PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Parkersburg South coach Nathan Tanner likes to think the Patriots’ offensive tempo is among the fastest of any team in the state.
On Friday against University, it was one of many things that gave the eighth-ranked Hawks fits as Parkersburg South cruised from the opening kickoff until the final whistle in a resounding 78-14 victory.
“We preached that this week was a statement game. Coach [John] Kelley does a great job with University,” Tanner said. “Last year, they were 11-1 and they return some key players from that team. Our kids were really dialed in tonight and executed at a high level. I’m pleased with where we’re at right now. We’re executing in all three phases and everybody is playing fast and physical.”
The 78 points set a new-single game mark for PSHS, which improved to 2-0 and has outscored the opposition by 123 points over its first two games.
“We’re pretty solid right now,” Tanner said.
The Hawks, who hadn’t dropped a regular season game since 2020, fell to 1-1.
“We can get back on track and win some football games, but if we’re going to give the effort that we gave tonight, I don’t think we’re going to win too many,” Kelley said. “But hats off to Parkersburg South. They’re very good and they have a lot of skilled kids. They’re strong in every phase of the game, so they’re going to be a factor.”
The outcome of this one was never in jeopardy, as the Patriots got a 46-yard run from Gage Wright on the first play from scrimmage, before scoring 35 seconds into the matchup on quarterback Robert Shockey’s 15-yard run. Miciah Jones converted his first of 10 point-after kicks on 11 attempts to leave the home team with the early 7-0 lead.
Parkersburg South doubled the advantage less than 2 minutes later when Avery Dalton’s punt attempt was blocked and recovered by Wright, who returned it 13 yards to the end zone.
“I’m grinning ear to ear any time the special teams plays like that,” Tanner said. “We pride ourselves in it and practice it every single day.”
After forcing a UHS punt, the Patriots needed only two plays for their third touchdown, which Cyrus Trough scored on a 44-yard run at the 7:16 mark of the opening quarter.
The Hawks answered with one of their two scoring drives, getting a pair of 36-yard passes from Luke Hudson to John Coleman and Jaeden Hammack to set up Melique Lewis’ 1-yard plunge into the end zone that left the visitors with a 21-7 deficit at the 2:52 mark of the first period.
Any momentum garnered by University was short-lived as the Patriots answered with a six-play scoring drive and got a 20-yard TD pass from Shockey to Mason Reams that left them with a 28-7 lead through one quarter.
“Every skill player we have can make plays,” Tanner said. “I make jokes with people that we don’t have enough balls to go around.”
PSHS capitalized on a short field set up by Reams’ 35-yard punt return to score its fifth touchdown, which came on Shockey’s 4-yard run that made it 34-7.
A Sebastian Dalton fumble recovery led to University’s second and final touchdown, which came on Hudson’s 26-yard pass to Hammock that cut the Hawks’ deficit to 34-14 with 7:23 left in the half.
But the Patriots answered immediately in the form of Wright’s 9-yard touchdown run, and 13 seconds later, Trough stepped in front of a Hudson pass and took his interception 54 yards to the end zone for a 48-14 advantage.
A Reams interception on the ensuing series led to Shockey finding Triston Walker for a 12-yard TD pass that allowed PSHS to lead 55-14 at halftime.
“Tonight, we executed the plan in all three phases,” Tanner said. “Any time that happens where kids are playing their role in all three phases, special things happen.”
Kelley elected to play a large portion of his reserves when the second half began, and the Patriots got a defensive touchdown on the first play of the third quarter when Turner Garretson recovered a Donovan Demidovich fumble and raced 38 yards for the score.
“I don’t think we did anything right this game,” Kelley said. “I don’t think our offense was efficient. I don’t think our defense was very good. Every phase we were very bad, but they were very good and this is the result of that. I played all the young kids in the second half to avoid injuries for upcoming games and I didn’t want to have somebody tweak something for no reason. We weren’t going to come back and win, so why bother?”
PSHS came up with its second punt block moments later, this one from Kyle Wheeler that resulted in a safety and 64-14 lead after the ball went through the back of the end zone.
Later in the third quarter, Wright scored on a 49-yard run, before Tyler Hall’s 18-yard run marked the game’s final touchdown.