Super Six notebook: Morgantown played it safe, then got the break:
Sunday, December 4, 2005
By Rick Ryan - The Charleston Gazette

WHEELING — The drama of a classic Class AAA championship game got jacked up a few notches Saturday when it went into overtime.

Morgantown pulled off a 27-24 victory the hard way, by having to play offense first and deciding what to do when it faced fourth down at the Nitro 13-yard line.

In high school OTs, each team begins a possession at its opponent’s 20.

The Mohigans gained 7 yards on three plays to bring up a fourth-and-3 at the Wildcats 13. Coach John Bowers wavered a bit before making his decision to send place-kicker Garrett Bradlyn in for a 30-yard field goal attempt.

“I would like to have gotten that first down and put seven points on the board,’’ Bowers said, “because that would have put pressure on them. But you had to take the points.

“I almost went for it. I almost had a dumbass attack, but the [other] coaches said, ‘Put the points on the board,’ and that ended up being the right call. But then with the ball at the 20 for them is frightening because you think they’re going to get seven. It worked out in our favor and that’s just the way it ended.’’

Bradlyn did indeed hit the field goal, giving the Mohigans their three-point lead.

Nitro didn’t hold back on its first play, with quarterback Michael Scott heaving the ball into the end zone for standout receiver Chris Fulmer and a possible win. Derek Long, defending on the play, broke up the pass.

“We’d been running Josh [Culbertson] at them, Josh at them, and we felt like a little play-action might get us a cheapie,’’ said Nitro coach Scott Tinsley. “We felt like we had some momentum with holding them to a field goal. [Long] made a good play, but we still had three downs to make a first.’’

Culbertson then fumbled on third-and-6 at the 16 and Morgantown fell on the ball, ending the game and the tension.

“It’s such a shame Nitro doesn’t win it, too,’’ Bowers said. “The two best teams were here, obviously. My heart goes out to the Nitro team and coaches and fans. They played a great football game. We just had more points at the end.’’

Tinsley likewise pulled off a classy move 15 minutes after the disheartening loss when he walked across the field and entered the Morgantown dressing room to congratulate the Mohigans players and coaches.

Maxwell smart

Morgantown fullback Maxwell Anderson, selected as his team’s MVP, stood out on both offense and defense.

Besides rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns, including a 37-yard scoring run that gave his team a 24-21 lead, Anderson led the Mohigans with eight tackles from his linebacker position.

At least a half-dozen times, Anderson was able to drag down the dangerous Culbertson one-on-one, saving a potential big play.

On top of all that, Anderson was playing with a variety of ailments and had to leave the game on a couple occasions after getting shaken up.

“They were hitting him awful late there early [in the game],’’ Bowers said, “and Max has been injured all year long — the shoulder, the knee. You see how hard he plays. The reason he’s always hurt is because he plays so hard. But he’s a warrior and he made his way through that.’’

Switch it up

Bluefield changed up its offense to start the second half of Friday night’s 40-0 Class AA title game loss to Weir.

The Beavers, trailing 6-0 at the time, stuck speedy J.T. Powell at quarterback in the shotgun formation, replacing sophomore Eric McClanahan, who is more of a drop-back passing threat.

Powell began the year as the team’s No. 1 QB, but an early-season injury put McClanahan under center. Powell hadn’t taken snaps since the sixth game of the regular season.

The move, which resembled the single wing with Powell running after taking direct snaps, didn’t really pay off. The Beavers had minus-3 net yards in the third quarter.

“Defensively, Weir was good,’’ said Bluefield coach Fred Simon, “and we were having a hard time moving outside, so we thought we could get outside a little better with J.T. at quarterback, because we did earlier in the year. But we couldn’t hear very well taking snaps. But we tried, and that’s all you can do is try.’’

McClanahan went 4-of-17 passing for 40 yards with two interceptions, but had at least four throws dropped.

Weir allowed just 125 net yards to the Beavers, who failed to pick up a first down for more than half the game. They went from the final two minutes of the first quarter until the 26-second mark of the third quarter without moving the chains. During that time, they had five three-and-outs and one turnover.

Weir’s big lift

Several Weir players said they were glad to win the AA championship game against Bluefield, its nemesis from the two previous years.

The Beavers ousted the Red Riders from the 2003 and 2004 postseasons with a pair of overtime decisions.

It was evident the two teams had developed a rivalry, as they spent a couple tense minutes barking at one another during what was supposed to be a friendly pregame handshake at midfield. Even the coaching staffs were seen hollering at each other.

Weir senior linebacker Michael Buffo, his team’s leading tackler, said his team was due for a strong finish — and with good reason.

“The third time’s a charm, man,’’ Buffo said. “We said we were gonna do it this year, and we proved it.

“We worked hard in the offseason and I guarantee you we were the only team that lifted [weights] the week of the state championship game. We lifted Tuesday and Wednesday. That’s why we’re stronger in the second half and no team can score on our defense.’’

Weir allowed just two TDs in four playoff games.

Quick kicks

· Weir’s state title was its sixth overall, and second in Class AA. Weir won by the same 40-0 score over Nitro in the 1960 Class AAA finals.

· Gov. Joe Manchin and former West Virginia University football coach Don Nehlen participated in the coin toss ceremonies prior to the AAA game.

· Josh Smith’s 14.3 average per rush (15 carries, 215 yards) for Weir broke the AA championship game record of 11.4 set by Craig Gruber of Wheeling Central in a win over Buffalo Wayne at Laidley Field in 1979 — the first year of the Super Six format.

· Morgantown dressed 70 players for the Class AAA championship game and Nitro 34.

· Bluefield’s game MVP was defensive lineman Jeremy Hurt, who had four tackles for loss.

· Linebacker Ross Martin led Nitro in tackles with 12.

To contact staff writer Rick Ryan, use e-mail or call 348-5175.