the game, going 80 yards in eight plays with Ash hitting Chad Collins for a 41 yard completion in the flat and finding Kevin Minehart for a 21 yard slant pass to the SC three yard line - from where Wasonga took it over right guard for the TD with just 2:17 gone in the contest.

Collins stopped South Charleston's first scoring threat by forcing and then recovering a fumble on the Big Red 10 yard line but the Big Reds returned the favor moments later when Ash lost the ball and Edwards picked it up and rambled 65 yards for the tying touchdown with 3:29 left in the first period.

A short punt by PHS gave the Eagles the ball on the Big Red 32 yard line and six plays later Harris ran up the middle from the 17 for the touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.

However, the Big Reds answered that TD with a nine play, 79 yard drive with Wasonga breaking off the big gainer on a 23 yard run off tackle. He then scored from the 11 on a run up the middle and step toward the outside with 7:42 left in the first half. The kick by Jeff Lantz tied the game at 14-all.

An interception by Seth Frederick gave PHS the ball back on its own 26 and the Big Reds reeled off several big plays in a row. First came a 19 yard pickup by Kevin Minehart on a reverse, followed by a 10 yard completion to Adrian Webster and a 17 yard run by Adam Lindamood. After a short pass from Ash to Jeremy Bell, Wasonga reached the end zone from 23 yards away to make it 21-14 after the extra point kick with 5:58 on the clock.

The Big Reds forced a punt and started from their own 32 after a short kick and a five yard penalty on SC. Wasonga started things with a 17 yard pickup over the right side and Ash got the TD with 2:22 remaining on a five yard scramble. The kick failed but PHS was up 27-14 at the half.

PHS had 208 yards rushing and 118 yards passing in that first half.

Harris took just two and a half minutes to get his team on the board to start the second half - scoring himself on a 16 yard run around left end. But PHS retaliated in 71 seconds to up its margin again to 13 points. An 11-yard pass to Frederick and a 15 yard late hit penalty set up Wasonga's 44 yard breakaway run up the middle with 8:16 left in the third period. The kick by Lantz made it 34-21.

South Charleston took to the air with Harris hitting Mekhene three times (the final time for 34 yards and a touchdown) and the game was back to a six-point difference in the matter of just over two minutes.

The trading of touchdowns ended at that point when PHS fumbled the ball away after a pass completion on first down. South Charleston recovered on the PHS 45 and six plays later Harris hit Henry for the touchdown with 3:37 left in the third quarter and the game was tied at 34-all.

The Big Reds went three-and-out but South Charleston also had to punt. Three plays into the fourth quarter the Big Reds faced a fourth-and-nine from their own 24 and Henry gathered in Tyler Gherke's punt on his own 40 and went all the way for the back-breaking touchdown with 10:17 showing.

South Charleston put the pressure on Ash, sacking him on successive plays and forced another PHS punt, which was partially blocked and the Eagles found themselves only 12 yards from an insurance touchdown. Harris wasted little time in scoring on the first play. The extra point kick made it 48-34 and left PHS needing to score twice.

The Big Reds moved the ball to near midfield only to fumble it away with 5:40 left to play.

Huntar Shank came up with an interception and 15 yard return for PHS and the Big Reds were only 43 yards from the end zone with four minutes left to play. The Big Reds pushed the ball to the 13 yard line on a 12 yard scramble by Ash but Wasonga was hit for a yard loss and Ash threw incomplete on fourth down to end the final threat.

South Charleston was able to run the final 1:17 off the clock after getting a first down on its first play.

Luca ScottoDiluzio, Lindamood and Collins led the PHS defense with nine tackles each with Lindamood getting two tackles for loss. The Big Reds were forced to play without senior linebacker Corey Ohse, who was forced to set out the game after being ejected from the Marietta game. Ohse had accumulated 14 tackles in the first two games.

