Wheelersburg advances to Division V State Championship with win over Cardinal Mooney
By: Zachary Knight
Posted on:
WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) –- The Wheelersburg Pirates and the Cardinal Mooney Cardinals traveled to Westerville Central High School looking for a state final appearance, and the Pirates would take the win 24-10.
Wheelersburg got the ball first and were able to keep their first drive alive with a successful fake punt on fourth down for a 24-yard completion from kicker Cooper Heimbach to Brew Hanzel.
That possession would end with a field goal from Heimbach to put the Pirates up 3-0.
The Cardinals were able to take the ball downfield and respond with a 62-yard rushing touchdown from running back Ike Lake, who would suffer an injury early in the second quarter and sit out the rest of the game. The extra point then gave Cardinal Mooney a 7-3 lead to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Wheelersburg defense lit up. Kenyon Evans was able to snag an interception in the red zone to turn things around for the Pirates.
That interception led to an 86-yard drive capped off with a 3-yard touchdown from Stephen Hall to give the Pirates a 10-7 lead.
The Wheelersburg defense then took the field and forced a three-and-out, reclaiming the ball and a 50-yard carry from Braylon Rucker to set them up for a 20-yard kick from Heimbach to expand their lead 13-7 before halftime.
The third quarter saw some big plays from both teams. Tyree Dawson had a 45-yard rush for the Cardinals, and Wheelersburg picked up two interceptions from Brew Hanzel and Jay King. Heimbach added a 47-yard kick, putting Wheelersburg up 16-7 heading into the final quarter.
The score remained stagnant through the third, and the Cardinals were able to get a field goal from Jacob Gugliotta almost halfway through the quarter, getting some crucial points late in the game.
That would be their last score of the game, and Burg would cap things off with another touchdown from Rucker, followed by a successful 2-point conversion from Landon McGraw.
That put them up 24-10, and a late interception from Gabe Campbell shut down Cardinal Mooney on their way to a state semifinal win.
Wheelersburg head coach Rob Woodward spoke on what this win means to him and the players.
“I’m so proud, I always talk about our seniors, the leadership that they’ve had with our young kids, and watching those young kids step up tonight and make big plays when they had to… those players stepped in and did a tremendous job,” Woodward said. “That’s the test of a true football team.”
Next week Wheelersburg will make their way to Canton for the state championship game against Liberty Center on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.