WELLSBURG — The key, Mike Young said, was that Wheeling Central walked off the turf at Paul ‘Bud’ Billiard Field inside Brooke Memorial Stadium healthy. That was about the only thing the Maroon Knights (10-1) had to worry about Friday night.

Curtis McGhee III returned from missing three weeks because of an injury to complete 15 of 18 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns as No. 1 Wheeling Central rolled past No. 16 Tyler Consolidated (6-5) by a 61-30 score to set up a rematch with Magnolia next week in the West Virginia Class A state quarterfinals.

Bray Price caught four passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first half — and Jordan Waterhouse galloped for 160 yards and a score on 10 carries as the Maroon Knights racked up 575 yards of total offense.

”I was pleased with how our offense dissected their defense and how well we played,” Young said. ”We’re definitely mending and getting healthy, and I’m excited to be playing Magnolia next week.

”Bray is still a little sore and banged up and we used him sparingly, but you can see what he can do. Vinny (Mangino) we played sparingly in the first half because we wanted to give that hand a rest.”

Before the Silver Knights could blink Central was up 14-0 less than two minutes into what turned out to be a 34-point first quarter. Adam Murray scored the first of his two TDs on the game’s fourth play and McGhee found Price sprinting open down the sideline for a 57-yard score at 9:57 of the first.

Backed up at its 3, Tyler Consolidated looked to be in grave danger on its next possession.

But Griffin Phillips found Mark Rucker on the sideline and he broke a tackle and beat everyone to the end zone for a 97-yard score that temporarily stemmed the tide.

”I say this with sincerity, that Rucker is the toughest running back we’ve played all year,” Young said.

”He’s the reason why they put 30 points on the board.”

Central went right back to work, though, going 38 yards in five plays. Price did the honors on an 11-yard hookup from McGhee.

The Silver Knights went three-and-out and elected to use a fake punt, but Rucker was brought down behind the line of scrimmage by a pair of Wheeling Central defenders. On the next play it was McGhee-to-Price again, this time from 37 yards.

Waterhouse finished the first-quarter scoring when he sprinted 57 yards into the end zone on Wheeling Central’s next offensive snap.

Anthony Robbins shed two defenders after hauling in an early second-quarter jump ball, going 65 yards for a touchdown that was negated by a holding call.