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WHITE LIGHTNING

MORGANTOWN — What a great night to beat the traffic! Five minutes to play in the third quarter — first down WVU at its 35-yard line — leading Louisville by 17. What could go wrong in your own back yard? As it turned out — plenty. Couple fumbles, couple penalties, couple this, couple that. Tie game. Yeah, the Mountaineers were threatening to throw away another one and watch their bowl stock take a major plunge in the process. But not if Pat White could help it. Despite being knocked darned-near cuckoo a few minutes earlier, White recovered to lead a dramatic game-winning ...

REALITY CHECK: Henrich Maneuver

Hard to say how long Wheeling will have the services of Adam Henrich. His considerable skills are a cut above the average Joe Puckster toiling here in the East Coast League. “It’s easy to see why Adam was a second round (NHL) draft choice,” said Nailers’ co-president Rob Brooks, admiring the 23-year old’s work Friday evening in Wesbanco Arena. “In my opinion, Adam’s addition gives us the league’s top line.” There is no question Henrich and linemates Sean Collins and Ned Havern are destined to compile mega-points so long as they remain in the same lockerroom this ...

Ben there, done that

PITTSBURGH — Vintage Ben? Perhaps, that’s a reach, considering he’s just 25 and in his fourth professional season. Nevertheless, didn’t Ben Roethlisberger resemble a former No. 7 whose reputation for engineering dramatic comebacks eventually guided him all the way to Canton? To be certain, comparisons to John Elway are on indefinite hold. We won’t be able to assess Big Ben’s overall body of NFL work for years, but Roethlisberger is already building an impressive resume. Take Sunday afternoon’s Browns-Steelers’ skirmish, for instance. At halftime, was this not ...

St. C., Shadyside still standing tall in playoffs

Shadyside and St. Clairsville Two tightly-laced communities rich in tradition and right now rich in victories. Two communities that are extremely similar in everything other than population and the fact that the latter has a mall and a Wal-Mart. One thing that brings them even closer is the success their football squads are having this fall. Each school claimed yet another victory Saturday night in its respective division as both schools are still in hot pursuit of the coveted gold trophy. Shadyside advanced to the Region 23 championship by virtue of a 27-12 victory over River, ...

Juice poured on plays for Illini

UNFORTUNATELY for the Buckeye faithful, the Fighting Illini had too much juice during the weekend. It happened to be centered in one person — Isiah “Juice” Williams. When OSU lost its first game this season with a 28-21 score Saturday, Williams threw a career-high four touchdown passes while going 12-for-12 for 140 yards and zero interceptions. He also rushed 16 times for 70 yards, an average of 4.4 yards per carry. He connected with eight different receivers Saturday, with no receiver catching more than three passes. Williams, who was graduated from the same high school as ...

Witch Hazel thriving on the backside

For the first year of Witch Hazel’s racing career, she was an average sprinter in Grades C and B at Southland Greyhound Park. Since coming to Wheeling in September, she’s been a different greyhound. Moved to 3/8, Witch Hazel has turned her career around. She’s won six out of her first 10 trips on the backside at Wheeling, including a pair in Grade AA. “Witch Hazel was brought up to Wheeling from Southland to run distance,” Ryan Farms Kennel trainer Terry Green said. “So far we’re tickled to death with the way she’s running. We had no clue what she was capable of ...