Wheeling Central Rings In New Season With Demolition Of Perry
Photo by Nick Henthorn Wheeling Central quarterback Nico Kusic makes a throw on the run Friday against Perry on Bishop Schmitt Field.
Photo by Nick Henthorn Wheeling Central quarterback Nico Kusic makes a throw on the run Friday against Perry on Bishop Schmitt Field.
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WHEELING -- While Bishop Schmitt Field did not yield a very competitive game Friday night as the Wheeling Central Maroon Knights kicked off their season vs. Perry, it did serve as a very impressive introduction for several new faces on the Knights' team, faces that Central hopes will help them as they embark on a title-defense campaign in 2026.
The final score stood 50-8 over the Perry Traditional Academy Commodores on Friday with the clock running for much of the second half. Central led 29-8 at halftime.
Senior Levi Rine, who looked poised to take a larger role in the offseason, looked the part Friday, catching six passes for 60 yards and one touchdown-- a 26-yard hole shot well-placed at the pylon by senior quarterback Nico Kusic a few minutes into the third quarter.
"Levi had a great start and he’s going to get better as we go," Maroon Knights head coach Mike Young said. "He plays hard, he’s focused, he hustles. Really proud of the kid and how he’s come along, worked hard in the offseason. He’s not that big, but he’s hard-nosed and aggressive."
Senior running back Dusin Sanner, a Drake commit who will take over for the departed Kade Koroneos, rushed a team-high eight times for 53 yards and a touchdown, a short dive past the goalline after Kusic hit Rine on a deep out to set up Central in the red zone a minute into the second quarter. Sanner also hooked up with Kusic for the Knights' first touchdown of the game, a 49-yard touchdown reception on Central's first drive of the game.
"Dustin’s a workhorse," Young said. "He runs hard. He’s got some acceleration. He’s only going to get better because he hasn’t played that much really because of injuries, but he played hard tonight and he showed that he can definitely carry the mail and put some points on the board and take some people with him as he runs. We’re just proud of how he’s played overall on both sides of the ball."
Perry took a temporary lead on their own first drive after De'Onte Herring ripped off a 90-yard touchdown catch-and-run and the Commodores converted a two-point attempt to go up 8-7. Kusic's 15-yard rushing touchdown two minutes later put Wheeling Central back on the winning track.
The new names extended to the defense too-- freshman defensive back Triton Brown came down with two interceptions, and sophomore edge defender Kal-El Wilkinson racked up two sacks. Trenton McCardle, Eli Czapp and Seth Wodusky also came up with sacks. Wilkinson and interior D-linemen Dominic Paesani were very disruptive up-front for Central.
Sophomore Andrew Jones forced a safety, bringing down Perry quarterback Chaz Jackson in the end zone with three minutes to play in the second quarter, the two points bringing Central to a 29-8 lead.
It wasn't all roses for Central, who fumbled three times in the first half, only losing one. Young acknowledged the slip-ups but praised his team for a mid-game turnaround.
"A lot of times you play to the level of your competition. I think it was a sloppy first half with offsides, all the penalties and other things," Young said. "That gets you out of sync from where you’re supposed to be. But I thought our kids rallied in the second half and just took complete control of the game, played a lot better, executed a lot better, reacted to the ball, had some interceptions that were key. I’m just proud of how well we continued to get better as the game went on."
While Friday shined a light on the new players populating Central's lineup, one familiar face was Nico Kusic, who rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns, and completed 11 of 15 passes for 157 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Backups trickled in throughout the second half for Central. Freshman Wyatt Stephens ran for 32 yards, sophomore Kylar Koroneos ran for 43, and freshman Luke Bordas completed one of three pass attempts, a 22-yarder to Raquan Marling.
Wheeling Central (1-0) remains at home for their next game, a matchup against Fort Frye (2-0) on Sept. 4.