CAMERON — Wheeling Central has had its back to the wall for the bulk of the season.

So, when Cameron took a 14-12 lead in the third quarter, the Maroon Knights didn’t push any panic buttons. They simply went to work, and took control.

Central, the 10th seed, proceeded to score 20 consecutive points and took the game over en route to a 34-20 victory Friday night at Dragon Stadium in the opening round of the West Virginia Class A playoffs.

“Our kids battled tonight,” Central head coach Mike Young said.

“This was a dogfight, but I am proud of how our kids didn’t panic.”

The Knights, who will now take on South Harrison, which dispatched Richwood, took control of the game by virtue of its vaunted running attack, which Cameron had actually bottled up pretty well for the bulk of the opening half.

“We struggled at times, offensively,” Young said. “Give Cameron credit for taking away some of what we do in the running game, but we made some adjustments at halftime and our guys came off the ball better, which is huge.”

With quarterback Curtis McGhee, running back Dawson Wear and hybrid back Bray Price all getting plenty of touches, the Knights gashed the Dragons to a tune of 272 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

“Give Central credit because they stuck to their gameplan and found a way to move the ball when they needed to,” Cameron head coach Scott Holt said. “They have a really good (coaching) staff, so when you do something, they keep looking for an opportunity and places to go. It took them three quarters to do it, so I guess we did our job. Just give them credit.”

The Dragons, who finish at 9-2 and as OVAC Class 1A champions, took their final lead of the season on a 29-yard run by Andrew Ritchea. The pass for two failed.

Cameron actually appeared ready to take control of the game itself. After it scored, it forced a quick three-and-out by the Knights. However, talented Central linebacker Adam Murray pounced on a fumble a few plays later.

“It’s kind of funny that what doomed us in playoff games in back-to-back years was an untimely turnover,” Holt said. “We had some momentum and things were going our way, but that turnover bit us.”

It was the work of McGhee, who turned in an impressive outing with 168 yards on 21 carries and 86 yards passing with a touchdown to Jaylen Creighton, that fueled Central’s ensuing drive. He carried three straight times and the final jaunt was a 35-yarder to the end zone. He then added the 2-point conversion.

Aiding the drive was one of five Cameron personal foul penalties.

Taking over on downs, Central struck again six plays later in the early moments of the fourth quarter. Price, who had 94 yards of total offense, got 6 on the ground en route to a touchdown.

Central began to sense victory on the next possession after three consecutive Colby Brown incompletions led to a quick punt. From there, the Knights needed seven plays before Wear plunged in from a yard out.

“Our pride stepped up and got the job done,” Young said. “I am proud of the kids. Give Cameron credit for how they battled and fought. We have to get ready for South Harrison.”

Young also praised the work of his defensive unit, which limited Cameron’s high-scoring offense to just 229 yards of offense and 57 of that came on the final touchdown pass, which was Jessop Broughton to Robert Milliken.

Brown was the Dragons’ leading rusher with 75 yards on 17 carries.

“I think what we did tonight was earn respect of the Ohio Valley,” Holt said. “There were a lot of questions coming in about our schedule and how good we were. I think we answered those questions tonight.”