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WHEELING - In its opening week matchup against Seton Hill, the Wheeling University football team (1-0, 0-0) put together a 28-point second half attack to pick up the victory. They return to Bishop Schmitt Field on Saturday and look to carry that momentum with them as they open Mountain East Conference (MEC) play against Frostburg State with kick-off scheduled for 1 p.m. A win would move the Cardinals to 1-0 in conference play for the first time in program history.
The Cardinals got on the board early against the Griffins, scoring a touchdown in the game's first minute-and-a-half. An interception from Buckeye Trail product Jack Parry set the Cardinals up at the Griffin 4-yard line, and former Steubenville standout Javon Davis would hook up with Tre Holloway to give Wheeling a 7-0 lead.
However, that would be the Cardinals only score of the first half as they went into the locker room trailing 10-7. They turned the ball over on their first possession of the second half but came back strong with a six-minute drive that ended with an Eli Young 1-yard touchdown run.
That would send the Cardinals on a run of four straight drives where they scored touchdowns and went on to win 35-24. It was the second straight year that the Cardinals kicked off the year with a win, and now they look to translate that success into conference play.
Leading that comeback for the offense was Davis, who after breaking both the passing yard and passing touchdown record a season ago picked up right where he left off. He went 11-24 on the evening, throwing for 131 yards and two touchdowns while completing 45.8% of his passes.
He opened the game with a 4-yard strike to Holloway and added a 26-yard touchdown pass in the second half to Quron Winder to complete the scoring. The Cardinals would mix things up in the run game, with six different ballcarriers finishing with at least one carry.
Steven Mitchell, a Wheeling Park grad, led the group in yards, carrying three times for 51 yards and a TD, while Elijah Young carried the ball 16 times for 48 yards and two touchdowns.
On the defensive end, the Cardinals bent but never broke on the night, coming up big when the team needed them the most. After allowing the 10 first-quarter points, the Cardinals defense stiffened, not allowing a score in the second or third quarter.
It was enough time for the Cardinals to build up a lead and the defense was able to protect that lead for the rest of the night.
Martins Ferry alum Dalton Hoover had a triumphant return to the Cardinal's lineup after missing all of 2022. He led the defense with 11 total tackles, six solo and five assisted, including 0.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Parry made his first career start at middle linebacker and made the most of it with six total tackles, four solo and two assisted.
As Wheeling heads into the conference schedule, it is looking to defy the preseason ranking, where they were picked No. 7 in the MEC. With a heavy home schedule early in the season, the Cardinals are looking to take advantage of their time on Bishop Schmitt Field before they hit the road at the end of the year. Three of their first four games of the year are at home, a place where they excelled last season, going 4-2 in their home games in 2022.
If the Cardinals can pull out a win against Frostburg State on Saturday, it would also be the first time the team has started a season 2-0 since the 2018 exhibition season when the team won every game that year.
The Cardinals and Bobcats are meeting for the fifth time in program history, with Frostburg State leading the all-time series at 3-1. However, when the two teams meet at Bishop Schmitt Field, the Cardinals have split those two games and have averaged 21.5 points per game compared to 18.5 points per game in Frostburg. Last season marked the first win against Frostburg State in school history for the program when it came away with a 31-27 victory.