photo by: Kim North

Wheeling Central’s defense bottled up Union Local’s Brody Perzanowski (15) Friday night on the artificial surface at Bishop Schmitt Field. The Maroon Knights rallied to a 25-19 victory over the Jets as Perzanowski was held to 63 yards on 17 carries. Troy Mortakis (43) and Kade Koroneos (26) lead the charge while Joey Hall (21) and Brady Ernest (14) converge.

WHEELING – Nico Kusic started Friday night’s game against Union Local with a long touchdown pass-and-run to Kade Koroneos. After that the junior signal-caller found the going pretty tough. However, he finished in grand style.

Kusic spotted senior Max Olejasz all along down the left sidelines from 23 yards out with 70 seconds left, and then connected with Joey Hall on the 2-point pass as the Maroon Knights made a successful debut, 25-19, over the visiting Jets on Wheeling University’s Bishop Schmitt Field.

Kusic was 5-for-5 for 79 yards on the game-winning drive.

“He was off earlier and he’ll be the first one to tell you that he didn’t have a great game,” veteran Wheeling Central head coach Mike Young said of Kusic. “He kept his poise and stayed focused.

“He read it (the defense) right and made a good pass to Max.”

Trailing 19-17, Wheeling Central took over at their own 21 with 1:46 remaining. Kusic and Koroneos connected three straight times for gains of 11, 23 and 14. Kusic then speared Olejasz on an 8-yard out pattern that set up the touchdown on the next play.

On second-and-2 from the Jets’ 23, Kusic rolled to his left, bought some time and then found the 6-7 Olejasz all by himself inside the 5 and he waltzed into the end zone.

“I saw Max on the little go (route) and I just lobbed it (the ball) up to him,” Kusic said of the game-winner. “It’s hard to miss him when he’s that wide open.”

Hall made an acrobatic one-handed interception to seal the deal.

The victory came with a cost, however, as a pair of Maroon Knights suffered injuries and didn’t return.

“We fought through adversity because we had guys going down hurt. We lost a guy with an injured collarbone and another with a groin injury,” Young said. “We battled to the bitter end … the bitter end.

“Give Union Local credit,” Young added. “Both teams battled to the end.”

Wheeling Central struck first as Kusic was under pressure on the Maroon Knights second offensive snap of the game. He stepped up into the pocket and lasered a strike to Koroneos in the middle of the field at the Jets’ 30. The senior broke a tackle and cut to his right before outrunning everyone to paydirt to complete a 64-yard scoring play. Clay Petry made it 7-0.

Olejasz picked off a Colby Carpenter pass and returned it to the Union Local 31, but the drive stalled and Petry was summoned for a 45-yard field goal attempt. The strong-legged junior split the uprights for a 10-0 lead.

On the Jets second snap, Carpenter went off the left side of his line from the 24, broke free at the 35 and outraced everyone to the end zone for a 76-yard scamper. Gavin Fowkes’ PAT made it 10-7.

Union Local re-took the lead when Ayden Graham returned a Wheeling Central punt 65 yards for a touchdown to make it 13-10. The PAT was good, however, a motion penalty denied it. The next attempt was blocked.

Hall recovered a punt at the Jets’ 20 that inadvertantly touched a Union Local player. Koroneos rambled over the right side of the line from 7 yards out and Petry’s point-after gave the Maroon Knights a 17-13 halftime lead.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Union Local found itself with a third-and-33 from near midfield. A 16-yard pass from Carpenter to Graham and a 19-yard hookup with Brody Perzanowski on fourth-and-17 moved the sticks. Four plays later – on third-and-15 – Carpenter found Karson Grigatis on a crossing pattern and threw a strike for a 21-yard score. The PAT was once again no good with 1:51 on the clock.

“That was a heck of a game. That is the type of game that nobody should lose,” Union Local head coach Bernie Thompson said. “Credit to Coach Young and his team. They have a great team.

“We battled. If anything, we hurt ourselves with penalties and mistakes,” Thompson noted. “Those are things we need to clean up, but hey, it’s only week 2. We have to go back to the drawing board and get back to work. You learn from games like this.”

Wheeling Central amassed 252 total yards as Kusic passed for 167 on 10-of-17. Koroneos caught six for 120 and the aforementioned TD, while running for 74 more and another six points.

Union Local had 249 total yards as Carpenter ran for 100 and passed for 96. However, 10 penalties for 90 yards didn’t help.

“To be able to hold a team like Union Local to 19 points says a lot about our defense,” Young added. “Our coaches did a great job of game planning and our kids executed it very well.”

Wheeling Central heads to Beverly next Friday to meet Fort Frye (1-1). Union Local (1-1) is at Indian Creek.