Patriots Top Rival Monarchs
Phillips Throws Five Touchdowns in 35-7 Win
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MOUNDSVILLE -- The 2021 football season has been a whacky one for Wheeling Park. The Patriots were only able to play seven games through 10 weeks due to various COVID outbreaks entering Friday night's rivalry matchup with John Marshall. However, all the Ohio Countians had to do was defeat the improving Monarchs to extend their season into the playoffs.
Mission accomplished.
Head coach Chris Daugherty's charges punched that W.Va. Class AAA playoff ticket by combining a quick-strike passing game with a bend-but-don't-break defense in a 35-7 triumph over the Monarchs before a large crowd at frigid Monarch Stadium. It was Park's 12th-straight win in the series that it handily leads, 35-16.
Wheeling Park (4-4) came into the contest ranked 19th among 'big' schools in the Mountain State. The top 16 qualify for the postseason and the West Virginia Secondary Schools Athletic Commission will announce the first-round pairings on Sunday.
"It was nice to have some explosive plays again," Daugherty said. "Our (coaching) staff did a good job of creating those big plays."
The veteran Patriots boss was referring to the 18 plays that his team gained 10-or-more yards on, while limiting the Monarchs (6-4) to just four.
Junior quarterback Brett Phillips was responsible for many of those 'big' plays. The 6-2, 175-pounder threw five touchdown passes and had nine completions of at least 10 yards.
He found speedy sophomore Jerrae Hawkins for scoring plays of 37 and 13 on the first two Patriot possessions. Sophomore Aidan Forget made it 14-0 with the first two of his five placements.
John Marshall's only highlight came on the ensuing kickoff as Wesley Hughes fielded the ball at his own 14. The 5-8, 150-pound freshman saw a hole in the middle of the field and cut to his right near midfield. He broke a would-be tackle at the Patriots' 45 and set sail down the far sidelines for a 86-yard return. Connor Fitzpatrick made it 14-7.
The Patriots made it 21-7 with 4:01 left before the half when Phillips teamed with junior Will James on a fourth-down pop pass from the 1.
John Marshall threatened as the half wound down. It used 16 plays in marching from its own 36 to the Park 16 before Fitzpatrick was wide left on a 34-yard field goal attempt.
The Monarchs received the second-half kickoff and drove 10 plays to the Patriots' 27 before quarterback Jacob Coffield was sacked on fourth down by Zac Lydick and Ian Litman. Another 10-play drive on their next possession ended with a fumble at the Park 36 that was pounced on by Jacob Stewart.
"That's been our problem all year. We just don't have the speed to score from a long way," John Marshall first-year head coach Justin Kropka said of the lack of long-distance plays. "We have to be perfect on offense. We can't get behind the sticks. We're fine from 20-to-20 against some of the elite teams in West Virginia, we just couldn't score quick. We tried every way we could schematically to circumvent that, but, obviously, you have to tip your hat to Wheeling Park. They made the plays when they needed to."
"Our defense did bend a little bit but it never broke," Daugherty praised. "The only score we gave up was on the kickoff return."
The Patriots yielded 213 total yards, with most of that coming on those three drives.
Phillips hooked up with James for a 22-yard slant on 4th-and-8 that upped the margin to 28-7 early in the fourth quarter. Phillips concluded his career night with an 8-yard laser to Keohn Stephens.
Phillips finished 16 for 20 for 208 yards. Hawkins caught seven passes for 110 yards and James had six receptions for 75.
"We've felt good all year long about throwing the ball, no matter who we were playing," Daugherty said. "It was nice to see the line protect him (Phillips) enough to allow him time to throw. He made the right reads and the receivers caught the ball. When you throw the ball a lot of things have to go right. Tonight it did. That's a credit to the kids."
That line — all seniors — included Zach Parsons, Khaleb Webb, Merrick Miller, Braden Hupp and Zane Ackley.
Senior Hunter Nixon ran for 88 yards on a dozen carries.
While proud of his team's performance, Daugherty liked in what he saw from John Marshall.
"John Marshall did a good job of calling plays and keeping us on our toes," he noted. "That's a really improved team, especially on offense, that we've seen from them in quite some time."
For the Monarchs, who were 13th before the setback, their fate had yet to be determined late Friday night.
"I told the kids to forget about football over the weekend," Kropka said. "When Monday rolls around we will either be practicing for a playoff game or turning in our equipment. I'm so proud of my seniors, either way. Coming into the year everyone was predicting us to two, maybe three games. To be honest, one of those guys might have been me, but we outplayed our talent all season. The kids continued to surprise me how well they played."
When asked about a possible first-round opponent, Daugherty was quick to answer.
"It doesn't matter who we play. Tell us tomorrow (Saturday). We're going to enjoy this one tonight," he said.