Three runs by sophomore quarterback Kam Puller gained just 4 yards, leading to fourth-and-6 at the 44. Puller dropped into shotgun formation, and as the play clock wound down, Martinsburg's players looked uncertain about the call. A few players signaled for a timeout, but their team had none left. To make matters worse, the snap from center then sailed over Puller's head, and all he could do was cover the ball for a 15-yard loss.
Martinsburg, which sported a pair of 1,300-yard rushers (Puller and tailback Ryan Rowland) managed just 81 yards rushing and 144 overall on Saturday.
"Defensively, they're a great football team,'' Bulldogs coach Dave Walker said of SC. "We just had trouble moving the football. Obviously, they were a lot more athletic than what we were, but our kids played with a lot of heart.''
Martinsburg also proved quite resourceful in keeping the game close.
Its first TD came on a fake field goal, with holder (and backup QB) Brett Rogers throwing a 24-yard scoring pass to Darren Arndt, who beat double coverage in the right flat to help put his team up 7-6.The next Martinsburg score in the third quarter tied the game at 14 when Scotty Nicholson blocked an SC punt and Jordan Fields stole the ball out of Nicholson's hands and returned it 10 yards for a TD.Even a traditional 1-yard TD play had a twist. Rowland took a handoff on third-and-goal, but fumbled the ball into the end zone before he crossed the plane of the goal line. Jordan fell on it, though, and the extra point made it 21-20 Martinsburg. That score, incidentally, was set up by Hammond's 21-yard punt return to the SC 18.
Those unusual plays only told part of the story for Martinsburg's special teams. The Bulldogs also recovered a pair of pooch kickoffs, one that was allowed to drop untouched by SC's front line.
"That's the only thing that kept us in it, really,'' Walker said. "It was our inability to move the ball, and them coming up with some big plays.''
Neither of Martinsburg's kickoff recoveries led to any points, but they did make for a very unconventional contest.
"It shook momentum so many times when those types of plays happen,'' said Slusher, who himself shook off a sprained ankle to finish the game. "We just had to stay stable. We just had to stay focused. Even if the weird play wasn't for us, we still tried to keep momentum and get out there and play.''
SC also had a strange play work in its favor on the opening kickoff when Martinsburg's Kendal Redman stood and watched the ball die on his 26, allowing SC's Tevin Spurlock to scoop it up. Slusher scored from the 17 two plays later.
Aaron Dobson also caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Marcel Brown that put the Black Eagles ahead 14-7 at halftime.
Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
When South Charleston finally found itself in a stable situation - and not dodging special-teams mishaps - nothing stood in its way.
Sophomore quarterback Tyler Harris scored on a 25-yard run with 3:59 left in the game Saturday afternoon and No. 1 South Charleston came from behind twice to earn a 28-21 victory over Martinsburg in a wild Class AAA playoff quarterfinal at chilly Laidley Field.
The win sends unbeaten SC (12-0) into next week's semifinals at Laidley against No. 4 Morgantown. The game is expected to be played Friday night.
Harris carried 13 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns as the Black Eagles overcame a bizarre series of special teams misplays to reach the semifinals for the first time since capturing the state title in 1994.
"I think we were a little shell-shocked giving them two easy scores [on special teams],'' said SC coach John Messinger, "but by golly, that's how we've played all year long. We think, 'Well, if I can't beat you now, I'll beat you later.' And somehow, we manage to beat them later.''
Martinsburg, the No. 9 seed, led once in each half, and was on top 21-20 when fullback Noon Jordan recovered teammate Ryan Rowland's fumble in the end zone with 6:14 left and then tacked on the extra-point kick himself.
SC was staring down the prospect of having one of its best seasons end in an agonizing loss, and the realization seemed to kick the Black Eagles into another gear.
Mo Mekhene returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to his own 47, and SC rode the alternating thrusts of Harris and Aaron Slusher downfield. Harris ripped off a 15-yard gain on third-and-3 from the Martinsburg 46, and later broke into the open from the 25. He got a final clearing block from lineman Ron Harvey at the 10 and scored.
"We were determined to keep our spot and where we are,'' Harris said. "We're not going to let anybody come and take what we have. We're a very determined team.
"Coach just called my number and my running back, Aaron Slusher, just told me to follow him, and I trust my guys. Coach says keep blocking until the whistle, and that's what my linemen do. My linemen are great.''
Martinsburg (9-3) had one last possession after Harris' late TD run, and David Hammond gave the Bulldogs great position with a 34-yard kickoff return to the SC 48.
Three runs by sophomore quarterback Kam Puller gained just 4 yards, leading to fourth-and-6 at the 44. Puller dropped into shotgun formation, and as the play clock wound down, Martinsburg's players looked uncertain about the call. A few players signaled for a timeout, but their team had none left. To make matters worse, the snap from center then sailed over Puller's head, and all he could do was cover the ball for a 15-yard loss.
Martinsburg, which sported a pair of 1,300-yard rushers (Puller and tailback Ryan Rowland) managed just 81 yards rushing and 144 overall on Saturday.
"Defensively, they're a great football team,'' Bulldogs coach Dave Walker said of SC. "We just had trouble moving the football. Obviously, they were a lot more athletic than what we were, but our kids played with a lot of heart.''
Martinsburg also proved quite resourceful in keeping the game close.
Its first TD came on a fake field goal, with holder (and backup QB) Brett Rogers throwing a 24-yard scoring pass to Darren Arndt, who beat double coverage in the right flat to help put his team up 7-6.The next Martinsburg score in the third quarter tied the game at 14 when Scotty Nicholson blocked an SC punt and Jordan Fields stole the ball out of Nicholson's hands and returned it 10 yards for a TD.Even a traditional 1-yard TD play had a twist. Rowland took a handoff on third-and-goal, but fumbled the ball into the end zone before he crossed the plane of the goal line. Jordan fell on it, though, and the extra point made it 21-20 Martinsburg. That score, incidentally, was set up by Hammond's 21-yard punt return to the SC 18.Those unusual plays only told part of the story for Martinsburg's special teams. The Bulldogs also recovered a pair of pooch kickoffs, one that was allowed to drop untouched by SC's front line.
"That's the only thing that kept us in it, really,'' Walker said. "It was our inability to move the ball, and them coming up with some big plays.''
Neither of Martinsburg's kickoff recoveries led to any points, but they did make for a very unconventional contest.
"It shook momentum so many times when those types of plays happen,'' said Slusher, who himself shook off a sprained ankle to finish the game. "We just had to stay stable. We just had to stay focused. Even if the weird play wasn't for us, we still tried to keep momentum and get out there and play.''
SC also had a strange play work in its favor on the opening kickoff when Martinsburg's Kendal Redman stood and watched the ball die on his 26, allowing SC's Tevin Spurlock to scoop it up. Slusher scored from the 17 two plays later.
Aaron Dobson also caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Marcel Brown that put the Black Eagles ahead 14-7 at halftime.
Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
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