The Yellow Jackets swarmed into Petersburg shaking the Vikings ship taking the spoils of the 10th annual Summit Bowl and 90th all-time meeting since 1933 by a score of 17-6 last Friday.
The little brown jug was collecting dust for the past three years in Petersburg, but now returns to Moorefield for the seventh time in the ten seasons of existence as the Yellow Jackets won the trophy the first six times.
Moorefield (5-4) has a 64-22-4 ownership of this historic series over Petersburg (3-5).
“It’s huge. This is one of the best traditions in high school football. This gives our guys something to play for, gives both teams something to play for and to hold stake in. It’s a good feeling and I’m glad for these seniors to help bring the little brown jug back to us,” Moorefield Football coach Matt Altobello commented.[private]
“I am proud of everybody stepping up, whether it was in a new position or in their role ready to fight. We fought through adversity and came out with a victory. This is 90 years worth and I am proud to bring it home.”
It was the Vikings striking first to end the first quarter, but Moorefield answered in the second quarter with two touchdowns to swarm ahead and never relinquished the lead.
Moorefield’s Coleman Mongold returned the opening kickoff of the Summit Bowl to the 35-yard line.
Looking under center was a new wrinkle for the Yellow Jackets as sophomore Branson See was taking the snaps starting the game with senior quarterback Brent Moran being reassigned to a wide receiver role.
“You always ask every single player to do something or do what they are asked to do, no matter what it is. That was Brent, he did what he was asked to do. He came in and he was a leader and showed great poise helping Branson throughout the week in practice. He stepped into a new position and understood the role and I’m proud of him,” Coach Altobello noted.
After a procedure penalty, Moorefield’s Matthew Jenkins took the handoff from See and kicked it into gear dashing around to the outside corner down the sideline 13 yards before being forced out.
Jenkins would be the workhorse on this drive carrying the ball eight times.
Petersburg’s Dakota Rohrbaugh and Montana Sindledecker stopped Jenkins for no gain and a one yard pickup to force fourth down and one, then the Yellow Jackets moved the chains as Jenkins carried the ball eight yards into Vikings territory at the 48-yard line being forced out by Charlie Moomau.
After two carries for eight yards total, Jenkins broke free for a 22 yard run and was hauled down in the red zone by Petersburg’s Rohrbaugh and McCoy Fitzwater at the 18-yard line.
Jenkins added three yards, then See fumbled a pitch and ended up throwing an incomplete pass prior to two false starts and a sack by Kason Rogers.
Moorefield’s Atikilt Tamiru attempted a 50-yard field goal and missed the opportunity for points at the 7:12 mark.
“Petersburg’s defense is stout and they are going to come at you downhill. They are physical. I am proud of our guys up front being able to step up and give us a little bit of a push that we needed to execute the game plan.
The Vikings took over possession at their own 20-yard line and Sindledecker notched one yard before being stopped by Moorefield’s Kooper Riggleman.
Peyton Day gained two yards and was tackled by Jenkins and Jacob Perez was denied advancement by Vincent Cyrus as Petersburg was forced to punt.
Jackson Weese dodged a few defenders on a huge punt return for the Yellow Jackets, but there were three block in the back penalties placing the ball back at the 25-yard line.
Moorefield gained a couple yards on runs by Weese and Dequavious Kornegay, then See connected with Moran on a three yard pass before the Yellow Jackets punted.
Petersburg began at the 44-yard line with Cody Nuzum pitching to Day as Moorefield’s Ethan Sines started to make a tackle, then Blake Funk was wrapping up Day as Cyrus flew in for a finishing hit for a two-yard loss.
Fitzwater made a catch for ten yards into Moorefield territory at the 48-yard line where Jenkins made the stop.
After a Vikings penalty, Dawson Tingler slipped and fell on third down at the Petersburg 46-yard line leading to a punt to the eight yard line.
Petersburg’s Dakota Rohrbaugh forced Jenkins to fumble the ball and Perez recovered for the Vikings with 18 seconds left in the first quarter at the 15-yard line.
Tingler faked a handoff and scored a 15-yard touchdown keeper with 12 seconds remaining and the extra point kick went awry as the Vikings took a 6-nil lead.
Moorefield started at its own 18-yard line and See passed to Weese for six yards, then there was a fumble on the next snap as the Yellow Jackets lost 11 yards with See falling on the loose ball to end the first quarter.
