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WHEELING - Missed opportunities by Linsly cost it an eighth straight loss Saturday and dampened the spirits of a large Homecoming and Alumni Weekend gathering at Fawcett Field inside Lockhart Alumni Stadium.
The Cadets (0-8) were inside Parkersburg South territory twice early in the first quarter and then got stopped at the goal line as the first half ended. The visiting Patriots (5-3) were able to hold them off all three times in a 35-28 victory that snapped a two-game losing skid for the Wood Countians.
"Three times in the first half we had chances to score, and we couldn't punch it in," a dejected Linsly head coach B.J. Depew offered. "That was rough. It's kind of a heart-breaker because coming in we really thought we had a chance to win. We had been playing better recently and had more confidence in ourselves, but we didn't take advantage of multiple opportunities."
"The battling really defines us," Depew said. "We didn't play our best today. We had trouble moving the ball on the ground, but I thought we played pretty good defense, especially in the second half.
"They are a good football team. I don't want to take anything away from them," he added. They were big and physical and pushed around a little bit up front."
The teams traded interceptions on the first two possessions. Braxton Lord came down with a tipped pass at the Parkersburg South 3 on the opening drive, but Linsly's Ramello Deer made an acrobatic pick at the Cadets' 34 several plays later. However, Derr injured a shoulder on the play and didn't return.
"That was a huge loss for us because he is such a playmaker for us," Depew stressed. "Our whole offense has more confidence when they know he's on the field because he is dynamic. He can turn a little play into a big play real fast."
Parkersburg South's Nathan Tanner said it's never easy to win football games.
"It was a gutsy, gritty win. I'm proud of the kids because we faced some adversity this week. We had some kids out but we had some that really stepped up today."
Linsly would drive to the Parkersburg South 3 only to see a fourth-down pass juggled in the end zone.
The Patriots countered with a 20-play, 97-yard drive that chewed up nearly 10 minutes of the first and second quarters. They converted a fourth-and-5 from midfield when Kinzyn Lutchmansingh's pass was tipped by Linsly linebacker Simon Hamp but fell into the arms of Eli Bartley who picked up the first down. They converted another fourth-down inside the 10 before Lutchmansingh scored on a 6-yard keeper around left end. Alex Hanna was good on the first of his five PATs as the visitors grabbed a 7-0 lead.
The Cadets struck right back as Justin Heckman ran the ensuing kickoff back 77 yards for a touchdown. The sophomore started up the middle of the field before cutting to his left, finding a seam and taking it to the house. However, the PAT was wide right with 5:14 left in the first half.
Both teams scored again before the half as Parkersburg South marched 66 yards on six plays as Bartley bulled in from the 2. A 46-yard gallop by Bartley jump-started the drive and a 14-yard scramble by Lutchmansingh on fourth-and-6 from the 16 set up the score. Hanna made it 14-6.
It only took Linsly five plays to counter as Brendan Wade found Jaxon Murray on a slant pattern that the junior completed for a 38-yard scoring play. Joaquin Zarur's point-after made it 14-13 with 1:46 left before the half.
The Linsly defense made a stand and forced a Parkersburg South punt. Taking over at their own 41, the Cadets used a 26-yard hookup between Wade and Lucca Trollous and a 16-yard strike to Chris Upton to place the ball at the Patriots' 17 with 6.8 seconds showing.
Wade and Troullos teamed up again, but the Parkersburg South defense stopped the Cadets' junior just shy of the end zone.
Both head coaches agreed that play was a huge factor in the outcome.
"That call was huge," Depew said of the way the first half ended. "I couldn't see from my vantage point. That was tough."
"We had some big stops on defense early in the first quarter and then there at the end of the (first) half," Tanner recalled. "People don't realize, every inch counts. Sometimes it really matters."
On the Patriots second possession of the third quarter, Bartley capped an 8-play, 64-yard drive with a 9-yard scamper up the middle. A fourth-and-9 pass of 14 yards from Lutchmansingh to Taj Joyce sparked the march. Hanna made it 21-13.
Lutchmansingh threw a pair of TD passes in the fourth quarter as the Patriots built a 35-13 advantage before the Cadets tried to rally. Lutchmansingh found Brendon Kelley on a bubble screen that the senior turned into a 39-yard six-pointer. He then connected with Joyce on an 18-yard strike. Hanna converted both times.
Linsly tried to stage a comeback as Wade and Troullos combined on a 6-yard TD strike over the middle. Wade then found Aiden Brooks for the two points and a 35-21 deficit.
Following a fumble recovery by Patrick Christ at the Parkersburg South 28, a pass interference penalty on the Patriots moved the ball to the 14. Wade speared Upton in the end zone and Zarur's kick made it 35-28 with 3:47 left to play.
Parkersburg South picked up a pair of first downs and were able to run out the clock.
"I thought our ability to run the football was really good and I thought Kinz (Lutchmansingh) executed at a high level," Tanner praised. "We just had a lot of kids making plays. The offensive line blocked well and Eli ran really hard."
Lutchmansingh passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns while Bartley ran 35 times for 185 and scored twice. Kelley and Joyce each had seven receptions, with Kelley totalling 92 yards and Joyce 66.
Wade went 19-of-41 for 274 yards and three scores for Linsly, which managed a mere 33 yards on the ground.