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Ohio offense sputters in annual football classic

PARKERSBURG -Before the 23rd edition of the Ohio vs West Virginia BACF Football Classic was even six minutes old, it looked like those in attendance were in for a true shootout as both teams found their way into the end zone.

After West Virginia opened the scoring when Neal Schriner rambled 82 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, the Buckeye offense put together a convincing drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Gallia Academy’s Kole Carter to Meigs receiver Kalieb Sheets to tie the score at 7-7.

Unfortunately for Ohio head coach Mike Bartrum and his Buckeye all-stars, that would be the last time his team would seriously threaten to score as a physical West Virginia defense held them in check the rest of the way and rolled to a 24-7 win.

“Our kids were giving it all they had and played hard. Hats off to them (West Virginia) as they played hard too and made plays and we didn’t make plays,” said Bartrum. “It also extends to the coaches, and their coaches outcoached ours tonight.”

Ohio was limited to 222 total yards on the night, several coming from the surprisingly-slim contingent of area players who made the most of the very few touches they received in the game.

Frontier’s Nick Camino hauled in a pair of passes for 49 yards in the game, including a highlight-reel catch down the sidelines late in the first half that went for 37 yards from Carter.

Camino’s diving catch marked the very last time in the game that the Buckeye all-stars managed to venture into West Virgina territory.

Camino’s Cougar teammate Damon Metheney hauled in one catch on his only target of the game for four yards, while Morgan running back Jerome Mayle rushed the ball five times for 30 yards.

First-team All-Ohio quarterback Tanner Clark of Caldwell was used only sparingly behind center, instead lining up as a receiver most of the night where he caught a pass from Carter and also gained 18 yards rushing on just four carries.

Clark had the single biggest play of the game for Ohio when he returned a kickoff 40 yards to give the Buckeye squad its best field position of the game.

Ohio’s Tim Ousley was awarded the Buckeyes’ Most Valuable Player award as the former Vinton County Viking led all defensive players in tackles (12) and helped the Ohio defense limit West Virginia to just 203 total yards.

While disappointed in the end result, both Metheney and Camino were thrilled to participate in the event that continues to raise funds to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

“We just couldn’t get enough going on offense and they had a really good game plan that made it hard to throw,” said Camino. “It was great to be a part of it though. It got a little wild out there, but it was a lot of fun.”

Metheney agreed with his longtime teammate and was also thrilled to finally get the chance to go up against some people that he had heard a lot about through the years, but never met on the football field.

“It was good to play alongside a lot of guys that we respect and have played against the past four years,” said Metheney. “We had never got to play against St. Marys or Williamstown, so we finally got to do that as well.”

West Virginia scored 17 unanswered points in the final half to win going away and both teams got a little chippy in the final period, resulting in a number of penalties.

“You hate to see a game get a little bit out of hand like that because football is meant for physical toughness and mental toughness and not that extra stuff ,” said Bartrum. “Bottom line though is we were able to raise a lot of money for a very deserving cause and these Ohio kids were just super kids to coach.”

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