A catch by Roger Myers only notched a single yard and the Yellow Jackets punted.
Petersburg’s Dawson Tingler was under pressure at the 48-yard line and his pass was too high for one receiver, but Fitzwater was trailing on the play coming back to make a diving catch for 18 yards to the Moorefield 34.
Nuzum made a 13 yard run to the 21-yard line for the Vikings, then Tingler threw an errant pass.
The Yellow Jackets defense responded with a stop for no gain by Jenkins and a sack by Seth Wilson.
Petersburg faced fourth down and long and a catch by William Vanmeter came up short as Moorefield’s Coleman Mongold made the tackle at the 17-yard line.
See connected with Jenkins for an 83-yard game-tying touchdown strike for the Yellow Jackets at the 7:47 mark of the second quarter, but the extra point attempt was blocked by Tingler as the Summit Bowl was deadlocked at 6-all.
Day made a big return for the Vikings to the 47-yard line, then Tingler spun away from some defenders before being brought down by Moorefield’s Blake Funk after just two yards for all that work.
Nuzum rushed for seven yards and on third down Tingler picked up a first down on a four yard keeper to the Moorefield 40-yard line.
Wilson and Riggleman applied pressure as Tingler tossed two incompletions with Funk and Riley Hedrick defended the receivers.
After a false start and a run for no gain, Petersburg punted away.
The Yellow Jackets began at their own 15-yard line and Jenkins rushed for 13 yards on the first play for a first down.
Moorefield quarterback Branson See just narrowly threaded a pass beyond the swat attempt of Tingler finding Jaydon See for a seven yard catch and was knocked down on hit to the knees by Jacob Landis.
Branson See had time to throw and connected with Brent Moran for a 29 yard play to the Petersburg 29-yard line.
“It meant a lot to me and to the program as a whole to bring the jug back to Moorefield. I was caught by surprise when coach pulled me into his office after our weight session Monday and informed me that I was going to play receiver this week,” Moorefield senior Brent Moran stated.
“I didn’t like it at first, till the next day when I actually started practicing at my new position. Then I learned to love it. Being a QB also provided me with the ability to read defenses from a different perspective and find ways to get myself open for our young backup. Overall the only thing that matters right now is winning. Whether it is at receiver or at quarterback is irrelevant. All that matters is the next week, the next win. We are do or die right now. We have to win, no matter what it takes.”
See made a jump pass over charging defender McCoy Fitzwater and Roger Myers hauled in the pass plowing over one defender for six yards.
Jenkins carried the ball 23 yards for a touchdown and added the two-point conversion to give Moorefield a 14-6 advantage with 2:44 left in the first half.
“It’s exciting to be a part of this rivalry. I didn’t know it was the 90th meeting, but it is good to battle. The difference was we had a starter in the hospital and I had four other juniors out for the rest of the season. We had six guys put out for the season at the Keyser game. I have four freshmen starting, so it was 14 year olds against 18 year olds. You do the math. We can only fill the holes so much. There’s not much backup. We had two tackles playing for the first time and that’s where we are at. You can only hide that for so long, because a good coaching staff will spot it. Our No. 7 couldn’t throw the ball. We had so many things to overcome against Moorefield’s numbers. They gave us the breaks we needed, but we couldn’t capitalize in the red zone. Their effort ever since the injuries has been good and they’re getting experience. They are being baptized by fire. Things will get better,” Petersburg Football coach Winston Redman remarked.
Petersburg had less than three minutes to attempt an answer needing to cover 79 yards, but the Yellow Jackets defense refused to fold.
It looked like trouble as the Vikings notched a few big plays to reach midfield including a ten yard run by Day and reverse for nine yards by Perez before Day and Tingler combined for then yards to midfield with 30 seconds to go.
There was a pass interference moving the chains to the 35-yard line with 23 seconds on the clock, then Petersburg gained another five yards on a run by Day and spiked the ball with three seconds remaining.
Petersburg’s Kason Rogers made a catch as Funk slammed into the quarterback, then two offsetting penalties ended the half.
Starting the second half the teams were on the wrong sides of the field and had to switch sides, then Day made a big kickoff return for the Vikings and was stopped by Moorefield kicker Atikilt Tamiru at the Yellow Jackets 48-yard line.
Tingler escaped the pocket and dashed down the sidelines for 38 yards with Jenkins making a touchdown saving tackle at the 10-yard line.
Sindledecker picked up two yards with Moorefield’s Malachi Hinger and Riggleman making the stop, then a swarm of Yellow Jackets brought down Day on another two yard gain.
After a delay of game, Tingler threw an incomplete pass with Myers defending on the play.
Facing fourth and goal from the 11-yard line, Petersburg went with a reverse as Perez escaped an initial tackle before being hauled down by Moorefield’s Rodney Wratchford at the nine yard line as the Yellow Jackets made the goal line stand.
Jenkins gave Moorefield some breathing room on carries of four and 11 yards with a big block by Vincent Cyrus moving the chains at the 24-yard line.
Jenkins used a stiff arm and the Vikings were whistled for a personal foul on the play creating a 21-yard advancement to the 46-yard line.
After an incomplete pass and two yard loss, the Yellow Jackets faced third down and garnered a first down with the help of a personal foul penalty to move to the Petersburg 41-yard line.
There was a holding call on Moorefield before another Vikings personal foul sent the Yellow Jackets to the 37-yard line during a carry by Jenkins.
A Petersburg player shoved a Yellow Jackets lineman to the ground during an incomplete pass on a screen pass causing a personal foul penalty with Moorefield moving forward to the 39-yard line facing third down.
Petersburg’s Wyatt Arbaugh slammed Moorefield’s Branson See on a six yard run which was short of the fourth down marker by two yards, then an offsides call moved the chains as time was winding down.
A small run by Jenkins, a bad snap fumble and incomplete pass setup a 49-yard field goal attempt which came up short for the Yellow Jackets.
Petersburg took over at the 20-yard line an Nuzum attempted a jump pass surrounded by Matthew Weatherholt, Hinger and Funk with it falling incomplete.
Hinger and Cyrus stopped Tingler on a three yard run, then Mongold deflected a pass as Moorefield forced the Vikings to punt.
The Yellow Jackets made a fair catch at the 39-yard line and the first pass went awry, then Branson See dashed outside and was hauled down by Tingler grabbing the collar on a six yard loss.
Petersburg was flagged for pass interference moving the Yellow Jackets to the 48-yard line, then Jenkins rushed 11 yards for a first down at the Vikings 41-yard line.
Kornegay was tacked for a loss, then Funk made a catch for 17 yards for a first down at the 25-yard line to end the third quarter.
Starting the fourth quarter, Branson See gained another Moorefield first down reaching the red zone at the 15-yard line before adding another three yards.
Jenkins carried the ball for more yards, then lost two yards on third down.
The Yellow Jackets elected to attempt a 27-yard field goal and Tamiru split the uprights to increase the lead to 17-6 with 9:26 to go.
Petersburg began at the 30-yard line and Nuzum tried to make a cut to the outside, but Moorefield’s Ethan Sines slammed him down in the backfield for a 14-yard loss with the ball being knocked out of bounds in the process.
Day gained five yards before an incomplete pass and a Moorefield personal foul sent the Vikings to the 36-yard line for a fourth down and four play.
Tingler rushed five yards for a first down and was tackled by Riggleman and Jenkins.
Perez garnered about nine yards and was forced out of bounds, then Tingler wasn’t ready for the snap as the ball ricocheted off him and collected it in time to make a positive play for 12 yards to the 37-yard line plus another first down.
Moorefield’s Seth Wilson made a tackle for a loss before deflecting a pass, then sacked the quarterback on third down.
Nuzum was denied inches short of the first down marker by a swarm of Yellow Jackets led by Hedrick and Mongold.
Moorefield took over at the 28-yard line and Cyrus rushed for two yards and Jenkins added six yards before carrying a group of Vikings past the first down marker at the Petersburg 41-yard line on a 23-yard run.
The Yellow Jackets moved the ball to the 33-yard line on two carries by Jenkins and decided to attempt a 50-yard field goal on fourth down which was missed by Tamiru with 1:38 left.
Petersburg’s final possession started at the 20-yard line with Tingler making a five yard run before passing to Day, who dodged some tackles for 25 yards and was brought down by Weese at midfield.
The Vikings spiked the ball, then Hinger deflected the ball charging in for a hit.
Petersburg failed to convert fourth down with 17 seconds left as a pitch went to Day and his pass attempt was off the mark.
The Yellow Jackets took a knee to end the Summit Bowl which is sponsored by Summit Community Bank and bring the little brown jug back home with the 17-6 final score.
Moorefield ends the regular season at home this Friday against undefeated Pendleton County.[/private]