BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
PARSONS, W.Va. — The football season came to an end for the No. 7 Tug Valley Panthers Saturday afternoon as they lost to No. 2 ranked Tucker County 42-0 in the second round of the Class A playoffs.
The game was close in the first half as Tug Valley only trailed 6-0 after one quarter and 12-0 at the half. But playing on a damp, muddy natural grass field on a cool, cloudy day seemed to keep the Panthers from getting their potent offense into gear as they were shutout.
The Mountain Lions scored 30 more points in the second half as the home team pulled away to advance in postseason.
Tucker County’s defense played tough and the Panthers just could not get much going on offense.
Quarterback Bryson Elia only managed 66 yards rushing, while running back Adam Slone gained 35 on the ground and his brother Cameron Slone had 26 yards. Fullback-tight end Buddy Marcum grinded out 13 yards. TVHS was not able to get anything going in the passing game either.
Cane Thompson led Tug Valley on defense with 21 tackles, seven solo and 14 assisted; Marcum was next with 14 stops, while Brady Brewer and Dakoda Walker each had six tackles.
Tucker County was led by running back Jared Reall with 150 yards rushing and a pair of TDs. Garrett Wilfong and Blake Adams caught a couple of TD passes from Mountain Lion QB Ethan Rosenau.
“It was a tough loss and a hard way to end the season,” Coach Hady Ford said. “Definitely not the way we wanted to finish, but we made some great strides this season. The mud gave us some trouble offensively and defensively. That’s the first mud game these guys have played in and we had some trouble adjusting.
“We just have to take the experiences we gained from this season and from the playoffs and let it make us into a better team next year,” Ford added. “We will have a lot of players returning for next year, but the key is always how we work in the offseason. If we do that, I believe we can take it to another level next year. This year’s seniors showed what happens when you work in the offseason and their teammates have taken notice. I hope we put in the work and have people talking about Tug Valley Football in December next year.”
Tug loses several good seniors.
“We’re losing some key players that will be tough to replace,” Ford said. “The leadership that those seniors have shown in the weight room and on the field is as good as you can ask for. Those guys set the example not only as players but also as great individuals. They will definitely be missed.”
Tug Valley finished the season with a fine 9-3 record and ranked in the top 10 for most of the season.
The Mountain Lions (12-0) will host defending state champion No. 3 Williamstown (12-0) in the semifinals this weekend.
Score by quarters:
Tug Valley: 0 0 0 0 – 0
Tucker Co.: 6 6 14 16 – 42