Wheelersburg rolls to the regional final with win against Barnesville
By: Charlie Ihlenfeld
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WHEELERSBURG, Ohio (WOUB) – The Wheelersburg Pirates hosted the Barnesville Shamrocks in the Region 19 semifinal. The Pirates beat the Shamrocks behind a grinding run game, winning 36-13. It was the fourth consecutive season Wheelersburg eliminated Barnesville from the playoffs, and the Pirates advanced to the regional final for a second consecutive season.
The Shamrocks got the game started on offense, marching down the field on Trey Toliver’s back. After crossing midfield, the Shamrocks converted a fourth-and-short, and on their next set of downs, overcame a sack on second down with a deep pass from Cole Francis to Evan Caprtener. One play later, Toliver punched it in from two yards out. The extra point put the Shamrocks ahead 7-0.
A quick three-and-out gave Barnesville the ball back, but the Pirates’ defense pitched a three-and-out of their own, handing the ball back to Braylon Rucker and Wheelersburg’s offense. Elijah Brown got the drive started on the ground with a nine-yard rush, and the Pirates moved methodically down the field. While Rucker and the passing game were unable to find the deep ball, short passes helped move Wheelersburg further into Barnesville territory as the first quarter expired.
At the start of the second quarter, the Pirates scored when Rucker took matters into his own hands, scrambling for a 24-yard touchdown. Wheelersburg took the lead on a successful two-point conversion, 8-7. The Pirates did not let up, as Cooper Heimbaugh recovered his own onside kick for Wheelersurg to get possession back. The Shamrock defense stood tall, thrice bringing the Pirates to fourth down. But two passes from Rucker to Xavier Miller and a short-yardage run from Elijah Brown kept the drive alive. The lengthy drive ended with a Stephen Hall one-yard touchdown run. Both sides had chances before the end of the half, but pressure from the Wheelersburg defensive line and an interception by Rucker ended the drives in their tracks. Wheelersburg went to the locker room ahead 15-7.
The Pirates received the second-half kick and promptly got to work on the ground. Wheelersburg drove the field length without completing a pass, relying on Stephen Hall and Elijah Brown to chew half of the third quarter. The drive ended with a Hall three-yard touchdown run to put the Pirates ahead 22-7. The Shamrocks struck back, relying on Cole Francis’ arm to push them across midfield. Then, a 42-yard burst from Evan Wells brought Barnesville to the one-yard line, where Toliver punched it in one play later. A blocked extra point kept the Shamrocks down by two possessions, 22-13.
On their subsequent possession, the Pirates continued to chew the clock, relying on Brown and Rucker to move them down the field on the ground. Wheelersburg entered the fourth quarter ahead by two possessions. After failing to convert on third down in Shamrock territory, Rucker tucked on fourth-and-five and converted to keep the drive alive. Rucker came through twice in the red zone. After penalties moved the Pirates to a third-and-seven, the senior QB kept the read option to convert. A facemask on Barnesville brought Wheelersburg to the two-yard line, where Rucker found the endzone on the next play, making it 29-13 Pirates.
The Shamrocks’ hopes were dashed when, just two plays into their next drive, Francis was picked off by Kenyon Evans. Elijah Brown broke a long run to put the Pirates on the one-yard line. He punched it in one play later, making the Wheelersburg final 36-13.
Barnesville finishes the year 9-3, and Wheelersburg advances to play Nelsonville-York in the regional final. The Buckeyes won 10-7 against Columbus Academy on the road. The final will be played at a neutral site next week.