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Wheeling Park Stuns Zanesville

Park Stuns Zanesville

Wheeling Park quarterback Alex Dunlevy (12) tries to avoid the grasp of Zanesville’s Malakai Curry (22) on Friday in Wheeling. Photo by Scott McCloskey

WHEELING — Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Wheeling Park had the will and found a way as it stormed back from 21-0 down to hand Zanesville its first loss of the season with a thrilling 35-34 victory at Wheeling Island Stadium on Friday night.

Senior quarterback Alex Dunlevy completed the tall task by leading a clutch game-winning drive where he found top-target Carson Namack in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown on fourth-and-10 with 48 seconds to play.

“Offensively, we have guys who can make plays. We have a quarterback who can make plays, so we just started chipping away at it,” Park coach Chris Daugherty said. “We settled down, started to make plays and slowly but surely we just kind of willed our way back into the game.

“It was an amazing game and an amazing effort by our kids and coaching staff. To beat an undefeated team from Ohio — Zanesville is a great team and they are coached very well — was a tough task but a great win for our program.

“Our coaching staff did a great job of putting out fires and making adjustments and it feels great to be on the winning end of a close game.”

The final drive began at Park’s 24 with 4:11 to go. Following a sack, Dunlevy stepped up on third-and-18 and found Namack for a 38-yard gain to keep the drive alive. Namack finished with a team-high six receptions for 111 yards.

Then, Dunlevy scrambled 12 yards on third-and-2 before firing the game-tying touchdown pass.

“I told the guys in the huddle ‘we’re going to go down the field and win this game,'” Dunlevy said. “There were some plays I had to get out of the pocket but our line did a great job protecting the entire game.

“On the last play, we got pressure from the end so I stepped up and got out and (Namack) ran a backside post and I knew it was going to be open if the safety came down and he did. Then, we had it.”

Andrew Glass booted the game-winning extra point through the uprights.

Andrew Shelek supplied a sack on Zanesville’s final drive and Nate Shelek removed all doubt with an interception to end the game.

Dunlevy turned in 173 yards on 13 of 23 passing — keeping plays alive with his feet and running for 58 yards on 12 carries.

“The way he can buy time, find his way and find the open receiver — sometimes his best plays aren’t totally designed,” Daugherty said of his quarterback. “He ad libs, he makes plays and that’s what makes him so special.”

The Patriots looked like a completely different team after a disastrous opening quarter.

The Blue Devils were moving the ball at will as Jordan Martin recorded an 11-yard touchdown run and quarterback Ben Everson tossed touchdowns to Casey Cassell from 35 yards and Brian Ulbrich from 10 yards out.

The Patriots went nearly 10 minutes into the game before moving the chains on their third drive after giving up three quick touchdowns.

Although, the Patriots third march of the game went 79 yards, it ended with a fumble on the 1 and out of the end zone — resulting in a turnover and a touchback for Zanesville.

The fumble killed the drive but gave life to the Park offense.

“We felt good after that, even though it didn’t go well,” Daugherty said. “We felt like ‘we’re going to be OK. We’re going to have offense here. We just have to make plays.’

“And I think our kids started to believe ‘we’re going to be alright.'”

Park’s next three drives after the fumble all went for touchdowns.

The first was setup by a fake punt where Dunlevy found Nate Shelek open for the first and culminated with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Steven Mitchell as he hurled a defender in route.

After the Park defense forced another three-and-out, Rapheal Bradley amassed 52 yards rushing on the ensuing drive and Dunlevy found paydirt with a 2-yard score to cut the deficit to 21-13 at halftime.

Another fake punt on Park’s first drive of the second half — this one a 9-yard run by Dunlevy — led to a game-tying touchdown by Bradley from 2 yards out. Dunlevy found Sincere Sinclair for the two points to tie the game.

Bradley accounted for 120 yards rushing on 17 carries for Park.

“I thought special teams made a big difference,” Daugherty said. “We made two fake punts for first downs that kept drives alive. That was huge.”

Both teams traded touchdowns later in the third quarter with Martin scoring for the Blue Devils and Dunlevy capping an 81-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run.

Zanesville took its final lead on a 65-yard scoring drive but a missed extra point allowed Dunlevy and the Patriots their moment in the spotlight.

Everson paced Zanesville with 194 yards passing on 16 of 29 passing.

“I don’t know that anybody made adjustments but it was just more of who made the plays at the end of the game,” Zanesville coach Chad Grandstaff said. “It was back-and-forth and when we missed the extra point it opened the door for them. They made the plays when they had to be made and we didn’t.”

Wheeling Park 35, Zanesville 34

Zanesville 21 0 7 6 — 34

Wheeling Park 0 13 15 7 — 35

Z — Martin 11 run (Dolen kick), 9:50

Z — Cassell 35 pass from Everson (Dolen kick), 6:55

Z — Ulbrich 10 pass from Everson (Dolen kick), 2:42

W — Mitchell 1 run (kick failed), 7:20

W — Dunlevy 2 run (Glass kick), :38

W — Bradley 2 run (Sinclair pass from Dunlevy), 8:18

Z — Martin 1 run (Dolen kick), 4:12

W — Dunlevy 17 run (Glass kick), :6

Z — Martin 1 run (kick failed), 7:19

W — Namack 28 pass from Dunlevy (Glass kick), :48

Rushing: Zanesville 34-158-3td (Martin 17-82-3td, Everson 13-61, Norman 3-15); Wheeling Park 43-268-4td (Bradley 17-120-td, Dunlevy 12-58-2td, Mitchell 4-27-td, Robinson 10-63).

Passing: Zanesville 16-29-194-2td-x (all by Everson); Wheeling Park 13-23-173-td (all by Dunlevy).

Receiving: Zanesville 16-194-2td (Norman 4-34, Cassell 5-79-td, Wiggins 3-43, Ulbrich 1-10-td, McBrayer 1-14, Barnett 1-10, Martin 1-4); Wheeling Park 13-173-td (Namack 6-111-td, Shelek 1-14, Mitchell 2-23, Sinclair 4-24, Saines 1-(-5), Morris 1-12).

First Downs: Zanesville 17; Wheeling Park 23.

Penalties: Zanesville 9-77; Wheeling Park 6-50.

Fumbles-Lost: Zanesville 0-0; Wheeling Park 2-2.

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