Two of the best quarterbacks in West Virginia high school football took the field in Petersburg last Friday night when fourth-ranked in Class A Pendleton County engaged host Vikings.
Both teams offer much more than great quarterback play, showing balance on offense, defenses capable of big plays, and postseason experience. In recent years, though, Petersburg has put the Wildcats through some hard luck games.
However, the hard luck started for Petersburg. Under perfect conditions for late August, the Vikings took the opening kickoff to their own 30. On the first play from scrimmage, a strong nine-yard run resulted in a fumble recovered by Pendleton County. Peyton Matheny, Viking quarterback, bounced back and forth like a pinball, exploding forward for yardage before the fumble.
Matheny brings extraordinary quickness and a strong arm to the Viking offense. Every time he gets the ball in his hands, he has a Tavon Austin-like ability to use quick moves to create space. Matheny is a threat to score on every play.
Colton Roberson, captain of last year’s Class A all-state squad, has developed along the lines of former West Virginia University great Major Harris. He runs more often downhill, using strength and shiftiness to pick up big yardage plays. That said, his strong and accurate arm led to a number of big plays downfield in his first two years as a starter.
Last season, if the Wildcats had one Achilles’ heel, it was in the first few minutes of action. Opposing teams at times struck first. Pendleton County’s quick strike offense usually negated early disadvantages. However, there was no such problem on Friday night.
On the first play from scrimmage, Roberson chugged through defenders, breaking arm tackles and getting to the Viking 15. After a flag made it first and 17 from the Viking 24, Roberson tossed a quick out to Britton Lough on the right for 17 yards. Lough then took a wide receiver screen inside the 10. Roberson capped the drive with a run off the left side.
Travis Owens’ kick made the opening score 7-0.
Last year’s opener against Keyser saw Wildcat receivers dicing up the Golden Tornado man-to-man defense for deep passes. Petersburg tried to keep Wildcat receivers in front of the defensive backfield. All night, Zac Smith, head coach, dialed up plays that saw his accurate quarterback hitting swift receivers in stride on crossing patterns, usually with no need to slow down for the ball, allowing them to explode upfield for big gains.
The first half played out like a heavyweight fight between the two squads. The Wildcats ended the first quarter with a 14-6 advantage, but Petersburg fought back to a 21-all tie at the half.
Pendleton County came out of the half hungry. Starting from their own 29, Roberson took the ball himself on the speed option and pushed forward to the 42. Helped by moderate gains and one of many Viking personal fouls on the evening, the Wildcats had fourth and inches at the Viking 35.
Despite the fired-up crowd, Roberson gave the ball to Owens who motioned into the backfield. He easily picked up the first down. Cameron Wyatt advanced the ball to the 25 on a similar play.
A few plays later, Braylon Willis got the handoff and blew through a big hole on the right side. He fought through two would-be tacklers at the goal line for his touchdown.
Willis made big plays with his athleticism last year, but the raw talent had to stand in for an injured senior. This year against Petersburg, he showed more patience in finding holes, following blockers, and getting the most out of each play, showing tremendous consistency with his play.
The Vikings punched back on their next drive, going 66 yards in seven plays. One subtle detail showed the experience and leadership on the Wildcat defense. On second and 20, the defense lined up with the outside receiver on the left uncovered. Before the snap, Roberson moved to cover the receiver until the cornerback could get into position.
This resulted in an incomplete pass, but the move showed maturity. Pendleton County did not have to burn a time out, nor did they give up a big play on a mistake. Players corrected a problem quickly on their own.
On third and 20, however, Matheny performed another magic act. He went back to pass, moved around until he found a crease in the defensive line, rocketed through it, and picked up a critical first down.
In the first half, the defensive line found itself behind the Viking quarterback and chasing him. As the game progressed, the line played with more discipline, staying in front of Matheny to bottle him up. While it did not work on this play, the Wildcats were more effective against his scrambling plays as the game wore on.
Matheny scored on first and goal at the nine when he rolled right and followed blockers into the end zone. The crowd came alive as the public address announcer shouted, “We have a new game” with the score now Vikings 28, Pendleton County 27 after the kick.
Wyatt took the kickoff deep, started left, then followed blockers upfield to the Wildcat 40. Willis on the first play from scrimmage worked his way forward for six yards.
Two plays later came one of those kinds of plays that old men will talk about decades from now. After a penalty on second and nine, Roberson took the ball on the speed option and moved to his right. He pulled back his arm in a freeze option pose on the run, froze the defender, then hit Owens about 10 yards downfield on a crossing route in stride. The receiver turned up and outraced the defenders to another Wildcat score. With the conversion good, Pendleton County now owned a 35-28 advantage.
Petersburg took the ball back on the kick at their own 35. Their potent offense advanced the ball, but the defensive line did an outstanding job on this drive of keeping Matheny corralled. They forced deep throws into dangerous situations, one after defensive lineman Wyatt Hoyt broke free and pressured him.
Matheny did get a big run on a second and 26, with Lough making a touchdown saving tackle at the 22. A few plays later on first and goal inside the 10, a snap went over the quarterback’s head and rolled back to the 26. On third and goal from the nine, however, the defense recorded a crucial sack, forcing a field goal attempt that fell short.
The Wildcats started at their own 12, but a Viking personal foul quickly moved them out to the 40. Petersburg gave up a great deal of yardage on personal foul penalties, especially in key situations.
Another penalty followed pretty quickly as defenders tackled Willis by the facemask in the open field, pushing the visiting team closer to their objective.
On first and 10 from the Petersburg 40, Willis showed his utility. Ahead by a touchdown, time starting to tick away on the home team in the fourth quarter, the Wildcat running back gave his quarterback respite and helped his team eat the clock. He ran right, followed his blockers down the sideline, and exploded past the sticks for a 16-yard run.
Not long after, Roberson walked into the end zone on a two-yard run. The conversion extended the lead to 43-28, but the Vikings had more time to play. On the fourth play of their drive, the Petersburg quarterback hit a receiver in stride on a crossing pattern, moving from the Wildcat 41 to the 19. A pass to the right corner of the end zone brought the Vikings within 43-35 with a little more than two minutes to play.
An onside kick attempt in the “bull rush” style failed to get the Vikings the ball back. When the final horn sounded, the Wildcats could enjoy knocking off a quality Class AA rival that had their number for several years.
Pendleton County achieved excellent balance on offense. Roberson accounted for 167 yards passing on 13 of 15 throws. He also had 89 yards on 11 carries for 256 total yards. Willis had a strong day on the ground with 10 carries for 76 yards, Willis had a strong day on the ground with 10 carries for 76 yards. Cayson Armstrong averaged 14.2 yards per carry on five attempts for 71 yards.
Owens and Wyatt each carried the ball once and each picked up five yards. Will Smith also carried the ball one time for five yards.
In receiving, Owens led the team with 87 yards on four catches. Lough also had four receptions for 38 yards. Wyatt pulled in two for 25, Armstrong one for eight, and Jonah See two for nine.
In total, the Wildcats had 251 yards on the ground and 167 through the air, providing a balanced attack, featuring a number of weapons and giving opposing defensive coordinators even more headaches this year.
On defense, Ty Heavner had a sack. Spencer Hartman and David Noble combined for another. Wyatt led the team in tackles with nine, followed by Roberson and Owens with seven, Lough, Sam Eason, and Heavner with six, Ronnie Thompson with three, and Rylan Tilley, Brennan Wyatt, and Albert Ramos-Rivera with one.
The preponderance of defensive linemen and linebackers racking up tackles also serves as a strong and positive sign for the rest of the season.
Friday, the Wildcats travel to Baker for a 7 p.m. game with the East Hardy Cougars.
