Sports
Tracewell Leads Williamstown To Round One Win
By: Michael Drapcho
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Williamstown came out victorious in a matchup of familiar foes Friday as the fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets defeated the No. 13 Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights 27-25.
The meeting Friday was the seventh time Williamstown and Wheeling Central have met since 2000, with Wheeling Central going 5-1 in the previous six games.
Neither team could get much going offensively in the first half, and the game went into halftime tied, 6-6.
Williamstown (9-2) exploded for 21 points in the second half on the arm of Jake Tracewell, who went 11-for-12 for 129 yards and four touchdowns.
With Williamstown ahead 13-12, Tracewell connected with Dakota Watson for a 34-yard touchdown pass to increase the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 19-12.
Christopher Burch then broke off a 33-yard touchdown run to draw Wheeling Central Catholic (6-5) to 19-18, but a failed two-point conversion kept Williamstown in the lead. Burch, who was playing with a broken arm, ran for 151 yards.
Leading 19-18 and facing a third-and-7 late in the fourth quarter, Watson rumbled for a 35-yard gain to set up a first-and-goal at the 5-yard line. Tracewell then put the game away when he connected with Logan Lindsey for a 7-yard touchdown pass. A successful two-point conversion gave the Jackets the 27-19 lead.
The two-point conversion ended up being the deciding factor in the game as Wheeling Central scored another touchdown to cut the lead to two points at 27-25. After the score, the Maroon Knights failed to recover their onside kick attempt, giving Williamstown the victory.
The victory for Williamstown sets up a matchup with the winner of Saturday’s No. 12 Bishop Donahue vs. No. 5 Man game.