MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — At some point Friday, Preston Fox said he felt like he was in a video game, and well, after the night he had, it looked every bit like Morgantown High’s senior receiver was in the middle of a real-life Madden game on PlayStation.
“Yeah, I’m a little tired,” he said after the Mohigans’ wild 54-41 victory against John Marshall.
For good reason.
In guiding the Mohigans (2-7) to their second win of the season, Fox did a little bit of everything, which did not come as a surprise to MHS head coach Matt Lacy.
“He’s been the guy all season who goes out each week and gives us everything he has,” Lacy said. “He lays it on the line every game, whether we win or lose. Some of the stuff he did tonight was just amazing. He was juking guys in the open field and just kept making one play after the other.”
Get ready folks, because the numbers that accompany the rest of this story are just as amazing as some of the plays Fox made in the open field.
It began in the air and ended on the ground with Fox, who caught 12 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown, and then closed the game out with nine carries for 78 yards and a 27-yard touchdown run with 1:48 remaining that sealed the outcome.
For added measure, Fox added a blocked extra-point and came up with a key fumble recovery midway through the third quarter that might have made the overall difference in the game.
“The whole game was a little nerve-wracking,” he said. “It was fun in a way. The shootouts are fun in a video game, but it’s different in real life. They kept fighting back. When I was able to get that fumble, I think that stalled their momentum for a little bit.”
Here are some more mind-boggling numbers: The Mohigans averaged 15 yards per play in the first half and finished with 690 total yards. They needed just nine plays, which covered 204 yards, to take an early 21-0 lead. MHS quarterback Gunner Latimore was 17 of 20 passing — he did throw two picks — for 364 yards and two touchdowns.
MHS running back Jace Whetsell rushed for 125 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, and teammate Deondre Crudup added 114 yards and a TD on 10 attempts. MHS receiver Hunter Finn had 94 yards receiving and a score, as well.
“I think all the numbers from both teams are going to look pretty good and that’s just the type of game it was,” Lacy said. “We went up 21-0, and I think we went into cruise control a little bit after that. You have to credit John Marshall’s kids for fighting to get back into the game. It was a little bit like a video game out there. As soon as you turned around, someone else was making a big play.”
After trailing 21-0, the Monarchs (3-5) got as close as 41-34 with 8:36 remaining in the game following Alex Burton’s 49-yard touchdown run. But, it was Burton’s fumble in the third quarter that stalled a drive when the Mohigans were up, 41-28, but were searching for some answers.
“With all of the crazy stuff on offense, that one defensive play may have been the biggest play of the night for us,” Lacy said.
John Marshall’s offense was equally as impressive. Quarterback Justin Frohnapfel completed 14 of 28 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns, and all of them went to Dalton Flowers, who caught eight passes for 258 yards and added 34 more yards rushing.
“Flowers had a great night, but some of those catches, we had guys right there in his hip pocket,” Lacy said. “He just went up and made great plays. Our guys couldn’t have been in a better position on some of those.”
Burton added 185 yards rushing and two scores on 22 attempts and teammate Zach Bishop had 93 yards receiving on three catches.
In all, Morgantown (690) and John Marshall (584) combined for 1,284 yards on the night.
“We fell apart at different times, but we hung in there,” Fox said. “We had some big plays and they had some big plays. We just had a little more than they did and our defense came up big when it really had to in the end.”
