Photo by Scott McCloskey
Fort Frye’s Brian Adkins runs between a pair of Wheeling Central defensive linemen during the Cadets’ 33-0 win over the three-time defending W.Va. Class A state champions Friday in Wheeling, W.Va.

WHEELING — The Fort Frye Cadets entered Friday evening’s contest at Bishop Schmitt Field on the campus of Wheeling University with a first-round bye in the 2020 OHSAA playoffs sewn up, meaning that if they were to stumble against perennial West Virginia Class A power Wheeling Central, they were still sitting pretty for the postseason. That said, the Washington Countians weren’t about to take a break. Utilizing a stifling defense that held the hosts to 177 total yards, with a mere 45 of those coming on the ground, and a selfless offense that saw four players divide five touchdowns, the Cadets garnered a 33-0 road victory against the Maroon Knights.

“It’s fun to coach these guys because they are selfless, and it’s fun to have a lot of different weapons and get the ball to everybody instead of it being on the shoulders of one or two guys,” stated Fort Frye boss Eric Huck concerning his offensive unit that churned out 231 infantry stripes to go with 94 yards in the air. “Our offensive line, they play with a fire and want to move people around and make holes for our guys, and they do a great job up front.

Concerning the defense, Huck continued, “Our defense really stepped up. That first one (referring to a red-zone stand) in the first half was huge, that we were able to get a stop in the red zone. To be able to go into halftime 13-0 instead of 13-7 is big. Our defense has been playing well, and I think they just keep getting better every week. To be able to go where we want to go, we need them to play well.”

“They (Fort Frye) were very aggressive. They were able to get people stunting at our point of attack and blowing up the hole where we wanted to run, and that’s what you do. They reacted well to defend what we run, and credit to them and their kids because they were very physical, and at the same time they made tackles and we didn’t, and that’s a credit to them again because of how hard they played” noted Wheeling Central coach Mike Young when asked about his team’s offensive struggles on the evening. “We will continue to get better and work on the fundamentals of the game because that is what lost it. They were better than we were, and we had people in the right place, but we didn’t make the plays, so credit to them and their staff and their program.”

When asked about the same red-zone stops that Coach Huck had referred to, Young said; “I think that the factor probably was that they had the confidence to stop us and we didn’t have the confidence to score. That is a mindset sometimes and that happens, that’s part of the game and the struggles you have.

These kids are going to fight back. We aren’t going to roll over for anybody. Credit to their program, they are going on, and they are 6-0 for a reason, and that’s because they play really good football.”

The Cadets (6-0) deferred after winning the toss, giving the Maroon Knights (2-3) the first chance at the ball. Unfortunately for Wheeling Central, their offense could not find room to operate and went three-and-out.

Fort Frye senior returner, and jack of all trades, Brian Adkins took the ensuing punt from his own 21 all the way down to the Knights 30, setting up the visitors in a great position. The Cadets took 3:05 and five plays to chew up those 30 yards as Adkins plowed in from four yards out for the score. The PAT sailed wide-right, leaving the hosts up 6-0.

Wheeling Central struggled again on their next drive, getting down to the Fort Frye 38 before a penalty pinned them closer to midfield. Michael Toepfer’s punt ended up out of the end zone to give the Cadets the ball on their own 20.

This time, the Knights defense turned things up, allowing just nine yards to Fort Frye, forcing a punt. Payton Marling’s return to the 34 set up the Knights offense for a drive that bridged the first and second quarters. The Maroon Knights were able to find some offensive traction, mixing the passing and rushing game. