By Stephen Smoot
Legendary ESPN football commentator Chris Berman used to love to set up his audience to hear about a major upset. He would describe the attributes of the favored squad, discuss why they enjoyed dominance, and the challenges faced by the underdog.
Then, after a pause for dramatic effect, he’d say, “But that’s why they play the game!”
West Virginia’s sports media spoke often about Greenbrier West in the days leading to the game, mostly about the former Mountaineer who serves as their assistant coach. Few of those stories even referred to their opening game in the (as it turned out) not so friendly confines of Franklin.
Pendleton County came off a season last year in which they demonstrated improvement and grit. Last season, they opened at the Cavaliers and battled them hard for a half before succumbing to the highly touted program.
The Wildcats got little respect in the preseason, but they went out and earned some last Friday night.
On a perfect evening with perfect temperatures under a perfect sun flanked with tufts of cirrus clouds, a cascade of Cavalier fans with cowbells greeted both squads as the game commenced.
The Wildcats kicked off to the Cavaliers to open the contest. As one might expect of a team whose coaching assistants include the name Owen Schmitt, Greenbrier West worked to establish dominance in the run game. Early on, they mixed the traditional I formation with the run centered version of the spread option. They relied on their larger line to try to push the Wildcats off the ball and eat up yardage while tiring defenders on the field.
Greenbrier West used their initial drive to methodically bully their way down the field. A 13-play drive seemed to show that they could accomplish that goal. When they sought to drive their way through the middle on fourth and very short at the Wildcat 40, they found out what Moorefield did last year.
Pendleton County rises to the challenge in short yardage situations and in this case, they stood firm and wrapped up the ball carrier short of the line of scrimmage.
Then came the first play of the season for the Pendleton County offense and Wildcat fans hoped that it served as an omen for both the game and the season. Senior quarterback James Vincell dropped back and coolly fired a pass to the right to freshman Colton Roberson at about the Cavalier 45. Roberson took the precision pass in stride and outran the defense 70 yards for a Wildcat touchdown. Gabe Harvey’s kick made the score 7-0.
Greenbrier West took the kickoff at about the 20 and took it forward to their own 40. Following their game plan, they once again worked the run game to try to break the Wildcats through attrition. A 14-play drive helped by an offsides penalty on fourth down seemed to right the ship for the visitors when it resulted in a touchdown at the other end.
Pendleton County responded in the next drive. A Josiah Kimble return gave the Wildcats the ball at their own 30. The first two plays netted two yards. On third and eight, however, Vincell rolled right and threw right, once again finding Roberson, who once again blazed down the field for a 70-yard touchdown reception.
Greenbrier West topped off the Wildcats’ brilliant play with a 15-yard personal foul penalty that hurt them on the kickoff. Harvey made the score 14-7 with another accurate kick.
Now early in the second quarter, the Cavaliers got back to work on offense. Chase Owens wrapped up the runner on first down for no gain, but the Wildcats gave up five yards on second down with an encroachment penalty. Once again looking for running room, they instead found Roberson who stopped the play for a gain of one.
On third down, Greenbrier West attempted to pass, but Ty Heavner tracked down the quarterback and dropped him for a six-yard loss, forcing a punt from the 20 that angled out of bounds just shy of midfield.
Pendleton County did not squander the opportunity. Vincell hit Nick Rhodes for a five-yard pass to open the drive. He did well all night spreading the ball to different receivers in different areas of the field, keeping the defense off balance. Two plays later, Roberson hauled in a 14-yard completion.
Shortly thereafter, with eight minutes left in the half, Vincell faced a third and 12 from the Cavalier 30. He took the snap, drifted right, then hoisted a pass to the corner of the endzone. Kimble pulled it in to give his team a soon to be 21-7 advantage over the number one team in West Virginia single A.
Greenbrier West, even with the game still relatively early, shifted their strategy and started to take to the air. They hit a 12-yard pass to get to the Wildcat 30 with seven minutes left, but a wounded duck pass on third down found the hands of Harvey at the 15, giving the Wildcats the ball back.
Both teams showed glimpses of how good they will be later in the season, but also made first game type mistakes. Penalties and turnovers affected both teams throughout the game.
Bradey Bowers helped to snuff out one drive at the Wildcat 29 with 5:30 left in the second when he recovered a fumble. Then, after a penalty negated an apparent Kimble interception, Greenbrier West struck back with a touchdown pass at the three minute mark.
As the game developed, Zac Smith, head coach, and his staff continued to call an aggressive game and make key adjustments. When the Cavaliers adjusted to take away the deep ball, the Wildcats moved to tossing shorter passes to receivers who often were hit in stride. Also, Roberson took an increasing number of snaps at quarterback. Though he did attempt a few passes, he mostly ran the ball from the quarterback position.
Pendleton County started the second half with both the ball and a slender 21-13 advantage, but gave the ball back deep in Cavalier territory. Greenbrier West returned the favor by giving the ball back after a seven play drive put them at the Wildcat 20. Bowers once again made a key play by finding and falling on the ball.
The Wildcats then marched down the field to inside the Cavalier 40, where they committed a turnover of their own. As much as the first half looked like two of the top teams in the state, the third quarter showed the nerves of the early season on both sides.
At the opening of the fourth quarter, however, the turnovers ceased for a time and Greenbrier West tied the game. They started a long and sustained drive with 4:06 in the third, moving 70 yards in 13 plays to score from the one, followed by a successful two point conversion.
In such games with a heavily favored opponent coming back to tie late, the underdog often comes undone. Not last Friday. Owens took the ball on a strong seven-yard run starting at his own 25. On the next play, Vincell tossed the ball to Roberson, then subsequently found Kimble at the Cavalier 32.
Shortly after, from the opponent’s 24, Roberson took a direct snap and pushed forward for a first down, helped by another Cavalier personal foul. Then on first and goal, Vincell rolled out and helped the second freshman of the night score a touchdown, this time Travis Owens. A blocked kick kept the score at an all too attainable 27-21.
Greenbrier West kept hammering away, a possible comeback victory still in their plans. They took the ball once again a long way down the field, this time reaching the Wildcat five. A defender jarred the ball loose, leading to a Pendleton County recovery deep in enemy territory with 3:37 remaining.
Smith put the ball in Roberson’s hands again, allowing him to take shotgun snaps and find running room. The freshman showed the poise of a senior as he picked his way through blockers and tacklers, finding crevices to explode through. On first and 10 at his own 20, on the fourth play of the drive at the 1:59 mark, he broke a tackle in the backfield and surged ahead to the 25.
As Greenbrier West desperately sought to extend the game with timeouts, the Wildcat line and other blockers, as they did all night, held off the larger defenders and created opportunities.
The big play came on third and five with 1:33 left as Roberson drove right, found the first down marker, and effectively ended the game.
After the game, Smith was elated and proud of his team’s performance, but also said, “Sometimes it’s who doesn’t make the most mistakes” that wins the game. He added that the game resembled “a war of attrition and we almost ran out of supplies.”
Of his quarterback Vincell, Smith said, “James, he played well. He played with a lot of heart,” while also giving credit to his “really special athletes” on both sides of the ball.
Vincell remarked that this was his first time enjoying a first game win, and that it was “probably one of the best feelings I’ve had since the Moorefield win” last year.
But even the experienced senior, Vincell added, “We’ve got to move on from this one.”
The Wildcats travel Friday to East Hardy.