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score

-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----

Parkersburg High....  7 20  7  0  - 34

South Charleston....  7  7 20 14  - 48

Scoring Summary:

1st 09:43 PHS - Wasonga, Allan 3 yd run (Lantz, Jeff kick)

                                                   8 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:17, PHS 7 - SC 0

    03:29 SC - Edwards, D 25 yd run with lateral from George Streater after fumble recovery (Sanders, Dakota kick)

                                                                                PHS 7 - SC 7

2nd 11:55 SC - Harris, Tyler 17 yd run (Sanders, Dakota kick)

                                                  6 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:27, PHS 7 - SC 14

    07:42 PHS - Wasonga, Allan 11 yd run (Lantz, Jeff kick)

                                                 9 plays, 79 yards, TOP 4:06, PHS 14 - SC 14

    05:58 PHS - Wasonga, Allan 23 yd run (Lantz, Jeff kick)

                                                 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:25, PHS 21 - SC 14

    02:22 PHS - Ash, Alex 5 yd run (Lantz, Jeff kick failed)

                                                 5 plays, 38 yards, TOP 2:10, PHS 27 - SC 14

3rd 09:27 SC - Harris, Tyler 16 yd run (Sanders, Dakota kick)

                                                 6 plays, 65 yards, TOP 2:28, PHS 27 - SC 21

    08:16 PHS - Wasonga, Allan 44 yd run (Lantz, Jeff kick)

                                                 4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:09, PHS 34 - SC 21

    06:11 SC - Mekhene, Mo 34 yd pass from Harris, Tyler (Sanders, Dakota kick)

                                                 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:56, PHS 34 - SC 28

    03:37 SC - Henry, Pierria 20 yd pass from Harris, Tyler (Sanders, Dakota kick failed)

                                                 7 plays, 45 yards, TOP 2:25, PHS 34 - SC 34

4th 10:17 SC - Henry, Pierria 60 yd punt return (Sanders, Dakota kick)

                                                                              PHS 34 - SC 41

    08:08 SC - Harris, Tyler 12 yd run (Sanders, Dakota kick)

                                                  1 play, 12 yards, TOP 0:04, PHS 34 - SC 48

Parkersburg High                               South Charleston

Rushing         No Gain Loss  Net TD Lg  Avg   Rushing         No Gain Loss  Net TD Lg  Avg

--------------------------------------------   --------------------------------------------

Wasonga, Allan  23  193    6  187  4 44  8.1   Harris, Tyler   21  177    8  169  3 31  8.0

Lindamood, Adam  2   21    0   21  0 17 10.5   Reese, Trevand  12   82    0   82  0 23  6.8

Collins, Chad    6   19    0   19  0  7  3.2   Mekhene, Mo      3   10    1    9  0  7  3.0

Minehart, Kevin  1   19    0   19  0 19 19.0   Allen, Jevaunte  1    1    0    1  0  1  1.0

Ash, Alex        9   29   25    4  1 12  0.4   Totals...       37  270    9  261  3 31  7.1

Totals...       41  281   31  250  5 44  6.1

Passing         Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack   Passing         Att-Cmp-Int Yds TD Long Sack

--------------------------------------------   --------------------------------------------

Ash, Alex         20-14-0   134  0   41    2   Harris, Tyler     26-14-2   178  2   34    0

Totals...         20-14-0   134  0   41    2   Orcutt-rosen       1-0-1      0  0    0    0

                                               Totals...         27-14-3   178  2   34    0

Receiving        No.  Yds   TD Long            Receiving        No.  Yds   TD Long

-----------------------------------            -----------------------------------

Minehart, Kevin    4   26    0   21            Mekhene, Mo        8   97    1   34

Collins, Chad      2   53    0   41            Henry, Pierria     4   62    1   24

Frederick, Seth    2   22    0   12            Reese, Trevand     1   15    0   15

Bell, Jeremy       2   17    0   14            Streater, Georg    1    4    0    4

