1019_WP@MussFB3_ra 10-18-19 Wheeling Park's Xavier Morris (1) picks up a block from Qwentin Hibbitts (50) on a short pass during 2nd quarter action Friday evening in Bunker Hill. See more photos on CU.journal-news.net. (Journal Photo by Ron Agnir)

BUNKER HILL — From the moment the ball was kicked on Friday night, Musselman coach Brian Thomas might have been the most excited man in the state of West Virginia.

After Luke Barger pinned Wheeling Park deep on the opening kickoff, Thomas sprinted over to his kicker and wrapped him up in a bearhug. And while the Applemen’s collars might have gotten tight in another razor-thin encounter with the Patriots, that energy from the home team never faded.

And once the clock hit triple zeroes on a 26-24 Musselman win, Thomas was the first to let out a victory scream. His Applemen are 7-1 and approaching the top five in the Class AAA playoff ratings, and to Thomas, Friday’s win represented another benchmark in his program’s rise.

“Seven years ago, when I became head coach, to play the Morgantowns, and the Tuscaroras, and the Woodgroves, and the Wheeling Parks, they weren’t on the schedule,” Thomas said.

“Now, we’ll play anyone in the state. We’ve changed as a program to where every game you expect to win. We had a really great week of practice, that’s why I was so amped up and so excited. I knew we were ready.”

And this win, the second straight year Musselman has beaten Wheeling Park in a one-score game, was unique. This one wasn’t a shootout, unlike the 41-35 thriller at Wheeling Island Stadium last year: it was a close, defensive struggle decided in the trenches.

And unlike many of Musselman’s wins this season, the big plays weren’t there on offense. Star running back Blake Hartman’s longest run of the day went for 25 yards, a far cry from the 60-yard scores that have become his routine.

But instead, the Applemen kept pounding out the short gains, and those 4-, 5- and 6-yard runs all added up to a big win over a top 10 opponent.

“We’ve had the big plays this year, but that’s not our M.O.,” Thomas said. “We tell the kids, let’s get three yards a pop. They know our M.O. is, if we get to 4th-and-1, no matter where it is on the field, we’re going for it. At halftime, we said let’s come out and keep pounding.”

This was a game determined in the tight spaces. And on the first drive of the game, Musselman forced a Wheeling Park safety that wound up being the deciding edge of the game, after a bad snap allowed Ben Bartles to block a Patriots punt through the end zone.

Wheeling Park quarterback Alex Dunlevy soon bounced back to lead a long touchdown drive on the Patriots’ next possession, finishing by running in a score on a bootleg from two yards out.

It was the first of three touchdowns the senior accounted for on the evening, as he topped 300 yards passing in another prolific performance.

“I don’t want to rank quarterbacks, but without a doubt he is up there,” Thomas said of Dunlevy. “He’s an outstanding quarterback. Thank goodness we don’t have to see him again.”

But that early 7-2 edge turned out to be the only time Wheeling Park led all game. Hartman put the ball in the end zone twice in the second quarter, first throwing a touchdown on a trick play to wide receiver Kagen Teets, then bursting for a 25 yard rushing score.

Musselman led 16-10 at halftime, after Wheeling Park kicker Andrew Glass hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired. That kick set up an extremely tight second half, most of which saw the two teams separated by only one score.

With Musselman leading 19-10 late in the third quarter, Dunlevy hit receiver Stevie Mitchell on a quick comeback route, and watched as the speedy junior burst upfield for a 53-yard touchdown.

The Applemen struck back in the fourth, when backup running back Jacob Miller’s first carry of the day turned into a 9-yard touchdown. Dunlevy lofted a 23-yard touchdown to Xavier Morris on fourth down with six minutes remaining, and all Wheeling Park needed was another stop to give itself a opportunity to win.

The Patriots didn’t get that chance. Although the Wheeling Park defensive front did a brilliant job keeping Hartman to short gains and limiting his space between the tackles. But when the yards mattered most, Thomas was able to open up his playbook, exemplified by a critical third-down option pitch to supporting player Nick Zamora that turned into a first down that helped ice the game.

Hartman wound up leading the Applemen in both rushing and receiving, carrying the ball 32 times for 196 yards and a touchdown, while catching 3 passes for 35 yards. Zamora contributed 49 yards on 7 carries, while quarterback Caleb Hardy was 4-5 through the air for 56 yards and an interception.

Meanwhile, Wheeling Park’s Dunlevy finished the day 18 of 27 for 304 yards and two touchdowns, while also carrying the ball 12 times for 29 yards and a score. He was aided by big games from four of his receivers: Stevie Mitchell caught five balls for 100 yards and a touchdown, while Xavier Morris, Carson Namack and Shaheed Jackson all had more than 50 receiving yards each.