MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – “Run this town” by Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West blared through the Morgantown High field house Friday night following the Mohigans explosive 69-15 win over University (2-3) in the Mohawk Bowl.
While a fun way to end the night after its third consecutive Mohawk Bowl win, the game seemed more a statement to the state that the Wing-T was back rather than just blowing out its long-time rival, as Morgantown (3-2) once again utilized its deep running back group to post 592 yards on the ground while virtually keeping the ball out of the air – this week only throwing one pass compared to none last week against Linsly.
“I’m proud of our kids, we’ve come a long way,” MHS coach Sean Biser said after his very first Mohawk Bowl win. “The first day we installed this offense during the summer three-week period, we could even get a snap – we were fumbling the ball all over the place. And for our kids to come from there to where we are now, I’m just ultra proud of them.”
The Wing-T is a team-oriented system, one that uses a well-rounded group of runners to eat clock and wear down opposing defenses. And while at the high school level you typically see two or three solid running backs in a Wing-T, Morgantown seemingly has a laundry list of players who can bruise their way through tackles. In the win over UHS, 10 guys got touches.
“They’re learning how to play as a team. There are no individuals, it’s about us. It’s a team mentality,” Biser said. “That’s the biggest thing I’m taking away from this and I’m proud of them.”
Even though the seniors – Cam Rice, Caden Biser and Deondre Crudup – have taken the lead the last three weeks, Friday night was sophomore Broderick Washington’s night to shine. Washington led the team with 112 yards on just six carries, helping lead MHS to a 49-7 lead at the half.
“Broderick is explosive with the ball, a young kid, too,” Biser said. “He’s got a bright future. We just have to keep working on him, working on fundamentals and expand his playbook. Once we do that, we’ve got another running back that we can run in there.”
Washington was happy about his performance, too, though he couldn’t help but commend his teammates.
“It was pretty nice – I think we played pretty well as a team,” he said. “I just got up the field. I don’t know, I think I’m equal with the rest of them.”
While the offense is the highlight of the new Mohigans squad, the defense had its best game of the year. MHS set the tone early, too. Following his touchdown on a four-play drive, Caden Biser unloaded on the Hawks for a tackle for a loss. The defense then stopped a short pass before sacking quarterback Chase Edwards to force fourth down and long.
Before the first quarter closed, MHS led 28-7. The Mohigans started the second quarter just like the first, getting a touchdown within seconds of the stanza opening and going on to put up 21 points. Through the next two quarters, MHS methodically added another 20 points while holding UHS to just eight.
“I congratulate coach Biser on his first Mohawk Bowl win,” UHS coach John Kelley said. “They’ve got great execution and their offense is really improved. Our execution was terrible. They just came out and ran it right at us and there was very little that we could do.”
“It was the most effort, the most pursuit to the football, I can’t say enough about [the defense],” Biser said. “Our defensive coaches Matt Kelly and the rest of the coaches have done a great job and, again, like everything, it’s a work in progress. I’m extremely happy with those guys to see their hard work paying off, and hopefully, we continue to improve.”
While Crudup was one shy of matching his touchdowns from last year’s Mohawk Bowl, the senior still put plenty of work for MHS on Friday. He was a huge third-down threat, and on 10 carries racked up 88 yards and two touchdowns. Thinking back to last year, he’s seen a lot of growth in his personal game as well as the team under the new offense and where he sees MHS going in the future.
“I went to Westwood, so I was supposed to go to University but I transferred because the legacy we have here is huge,” he said. “As far as our running, it starts with the O-Line – they come to practice and work every day. For the Wing-T to work, that has to be there. My work and touchdowns, I give all credit to them.
“We come into practice every day and execute. It’s not just the starters. It feels great being a part of that. It wears down other teams for sure, and the other backs they work hard, too. I thank [Matt] Lacy for giving me the opportunity to run the ball [last year]. As soon as coach Biser was hired as the new coach, I texted him, said congrats and all that, and then Caden and I tried to build that chemistry. Coach Biser, since week one of him being hired, has held us to a high expectation. His job is to turn MHS back into the powerhouse we used to be – it starts with the senior class and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
BOX SCORE
University 7 0 8 0—15
Morgantown 28 21 14 6—69
SCORING SUMMARY
MHS—Caden Biser 2 run (Jack Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Deondre Crudop 26 run (Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Davon Eldridge 17 run (Brueshecky kick)
UHS—Drew Burton 45 pass from Chase Edwards (John Coleman kick)
MHS—Eldridge 47 run (Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Crudop 8 run (Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Broderick Washington 2 run (Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Washington 61 run (Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Biser 5 run (Brueshecky kick)
MHS—Biser 25 run (Brueshecky kick)
UHS—T.T. Brooks 67 pass from Jaeden Hammack (Colin McBee run)
MHS—Peyton Johnson 33 run (run failed)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: University—Eliki Barner 11-59, Daminn Cunningham 7-12, Hezekiah Taylor 1-3, Hammack 2-6, Edwards 4-(-16), Team 1-(-3). Morgantown—Washington 6-112 2 TD, Biser 9-92 3 TD, Cam Rice 5-92, Crudop 10-88 2 TD, Eldridge 7-85 2 TD, Johnson 6-70 TD, Hank Marlin 6-19, Braeden Brooks 2-29, Lucas Proctor 2-5, Jaydon Sines 2-4, Team 4-(-4).
PASSING: University—Edwards 5-10 70 TD, Hammack 4-10-1 76 TD. Morgantown—Rice 0-1.
RECEIVING: University—Brooks 2-65 TD, Sage Clawges 2-13, Hammack 1-14, Burton 1-45 TD, Elijah Jackson 3-16.
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