By Stephen Smoot
The Pendleton County Wildcats rode high into the postseason, knocking off Class AA rival Moorefield and Class A power Cameron on the road in the past two weeks. In the playoffs, anything can happen and Pendleton County showed itself ready to meet the task in round one against Greenbrier West.
The Cavaliers had reason for revenge on their minds. Last fall, they rode into Franklin with a number one ranking, took a loss, and never got their season back on track.
Greenbrier West took the opening kickoff. Pendleton County for much of the contest kicked off in a version of the bunch formation first seen against the Yellow Jackets. They took Kamron Redman’s kick to their own 31.
Cavalier offensive ground attack efforts centered on their quarterback. Although he would occasionally pitch the ball or handoff, and even more rarely throw a pass, the Cavaliers called on number 80, Colton Dunbar to provide much of the punch. They often spread their offensive formation wide to develop more running room for him.
During the opening quarter, Dunbar and his backs found creases in the Wildcat defense. A safety blitz broke up the opening running play, but they reached the 45 for a first down two plays later. The Cavaliers pushed the ball to the Wildcat 40 with just under 6:53 left in the first, but a Colton Roberson tackle on a short pass turned the ball to the Wildcats.
The Wildcats took over at their own 38 after a punt, but lost it on a turnover shortly thereafter. Greenbrier West took over, but could only advance four yards and punted the ball back to Pendleton County at the 3:30 mark.
Roberson had been moving the ball efficiently with short passes, now he showed off his runs. He took off for five on second down, then two plays later used a spin move to get free for 15 on fourth and six.
Three plays later at the 1:32 mark, he rolled right at the eight and softly tossed a pass to Chase Owens who took it in for the first score. Redman’s kick set the score at 7-0.
Greenbrier West took the deep kickoff out of bounds and set up at their own 35. Runs gashed the Wildcat defense for 10, five, then 15 yards to inside the Wildcat 35. On the next play, the six-foot 200-pound quarterback escaped outside and scampered up the sideline for a Cavalier score. The kick tied it up at seven with a few seconds off the second quarter clock.
Pendleton County took the Cavalier kick at their own 25. On second down, Roberson ran for 10. He then completed a pass to Britton Lough who broke two tackles as he surged to the Cavalier 43. Chase Owens took the next pass in at the 20 and fought to the Cavalier 12. On the next play, Roberson looked for running room on the right. He found Bryce Basagic clearing the road like a bulldozer and bulled through a defender at the goal line for the touchdown. The kick extended the lead to 14-7.
The Cavaliers took the ball from the 31 up to their own 46. On fourth down, they snapped the ball to punt it away, but Ty Heavner leapt into the punter like a bear and slung him to the ground. There, at the Cavalier 38, the Wildcat offense took the ball with 6:43 remaining in the first half.
Roberson threw a beautiful ball to Cameron Wyatt, which allowed him to weave through defenders for a touchdown that got called back. No matter, Roberson took the next play up the middle, bounced it right, and followed the sideline to the endzone. The kick did not convert and the score with 5:55 left was 20-7.
The Wildcats looked to pile on early with an onside kick, but the Cavaliers took the ball in at near midfield. Four plays later, Heavner exploded into the backfield to blow up a fourth and two run to give his offense the ball back.
Roberson lined the team up at his own 44 with 3:30 left in the half and scoring on their minds. A first down run lost three, but Roberson got that back and then some on second down by drawing the defense offsides. On the next play, he rolled left and found Travis Owens 16 yards downfield.
Set up on the opponents’ 40, Roberson hurled a ball downfield toward the left sideline. Wyatt outdueled a defensive back covering him one on one and pulled in the pass at the 18. Not long after, with 1:33 on the clock, Chase Owens pulled in a short pass, broke three tackles, and scored a touchdown. The kick put the score at the half at 27-7.
The third quarter opened with both teams a bit out of rhythm. The Wildcats moved the ball slightly into Cavalier territory, but found their drive bogged down there. As Greenbrier West took over, a brief rain shower wet the field, then quickly faded. On second down, Carson Alt made a big stop at the line of scrimmage. That set up a third and 10 passing situation for the Cavaliers.
Dunbar delivered a ball from near midfield. Chase Owens tracked down the pass, snagged it from the air, and returned it over 50 yards the other direction for a Wildcat touchdown. And a 34-7 advantage with 6:37 left in the third.
The Wildcats got the ball back with 4:05 left in the quarter after the Cavaliers moved the ball no yards on three plays. The punt put Pendleton County at midfield. Braylon Willis kicked the drive off with a solid eight-yard sprint. Three plays later, near the visitors’ 20, Roberson tossed a pass right to an open Travis Owens who crossed the goal line right after. After the kick from Redman, the Wildcats led 48-7.
Greenbrier West had the ball at midfield to open the fourth quarter. Roberson blew up the drive on fourth and three when he blitzed and slung down the ball carrier. He led the offense from the Cavalier 45 and got the ball inside the 35. He rolled right, then flipped the ball back to the spot in the field he just left. Willis took the ball from there and sped forward into the endzone for another home team touchdown.
Cayson Armstrong would add a touchdown late for a 60-7 victory.
Class A saw the Potomac Highlands contingent advancing. East Hardy will travel to Franklin for the second time this season while Tucker County advances to take on top-ranked Wheeling Central Catholic High School on the road. The Wildcat/Cougar game begins at 1 p.m. Saturday.