Thurmond, John     2    5    0    4            Totals...         14  178    2   34

Webster, Adrian    1   12    0   12

Wasonga, Allan     1   -1    0    0

Totals...         14  134    0   41

Punting          No.  Yds   Avg Long In20   TB Punting          No.  Yds   Avg Long In20   TB

---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------

Gherke, Tyler      4   79  19.8   36    0    0 Harris, Tyler      2   54  27.0   35    0    0

Totals...          4   79  19.8   36    0    0 Totals...          2   54  27.0   35    0    0

                  Punts   Kickoffs  Intercept                    Punts   Kickoffs  Intercept

All Returns     No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg  All Returns     No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg

---------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------------

Minehart, Kevin  0   0  0  3  46 26  1   0  0  Mekhene, Mo      0   0  0  3  79 32  0   0  0

Frederick, Seth  1   7  7  0   0  0  1   0  0  Henry, Pierria   1  60 60  0   0  0  0   0  0

Wasonga, Allan   0   0  0  1  15 15  0   0  0  Totals...        1  60 60  3  79 32  0   0  0

Davis, Austin    0   0  0  1   0  0  0   0  0

Shank, Huntar    0   0  0  0   0  0  1  15 15

Totals...        1   7  7  5  61 26  3  15 15

Kickoffs         No.  Yds  TB  OB   Avg        Kickoffs         No.  Yds  TB  OB   Avg

---------------------------------------        ---------------------------------------

Lantz, Jeff        6  344   3   0  57.3        Sanders, Dakota    8  372   3   0  46.5

   FUMBLES: Parkersburg High-Ash, Alex 2-2; Collins, Chad 1-0; Minehart, Kevin 1-1. South

  Charleston-Reese, Trevand 2-1.

                                Defensive Statistics                           

     Parkersburg High

    ## Player          Solo  Ast  Tot  TFL/Yds  FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    74 ScottoDiluzio      7    2    9     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    31 Collins, Chad      6    3    9     .     1  1-0    .      .    .      .     .

    21 Lindamood, Adam    4    5    9  2.0/3    .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    29 Settle, Frank      5    1    6     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    9  Frederick, Seth    4    2    6     .     .   .    1-0     1    .      .     .

    78 Sovel, Coby        3    3    6     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    98 Lewis, Josh        5    .    5     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    33 Bell, Jeremy       3    2    5  1.0/5    .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    1  Minehart, Kevin    3    2    5     .     .   .    1-0     1    .      .     .

    14 Santer, Matt       1    4    5     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    60 Weber, John        2    2    4     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    44 Shank, Huntar      2    .    2     .     .   .    1-15    .    .      .     .

    23 Gherke, Tyler      1    1    2     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    81 Davis, Austin      .    1    1     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

     South Charleston

    ## Player          Solo  Ast  Tot  TFL/Yds  FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    1  Streater, Georg    7    1    8  1.0/10   .  1-0    .      .    .     1/10   .

    7  Gagnon, Emerson    6    .    6  1.0/12   .   .     .      .    .     1/12   .

    3  Sanders, Dakota    5    1    6     .     1   .     .      3    .      .     .

    11 Henry, Pierria     5    1    6     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    69 Bays, Andrew       3    3    6  1.0/1    .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    10 Allen, Jevaunte    5    .    5     .     .  1-0    .      .    .      .     .

    50 Edwards, D         3    2    5     .     .  1-65   .      .    .      .     .

    33 Coleman, Ray-sh    4    .    4  2.0/6    .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    52 Lamb, James        3    1    4     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    23 Mekhene, Mo        2    1    3     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    12 Reese, Trevand     2    .    2     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    5  Harris, Tyler      1    .    1     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    30 Forrest, Kevin     1    .    1     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    55 Smith, Treyquan    1    .    1     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    2  Gordon, Trai       1    .    1     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

    34 Ellis, Cory        1    .    1     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .