The Bottom Line
By Bill Nestor
Sports Editor
There is no place like home especially for the Lincoln football team. The Cougars snapped a four game losing streak with an impressive win over Richie County last Friday at Stydahar Field.
The 36-12 win provided the second victory of the season while providing a glimpse of what this offense can provide when healthy. Standout quarterback Jarrod Kellar hasn’t been 100% since early in the campaign, but in his last two outings he has put up some solid numbers.
Neither the Rebel defense nor the miserable weather could slow down the senior signal-caller. Kellar threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another score in the process. His accuracy was staggering considering the conditions, as he was 18 of 23 on the night. His favorite target, Chase Riley, caught 6 passes for 160 yards. Three of those receptions went for touchdowns on plays of 16, 54, and 35 yards respectively. As the Cougars get healthier their play becomes more consistent. Case in point is that they found the end zone in all four quarters of Friday’s win.
On the defensive side of the ball they allowed just 167 yards of total offense. They held Richie County scoreless in the first period and they forced three turnovers that included a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception.
This week they travel to Robert C. Byrd for an inner-county clash. The Flying Eagles looked solid in their 51-0 defeat of East Fairmont this past week. Robert C. Byrd scored on all seven of their first half possessions to open up a 45-0 half time lead. Offensive balance kept the Bee’s “D” off balance. The Flying Eagles amassed 414 yards of total offense with 263 of them coming on the ground and 151 in the air. The rushing attack has been their mainstay this year but quarterback Julian Marino is ready when called upon. Marino is and extremely accurate strong-armed passer that can also run when needed. He was 6 of 12 with a pair of touchdown tosses against East Fairmont.
Robert C. Byrd’s defense allowed just four yards rushing in the win over the Bees.
Notre Dame earned its fourth straight win, 34-14 over Liberty. It was the second consecutive win over a quality Class AA team and it has the Fighting Irish smack dab in the middle of the playoff scene. This was Notre Dame’s first home game of the season and they used a 20-0 third quarter scoring advantage to surge to the victory.
Santino Cava was the workhorse, rushing 17 times for 207 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Jordan Miller was 16 of 22 passing for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Spencer Harlow. The defense overcame five Fighting Irish turnovers while only allowing two Mountaineer scores.
The Bridgeport Indians garnered the gem of all road wins this past week with a definitive 31-6 drubbing of Keyser. The Tribe moved out to a 21-0 lead in the third quarter before the Golden Tornado could find the scoreboard.
Dante Bonamico gained 120 yards on 26 rushes for the visitors. The defensive unit held Keyser to -14 rushing yards. The win avenged a pair of road losses two years ago and put the Indians on a five game win streak.
Speaking of big road wins; West Virginia University picked one up this past Saturday at Texas Tech. The 37-34 win was made possible by Josh Lambert’s 55-yard field goal. Lambert’s effort was a career long and provided redemption for his program. It was two years ago when this same opponent on this same field wrecked the Mountaineer’s season. WVU went into that game a perfect 5-0 but left with a 49-14 loss. It was one that the Mountaineers could not recover from.
This could have been the same story or at least another chapter in it if it weren’t for an outstanding comeback effort by the visitors. With 7:32 remaining in the game the Mounties found themselves down by 14 points. However, WVU mounted a comeback of epic proportions to even their record at 3-3. The Mountaineers look to ride the momentum from their latest win back to Touchdown City where they host Baylor this Saturday.
That will do it for now. Until next week…take care and God Bless!
