PARKERSBURG — What a difference a year makes. Parkersburg South handled University in a 78-14 victory on Friday night from the Erickson All-Sports Facility.
This contest was a sharp contrast from a University win last season, as the Patriots used an early attack in all facets of the game to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Quarterback Robert Shockey used his dual threat abilities, and on the opening drive, he showed it.
Following a 48-yard Gage Wright run and a pass interference penalty, Shockey eluded tacklers for a 15-yard score just 35 second into the game.
UHS didn’t fare better on its opening drive. Wright blocked University’s first punt and ran in a few yards to make it 14-0.
“My other side, Dylan Fleak, had an amazing block,” Wright recalled. ” I just scooped it up, and I scored. It feels really great. We’ve put in a lot of hard work throughout the years, and people think we’re nothing special, but we’re here to show it this year.”
Cyrus Traugh’s 44-yard scamper down the right sideline on the next South drive gave the home side a 21-point cushion.
The Patriots didn’t look back, as a date in Beckley with Woodrow Wilson looms next Saturday.
Even a Melique Lewis run from a few yards out couldn’t spark a comeback with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Wideout Mason Reams was busy early on. He snagged a 20-yard touchdown from Shockey for a 28-7 edge with 1:48 to go in the quarter. Shockey dazzled with this arm as well, as head coach Nathan Tanner likes what he sees out of his offense.
“Something we pride ourselves on is being selfless,” he said. “Our kids did a great job of studying the plan and practicing the plan. Tonight, we executed the plan in all three phases. Any time that happens where kids play their roles in all three phases, special things happen. Since we got here in 2019, tempo has been our MO. That’s part of our philosophy on offense, and this year is a perfect storm.”
Jaeden Hammack was one of the Hawks’ only sparks, and a 26-yard touchdown grab from backup Luke Hudson made it 34-14 with a minute gone by in the second quarter. Hudson was under constant duress, as defenders like Wright, Mackiah Claudio and Dylan Fleak stopped UHS ball-carriers behind the line with little resistance.
A 55-yard pick six from Traugh was a product of that pressure, as he tightroped up the sideline on the very first play for the University offense following a 9-yard Wright score. The Wright touchdown happened with 6:48 left in the half, While Traugh’s defensive gem came a mere 13 seconds later.
The PSHS magic didn’t stop there.
A Reams interception with around five minutes to go set South up at its own 20, and from there, Shockey fired a pass deep downfield to Reams that deflected off his fingertips. Luckily for the Pats, the errant ball found the waiting hands of Turner Garretson, who rumbled after the catch to the Hawks’ 12. Triston Walker finished the drive with a 12-yard grab for six more with 4:27 left on the first half clock.
A University drive that stalled following a Fleak sack of Hudson in South territory ended the UHS threat with a 55-14 score at intermission.
Even out of the break, South’s defense continued to work University over. Garretson got in on the scoring party with a 45-yard scoop and score on the Hawks’ first play from scrimmage.
University had another punt blocked on its second drive of the second half. Kyle Wheeler shot through the line to swat the ball off the kicker’s foot for a 64-14 lead.
On South’s next drive, Wright wasted no time. On the first play of the possession, he ran 49 yards to the house for a 71-14 exclamation point.
South’s second team continued piling it on, as Devon Forshey led the squad in a 34-yard drive capped off by a Tyler Hall rush from 18 yards away to make it 78-14 in an already lengthy third quarter.
That score made school history for the Patriots, as 78 points is a record for points scored in a single game. The old record in a 77-71 double overtime victory at Wheeling Park fell after 13 years. In bouts of good sportsmanship, both teams began kneeling with around seven minutes remaining. It started when South had the ball at University’s 1.
“I didn’t realize that, but any time you set a school record, that’s a good thing,” Tanner said. “That’s a credit to our kids and the staff. I’m proud of them, and everybody did really well tonight.”
By JOSH HUGHES, News and Sentinel
