Wheeling Central Holds On vs. Lions, 42-36
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WHEELING – The Maroon Knights rose to the occasion Friday night.
Wheeling Central, which has dealt with a meat grinder of a regular-season schedule, faced another powerhouse program in the form of Cincinnati College Prep Academy at Bishop Schmitt Field on the campus of Wheeling University. The 8-2 Lions are ranked second in the OHSAA D-VI Region 24 playoff standings.
Coach Mike Young had his Maroon charges primed and focused for the formidable challenge. As a result, the Knights turned in a superlative performance in registering a prized 42-36 win.
The triumph will be a major boost to Central's ranking in the state playoff standings. The 5-4 Knights entered the week in sixth place in Class A. Bagging the Lions will obviously move the Maroon up in the playoff poll.
"It is a really nice win," Young said. "We beat a very good and athletic team. They had a lot of team speed.
"Their coach played at Ohio State with Tim Spencer, so it was nice to talk to him. He is a class act," added the National Hall of Fame coach. "We did make things a little too interesting late in the game."
Central owned a seemingly comfortable 42-20 lead with just over five minutes to play.
CCPA scored on a TD pass with 4:01 remaining to cut the deficit to 42-28.
The Maroon Knights misplayed the ensuing kickoff with the Lions taking possession at the Central three. CCPA scored one play later to pare the deficit to 42-36 with 3:55 on the clock.
As fate would have it, Central was forced to punt on its next possession. CCPA took over at its 30 with 1:13 left to play. The Lions' comeback hopes ended on third down as they fumbled away possession.
Central exhibited an effective running game, collecting 301 yards on the ground.
Senior ace Dustin Sanner led the way with 152 yards and four TDs. Quarterback Nico Kusic gained 73 yards while scoring twice. Freshman standout Wyatt Stephens added 75 stripes.
At halftime, Stephens' sister, Olivia, was crowned Wheeling Central Homecoming Queen.
"We ran the ball very well. Our coaches did a nice job with putting the game plan together," Young said. "I am very proud of our kids. They played hard and unselfishly. They are getting better and better.
"We have now won four of our last five. That one loss was to unbeaten Barnesville last week when we played well and had a chance to win," he added. "If we can beat Williamstown in two weeks we have a chance to finish second in the (state poll) standings."
Central took the opening kickoff and embarked on a textbook 15-play and six-minute drive, capped by a Sanner six-yard scoring run. Clay Petry added the PAT.
The Maroon Knights made it 14-0 on their next possession. Sanner climaxed a 10-pay drive from a yard out. Petry again added the conversion.
Central took a 21-12 halftime lead as Sanner scored on another six-yard run.
A 20-yard TD run by Kusic made it a 28-12 reading. After a CCPA score, Sanner scored from the one to make it a 35-20 Central advantage with eight seconds left in the third quarter.
Kusic gave the hosts what-proved-to-be the game-winning TD via a seven-yard run with 5:48 remaining, pushing the lead to 42-20 and setting the stage for CCPA's late and ill-fated comeback.
The Queen City crew completed 23-of-32 passes for 216 yards. The Lions managed just 69 yards on the ground.
Kusic, a West Liberty University commit, ended the night seven-of-12 for 98 yards. Stephens hauled in three of the passes for 55 yards.
"We will make good use of our bye week," Young said. "We will be able to take a deep breath as we have dealt with a very difficult schedule. So a little break will be good for us.
"We will also do some team building and do some community service," he added. "And we will definitely prepare for Williamstown."
Wheeling Central 42, Cincinnati College Prep 36
CCPA 0 12 8 16 – 36
Whg C. 7 14 14 7 – 42
WC – Sanner, 6 run. Petry kick
WC – Sanner, 1 run. Petry kick.
CCPA – Houston, 60 yard interception return. Run failed.
CCPA – Bell, 5 pass from McCray pass failed.
WC – Sanner, 6 run. Petry kick.
WC – Kusic, 20 run. Petry kick.
CCPA – McCray, 1 run. McCray run.
WC – Sanner, 1 run. Petry kick.
WC – Kusic, 7 run. Petry kick.
CCPA – Evans 3 pass from McCray. Robertson run.
CCPA – Robertson, 2 run. Bell pass from McCray.
RUSHING: CCPA 18-69 (McCray 8-42, Robertson 8-26, Hayes 2-1) WHEELING CENTRAL 43-301-6tds (Sanner 21-152-4tds, Kusic 10-73-2tds, Stephens 10-75, Czapp 2-15).
PASSING: CCPA 23-32-2tds,1int, 216 yards (All by McCray) WHEELING CENTRAL 7-of-12-1int-98 yards (All by Kusic).
RECEIVING: CCPA 22-216-2 TDs (Napier 10-73, Bell 4-56-td, Houston 4-53, Evans 2-14-td) WHEELING CENTRAL 7-98 (Stephens 3-55, Rine 3-27, Wear 1-16).
FIRST DOWNS: CCPA 15, Central 17
FUMBLES: CCPA 2/2; Central 2/1
PENALTIES: CCPA 12-91; Central 7-65