MORGANTOWN – Keep it simple.
Sometimes that little three-word-phrase is all that is needed.
On Friday, Cabell Midland’s football team kept things simple on the way to a 46-21 victory over University in the Class AAA state quarterfinals contest.
“It looks simple, but there is a lot that goes into it,” Cabell Midland coach Luke Salmons said. “We take what they give us and figured them out as we got going.”
The Knights (11-1) took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards on 10 plays before senior running back Chandler Schmidt pushed the ball in from 1 yard out.
UHS (11-1) got something going on its next drive but stalled out at the CM 24-yard line and that let the Knights get right back to work as they once again went on a long 12-play drive that finished with a 7-yard score from Schmidt and a 14-0 lead.
Those long drives did a couple of things for the Knights as they were able to punish the UHS defense and it also kept the explosive UHS offense off the field.
“We honestly don’t think about (holding onto the ball),” Salmons said. “If it takes us a long time, it does. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. I know that sounds weird, but it’s just part of what we do.”
A 16-yard touchdown run by Jackson Fetty with 22 seconds left in the first half pushed the score to 20-0 but the Hawks were able to finally put points on the scoreboard when Daminn Cunningham ran 67 yards on the ensuing kickoff for a UHS score and a 20-7 halftime deficit.
“They kept the football,” UHS head coach John Kelley said. “Every time it was a 3rd and 1, they got a first down. They were just a better football team than us. I love my guys, I’m proud of them, we won 11 games and I thought they gave tremendous effort tonight.”
Despite the valiant effort, the Hawks were held to just 17 offensive plays in the first half. The Knights also played coverage on the UHS explosive set of receivers and forced the Hawks to run the ball.
“They basically only had five and four in the box and dared us to throw and we couldn’t throw, so we ran the ball,” Kelley said.
Senior running back Colin McBee led the Hawks with 95 yards on 17 carries and added a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, UHS could not get its explosive passing attack started.
Quarterbacks Chase Edwards and Luke Hudson combined for 110 yards on 9 of 20 passing with a late scoring toss from Hudson to Jack Smith.
The Knights did all their damage on the ground as they attempted just one pass. Fetty led the CM offense with 259 yards on 23 carries with three touchdowns. Schmidt had four touchdown runs with 172 yards on 17 carries.
Cabell Midland will now try to avenge its only loss of the season as it faces Huntington in the Class AAA state semifinals next week.
“That system and that Fetty kid, they always just manage to move the chains and then they break one,” Kelley said. “They did what we expected them to do. They are very good, and they can probably make it to the championship game.
By ERIC HERTER
1 2 3 4 F
CM 7 13 13 13 46
UHS 0 7 0 14 21
1st Quarter
CM – Chandler Schmidt 1 run (Olivia Charles kick)
2nd Quarter
CM – Schmidt 7 run (Charles kick)
CM – Jackson Fetty 16 run (kick block)
UHS – Daminn Cunningham 67 kickoff return (John Coleman kick)
3rd Quarter
CM – Fetty 3 run (kick block)
CM – Fetty 82 run (Charles kick)
4th Quarter
CM – Schmidt 4 run (Charles kick)
UHS – Colin McBee 2 run (Coleman kick)
CM – Schmidt 45 run (run fail)
UHS – Jack Smith 10 pass from Luke Hudson (Coleman kick)
RUSHING – CM: Fetty 23-259 3TDs, Ryan Wolfe 8-49, Schmidt 17-172 4TDs, Mason Moran 9-61, Tevin Taylor 1-3, Jayden Branch 3-3, Cayden Pauley 4-0, Trace Adkins 1-4. UHS: McBee 17-95 TD, Chase Edwards 4-11.
PASSING – CM: Wolfe 0-1-0 0. UHS: Edwards 4-13-0 30, Hudson 5-7-0 80 TD.
RECEIVING – CM: None. UHS: Jaeden Hammack 3-4, McBee 2-23, Smith 2-17 TD, Elija Jackson 2-36, Sage Clawges 1-29.
