By Bill Nestor
Just past the halfway point of the high school football season, a trio of Harrison County teams collected blow out wins. The Cougars, Indians, and Mountaineers outscored their opponents 152 to 39. These squads are a combined 16 and four on the campaign and find themselves deep in the playoff hunt.
Lincoln looked rather impressive on paper, and after broadcasting their lock-up this past Friday with Robert C. Byrd, can attest that they are every bit as good as advertised. The Cougars are a very talented and well coached team that has all of the tools needed to make a deep run in the Class AA playoffs.
Lincoln cashed in their frequent flier miles and went to the air early and often. Quarterback A. J. Bart piloted his team to five trips to the endzone, tossing more touchdowns than incompletions in the affair. Bart was 18 of 22 for 279 yards. I have never been much of a Nostradamus kind of guy, but I have a prediction concerning the sophomore signal caller. If Bart continues to develop throughout the remainder of his high school career, we could be watching one of the best quarterbacks to come out of Harrison County. Bart has the arm strength to make any throw, and the touch over the top on deep passes gives him the complete arsenal.
Seven different players caught passes from Bart. Brayden Edgell had six receptions for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Noah Sears caught three balls, including a 19-yard touchdown. Maddox Perine joined the touchdown party with a 28-yard scoring reception.
Defensively, the Cougars limited the Flying Eagles to three first downs after the initial drive. The stoppers would not allow a single yard in through the air and no points versus the starting unit. Special teams were special as well. Kicker Liam Gallagher was a perfect six of six on extra points. Edgell finished the scoring for Lincoln on a 55-yard punt return in the fourth quarter.
The win moved the Cougars to five and two on the year and they earn the week off. Robert C. Byrd will travel to Phillip Barbour this week.
The Indians hosted Parkersburg South and Kennedy Award hopeful, Gage Wright. The Tribe slowed Wright, holding the standout in check while putting on a rushing clinic en route to a 45 to 15 win.
Bridgeport’s Zach Rohrig earned a game-high 178 yards on 27 carries. Rohrig also had a hat trick, scoring three times in this epic battle of Class AAA powerhouses. Jack Spatafore provided a passing punch, going three of four for 139 passing yards. Spatafore connected with Donovan Williams on a 37-yard scoring play.
The Tribe would punt just once in the match-up and rolled up a staggering 521 yards on the ground. The Indians moved to five and one and host Preston this week.
The Mountaineers played host to Berkeley Springs asd came away with a 62 to 20 victory this past Friday. Liberty head coach A. J. Harman deserves a great deal of credit for the job he has done this season. With all of the speculation surrounding the possibility of a consolidation that could move his school into Robert C. Byrd, Harman has kept the focus of his team. Harman is an alum and has deep-seated love for his school. Under Harman’s leadership, the Mountaineers jumped out to a 41 to six halftime lead and never looked back.
Isaiah Heflin was five of seven passing for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Jenson Dodd hauled in all five completions and found pay dirt three times. Noah Schoonover recorded a game-high on the ground with 109 yards on just three attempts. He scored on two of them from 97 and nine yards, respectively.
The Mountaineers bring East Fairmont to town for Homecoming this Friday.