SPRING MILLS – Friday afternoon’s showdown between No. 2 Spring Mills and No. 7 Morgantown was nothing short of a battle of wills.
With high winds and low temperatures cutting into spectators, both teams fought through turnovers, three-and-outs and a litany of penalty flags until the final minute of regulation — yet it was the host Cardinals (11-1) who came out on top 14-7 to advance to the Class AAAA semifinals and continue their historic run.
“It means the world (to win); to our community and kids,” Spring Mills coach Marcus Law said. “Morgantown is an elite program and we’ve been talking about getting over the hump. Last year we got to the second round, went to Huntington and got beat. Now, having the opportunity to play at home in the second round and beat a team like Morgantown … these kids are playmakers.”
The day started slow, but the Cardinals would put points on the scoreboard first. After chewing up multiple minutes, Spring Mills opened the second quarter in the red zone, and it didn’t take long for senior quarterback Max Anderson to call his number, punching in the score.
On the Mohigans’ next drive, freshman quarterback Maddox Twigg led a similar charge down the field, weaving his way through Cardinal defenders and setting his team up at the goal line by the 8-minute mark of the frame. A contentious play would result in the officials calling Twigg’s keeper a touchdown, and both teams would be locked at 7-7 going into the break.
The second half started strong for Spring Mills, but a fumble gave the Mohigans (8-4) possession around midfield. Two minutes later, the hosts would force a fumble and recover it, but on the Card’s third play of a hurry-up drive, the visitors regained possession on the third fumble of the quarter. Yet another turnover — this time a missed field goal — gave Spring Mills the ball back with under a minute to go in the frame, and, opening the fourth, the Cardinals were in prime scoring position once more.
Anderson was called upon once more, waltzing into the end zone with just under 9 minutes remaining. A strong defensive effort led by junior Bradley Butts and Xavier Anderson held Morgantown down, despite their best attempt to put three more points on the board. The Mohigans’ final attempt to find pay dirt would fall short after a turnover on downs by Spring Mills, but multiple blunders on the snap pushed Morgantown out of easy scoring territory. After a turnover on downs, Anderson and his team set up in victory formation to run out the clock and seal their first quarterfinals win in school history.
When asked about his senior quarterback’s performance — one that was dished out through gritted teeth due to a hurt shoulder — Law was quick to praise Anderson.
“Since he was a freshman, he’s the kid that does the extra things you need and is willing to put his heart, body and soul on the line for you. There was no doubt in my mind where that ball was going when we needed something; you keep that ball in your guy’s hand, and that’s Max.”
Still, though Anderson is who accounted for the points and, much to his credit, also is who keeps his team calm and cohesive in unnerving moments, he was quick to highlight everyone around him.
“Our team is resilient. We came out and played through a lot of bad [factors] and I think we did an amazing job of continuing to fight. That’s what you want to see out of a group of guys like this and it carries over into the (next) games.
“I’m blessed. I’ve got great people around me; great coaches, a great community. I’m just blessed to be in this position. We all worked for this and it’s great to see our community thrive. I’m super excited going into this next game and seeing everyone believe in us.”
On the other side of the token, Law was highly complementary of Twigg and his control of the game.
“He is tough. I’d take a kid like that in a heartbeat, and he’s a heck of a kid off the field, too,” Law said. “That was a grown man running the ball; he made plays. Backed up, he was keeping the ball and making plays. He’s going to be a tough kid the next couple of years.”
Next up, Spring Mills hosts the winner of the 3-6 matchup between Jefferson and Hurricane which is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Shenandoah Junction.
— Story By Andrew Spellman
