BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WELCH, W.Va. — Tug Valley rolled to another convincing victory over Mount View, clawing the home team 60-28 Friday in Welch.
Speedy Panthers wide receiver-defensive back Cameron Slone returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown to give TV an early lead. The junior then picked off two passes on consecutive plays from scrimmage and returned those for two more touchdowns.
Remarkably he scored two defensive TDs and one kick return score in the first 46 seconds of the game. That is believed to be a state record.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing with the way Cam started the game. I have never seen a single player score three touchdowns in the first minute of a game. I’ll probably never see something like that again,” Tug Valley Coach Hady Ford said.
Slone caught four passes for 69 yards and another TD.
Tug Valley led 27-14 after one quarter of play and led 47-22 at the half.
Coach Ford’s squad scored 13 more points in the third quarter to build their lead and made it a very happy ride back down U.S. 52 to Mingo County.
“We were able to go to Mount View and get a win without any injuries so that’s a good win,” Coach Ford added.
Junior quarterback Preston May passed for 302 yards, completing 15-19 passes and three TDs. He also rushed twice for 16 total yards.
Senior Bryson Elia rushed 12 times for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Gavin Fitzpatrick had his best offensive performance of his career, hauling in six passes for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Rilee White booted 6 extra points for TVHS.
On defense, Ben Gilman led the Panthers with eight, Keaton Nelson had six, while Derek Jewell and Garrett Hensley each had five stops. Of course Slone had the two picks to go along with four tackles.
Cane Thompson, who leads the Panthers in tackles this season, sat out the game with a minor foot injury.
“We just tried to take what they gave us, which allowed us to move the ball around. Gavin Fitzpatrick had a big game,” Ford said.
Tug Valley had 408 total yards on offense in Friday’s game.
The Panthers coaching staff was able to play a lot of kids and they were able to get some valuable experience in the game.
Tug Valley will play local rival Tolsia at home this Thursday. The Panthers went into the Mount View game ranked No. 2 in Class A in the WVSSAC points ratings. They end the regular season with a pair of road games at Man and then at James Monroe.
“It’s going to be a tough one,” Ford said of the Tolsia game.
The Rebels are a top 20 team in Class A and have a lot to play for to try to get back into playoff contention.
“It doesn’t matter what anyone on the outside thinks of this game; we will have to come with it if we want to beat Tolsia. They’re going to be ready. With a win, they can make the playoffs. This rivalry makes both teams rise to another level,” Ford concluded.
Mount View fell to 1-6 on the season with the loss. The Knights will travel to Magnolia this week for their next contest.
Score by quarters:
Tug: 27 20 13 0 – 60
Mount View: 14 8 0 6 – 28