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Roney's Field Goal With No Time Left Lifts Big Reds Over Knights, 37-34

ONA - Cody Roney withstood two efforts by the Cabell Midland Knight to "ice" him with timeouts and was still able to convert a 25 yard game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock as the Parkersburg Big Reds out-lasted the home team for a 37-34 victory.

PHS allowed the Knights to take put together a 99-yard scoring drive to take the lead with just 2:03 remaining in the game but then responded behind the inspired play of quarterback Alex Ash to move from their own 33 yard line into scoring position. Ash scrambled for runs of 21 and 14 yards on the late drive and found Skyler Terrell for a 14 yard completion to the Cabell 21 yard line. That set up an amazing run by Adam Lindamood that was thwarted by a new rule.

Lindamood rambled up the middle, broke out of three tackles at the eight yard line, lost his helmet, bounced outside and scored what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown with less than a second on the clock. But the officials blew their whistles and signaled Lindamood down at the 13 because a rule just put into effect this year that says if a runner loses his helmet the play shall be blown dead to avoid possible injury.

So PHS coach Don Reeves decided to for a field goal try with nine-tenths of a second on the clock and on came Roney. Cabell coach Luke Salmons promptly called back-to-back timeouts to try to psych out the junior soccer-style kicker. The Big Reds lined up on the right hash mark to try the kick but a Knight player jumped offside and the officials moved the ball five yards closer to the eight - but also making the angle that much more difficult for Roney.

But with a good snap, good blocking and a good spot by Ash, Roney drilled the kick through the uprights to win the game.

The victory pushed PHS to 2-0 on the year and dropped Midland to 0-2 with both being narrow defeats.

Ash finished the night with 10 completions in 18 attempts for 154 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 30 net yards on six attempts. Lindamood wound up with 71 yards rushing on 18 carries while Chad Collins had 30 yards rushing on just two carries and added another touchdown by running the opening kickoff back 81 yards. However, Collins was injured late in the first half and did not see any further action. Jeremy Bell and Zayne Minnite each caught three passes with Bell getting 43 yards and Minnite 36. Adrian Webster had one reception but it was for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, John Weber was in on 13 tackles while Josh Lewis had another big night with 12 tackles and a blocked punt which he picked up and returned 10 yards for a touchdown. Coby Sovel was in on 11 tackles.

Cabell Midland was led by 210 pound fullback Lowell Farley, who last week ran for over 300 yards in a loss to Spring Valley. Against PHS, Farley ran 29 times for 196 yards and scored two touchdowns, one a 62 yarder. Cody Carter ran for 73 yards for Midland, which had 337 yards on the ground for the night, and had a nifty 80 yard punt return for a touchdown on which he waited until the ball rolled dead on his 20 yard line before picking it up at the last second and racing up the other side of the field for a touchdown.

Midland had a 21-17 advantage in first downs and out-gained PHS 419-284.

Collins got the game off to a quick start as he picked up the opening kickoff on his 19 yard line and raced straight up the middle to the end zone for a touchdown with just 13 seconds run off the clock. Roney then kicked the first of four extra points on the night.

The Knight quickly answered that touchdown with a seven-play drive consisting of seven running plays and two personal foul penalties on PHS. Quarterback Stephen Hamer did the honors on a 12 yard keep with 8:28 on the clock. The extra point kick was blocked by Lewis.

The Big Reds took just six plays to respond with a touchdown of their own to cap a 66 yard drive. Collins did the honors with a 20 run over right tackle in which the blocking was so good that he was not touched by a defender.

After a Sovel-led defensive charge held Midland and forced a punt from the Knights' 18 yard line, Lewis got PHS on the board again with another blocked kick, this one he recovered on the 10 yard line and made it into the end zone himself to push the score to 21-6 with 3:23 remaining in the first quarter.

The wild first quarter was not over yet, though.

Three plays later Farley ran up the middle, broke outside and raced 62 yards for a touchdown with 2:02 on the clock. The two-point conversion try failed, however, and Midland still trailed 21-12.

Things continued at a frantic pace as both teams traded fumbles (Lewis recovering the Midland bobble for his third recovery of the year). PHS punted and three plays later the Knights threw a rare pass and Hamer completed it to Kasey Thomas behind the Big Red secondary for a 42 yard touchdown play. The kick made it 21-19 in favor of the home team.

The Knights were not through as Carter caught the Big Reds napping as the PHS punt team thought the Knights were going to let the ball roll dead and not attempt a return. So, as PHS players slowed to watch the ball, Carter picked it up and ran up a perfectly formed wall on the other side of the field, going 80 yards to the end zone. Chris Molina's extra point kick made it 25-21 in favor of the Knights with 5:38 remaining in the first half.

That proved to be plenty of time for Ash and Lindamood. The Big Red quarterback started from his own 25 and found Minnite for 12 yards before hitting Bell for gains of 16 and 13 respectively to the Cabell 21 yard line. Five straight carries by Lindamood produced the go-ahead touchdown on a three yard run with 1:59 on the clock. PHS tried for the two-point conversion in an effort to take a three-point lead but the pass was incomplete.

The second half slowed down considerably until the final minutes. The Big Reds added a touchdown on their first possession by going 65 yards on seven plays with a 20 yard pass out of the backfield to Lindamood being the big gainer prior to a perfect strike on a slant pass to Webster for the final 35 stripes with 5:18 left in the third quarter. Roney's kick put PHS up 34-26.

That eight-point margin looked safe after sophomore Kyle Foster launched a 49 yard spiral punt which Chandler Hamilton ran down and grabbed on the one yard line.

Faced with 99 yards to go and only 8:27 left in the contest, the Knights ran Farley's strong body down the field and threw in a crucial third down and 12 completion to Carter which gained 42 yards to the PHS 20 yard line. With 2:03 showing, Farley finally bulled over right tackle from the one three plays later and then watched Carter run for the two-point conversion to tie the count at 34-all and set the stage for the PHS drive for victory.

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