Sports
Recap: Point Pleasant Moves To 6-0 With Dominant 49-0 Victory Over Parkersburg South [w/VIDEO]
By: Clay Benjamin
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The Point Pleasant Big Blacks picked up their 19th straight-regular season victory Friday night in a clash of top-ten teams with a 49-0 victory over the Parkersburg South Patriots.
The Patriots (3-2) came into the game fresh off of a bye week and ranked ninth in West Virginia Class AAA in Head Coach Mike Eddy’s second season at the helm. The Big Blacks (6-0) came into tonight’s game ranked third in Class AAA, boasting one of the best defenses in the entire state of West Virginia.
The Patriots found how tough that Big Black defense was on their first possession, holding them to a three-and-out. An illegal shift penalty on the Patriots on third-and-five would be a preview of the night that would be for the Patriots.
In the first half alone, Parkersburg South were penalized six times for 50 yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Big Blacks did what they did what they do best and dominated the opposing defense.
On the Big Blacks first offensive play, senior Gage Buskirk took a handoff from Aden Yates and ran 46 yards deep into Patriot territory. Three plays later, sophomore Grant Safford punched it in from two yards out to put the Big Blacks up 7-0 with 6:35 left in the first quarter.
On Point Pleasant’s next drive, Yates and Gridiron Glory Player of the Year candidate Cody Mitchell took over, with Yates finishing the drive on a 15-yard touchdown run through the middle of the Parkersburg South defense. At the end of the first quarter, the Big Blacks led the Patriots 14-0.
The Patriots tried to get back in the game, but a 25-yard run by junior quarterback Garrett Gilkeson was called back due to a holding penalty. After three straight incomplete passes, the Patriots were forced to punt.
Yates continued to shine and on a rainy night in Point Pleasant, capping the Big Blacks next drive with a QB-keeper from four yards out.
Down 28-0 halfway through the second quarter, the Patriots began to get desperate. On a third-and-seven, Gilkeson was able to escape a sack, but Cody Boggs was unable to hold on to the football. The Patriots would go for it on fourth-and-seven, but after the chain gang measured the football, the Patriots fell inches short.
Taking over after the turnover, it only took one play for the Big Blacks to extend their lead. Aden Yates dropped back to pass and found Garrett Litchfield wide open in the Patriots’ secondary for a 52-yard touchdown.
There was a scary moment on the ensuing kickoff when a Point Pleasant and a Parkersburg South player were both down on the field. The Point Pleasant playersuffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his lower right leg, while the Parkersburg South player suffered fractured ribs. Both players were carted off to an ovation from the crowd.
The Big Blacks would go on to score one more time in the first half and take 35-0 lead into the locker room.
The Patriots continued their lag from the bye week into the second half. Unable to put up points on offense, and the Big Blacks dominating their defense, Point Pleasant went on to win comfortably 49-0.
The Big Blacks put up 496 yards of total offense on the Patriots, while the Patriots picked up a measly 114 yards.
The Patriots will look to bounce back next week as they travel to John Marshall (3-2). On the other hand, the Big Blacks will look to extend their winning streak to 20 games as they travel to Oak Hill (1-4).
Gridiron Glory' airs every Friday night at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB. You can follow the show on Twitter @gridironglory, like the Gridiron Glory page on Facebook, and follow along on Instagram @woubsports. You can also join the conversation throughout the season by using the hashtag #GridGlory!