MORGANTOWN – If you could roster A.J. Thomas for your fantasy football team this week, there’s a strong chance the matchup would lean heavily in your favor.
The Morgantown senior set a new single-game program record of seven touchdowns in a 49-7 victory over the University Hawks on Friday night in the 2024 Mohawk Bowl at Pony Lewis Field.
Thomas finished the night with 16 carries for 186 yards and seven scores.
“The entire team came in this week in practice with a lot of energy and purpose, and it showed tonight in our performance,” Thomas said. “Last week before our game against Hedgesville, we really focused on intensity and bringing it in practice, and we saw what that resulted in. This week, we did the same thing, and that’s what this game called for.”
From the opening drive, the Mohigans (7-3) dominated the line of scrimmage, as Thomas only took two plays to get his night started with a 58-yard run for his first score of the night.
The Morgantown defense used the momentum of its offense’s opening drive to force a punt from the Hawks after a three-and-out.
MHS fullback Rhys Wells exploded for a 65-yard run on the third play of the next offensive drive that set Thomas up for his second score, this time from nine yards out that gave his team a 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
UHS (4-5) opened the next quarter with the ball on fourth down and lined up to punt inside its own redzone. The snap was mishandled by Hawks punter Jimmy Gregg and downed by the Mohigans at the seven-yard line.
Thomas punched the ball in on the next play for his third touchdown 15 seconds into the second quarter.
“It was important for us to start fast, but I’m not sure we expected to start that fast,” MHS head coach Sean Biser said. “Our guys did a great job up front tonight. We weren’t really sure what they were going to do, and they mixed some things up and brought some pressure. Our kids worked hard and played as close to a complete game as you could get against a quality rival. Having that early success and stealing that momentum away before they could build it was vital.”
After another UHS punt was returned to the red zone by Carter Cooper, the Mohigans dialed Thomas’ number once again, and he answered with a 17-yard score, his fourth of the night with 10:37 still left until halftime.
University managed a well-executed drive on its next offensive possession and was rewarded as junior quarterback Glenn Brown found freshman Brody Kehler in the endzone for a touchdown.
The Hawks then intercepted a pass from MHS senior Alex Himes with 2:15 left in the first half but came up empty, missing a field goal from 27 yards away.
The second half started slower than the first had, as the two sides traded punts, but the Mohigans soon picked back up where they had left off.
MHS drove down the field on its next possession, and Thomas scored his fifth touchdown on a four-yard tote to put his team ahead 35-7 as the Hawks struggled to find an answer.
“Much of it is undoubtedly their (MHS) executing, but it’s also our lack of execution,” UHS head coach Eric Snyder said of the battle up front. “And when they’re as good as they are up front, and we have a mistake, they punish us heavily.”
Thomas added his sixth touchdown on a 33-yard run in the third quarter and his record-breaking seventh to begin the fourth as the Mohigans claimed the Mohawk Bowl Trophy for the third-straight season.
Biser is now 4-1 against the Hawks as head coach at MHS.
“We will take that every day of the week and twice on Sundays,” he said of his record against UHS. “But it’s not about me. It’s about these kids. They do a great job. We have a great coaching staff that puts a lot of time and effort into what we do around here. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it all. We are banged up right now and will take some well-deserved time off and be ready for whatever waits for us.”
With the win, the Mohigans have virtually secured the right to host a game in the first round of the playoffs and will enjoy a week of rest next week during their bye week.
The Hawks will close out the regular season at home against Oak Hill next week.
BOX SCORE
University 7 0 0 0 – 7
Morgantown 28 0 14 7 – 49
SCORING SUMMARY
MHS – Thomas 58 run (Stire kick)
MHS – Thomas 9 run (Stire kick)
MHS – Thomas 7 run (Stire kick)
MHS – Thomas 17 run (Stire kick)
UHS – Brown 13 pass to Brody Kehler (Goodenow kick)
MHS – Thomas 4 run (Stire kick)
MHS – Thomas 33 run (Stire kick)
MHS – Thomas 1 run (Stire kick)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Morgantown – Thomas 16-186 7TD, Wells 3-64, Lawhun 1-47, Thompson 4-16, Twigg 6-13, Hawkins 2-10. University – Brody Kehler 18-57, Brock Kehler 1-3, Helbig 3-2, Brown 7-0.
PASSING: Morgantown – Twigg 1-3 7, Himes 0-1 INT. University – Brown 14/30 123 1TD 2 INT, Helbig 3/4 52.
RECEIVING: Morgantown – Thomas 1-7. University – Brody Kehler 4-56 TD, Hayden George 6-45, Kyle Weaver 2-34, Kaleil Lewis 3-22, Luke Byrer 1-12, Brock Kehler 1-6.
