High School Sports

Wheeling Central Looks To Rebound

WHEELING -- Wheeling Central is coming off of back-to-back losses to two quality OVAC schools in Bellaire and Shadyside.

Adversity is nothing new for the Knights, who collected three straight state championships from 2017-2019 and in two of those years finished with four losses.

It's simply a 'learn from it, get better and move on' mindset that isn't changing this week as Central hosts W.Va. Class A foe Man High School on Friday night at Bishop Schmitt Field at 7 p.m.

"You just put the past behind you, win or lose, move forward, get back to the basics and keep working on blocking and tackling," Central coach Mike Young said. "We have a good group of kids who will respond and our coaches will coach them up."

Despite the setback last week to the Tigers, the QB duo of Michael Toepfer (100 yards passing) and Payton Hildebrand (80 yards and a TD) led Central to a pair of quick scoring strikes in the first half and generated a long TD drive in the fourth quarter to keep the game close, which gives Young and his squad plenty of positives to build on.

"We put points on the board and were able to move the ball," Young said. "We had trouble trying to stop Wyatt Reiman, which not many teams have been able to do this year. That's nothing to be ashamed of but we have to be better up front."

That will be crucial this week, especially, as Man (2-1) comes into the game with strength on the offensive and defensive lines.

"They are very big up front and they have a lot of aggression," Young said. "They have played a tough schedule, too, so this game will be a great gauge for us about where we stand as far as the Class A postseason is concerned."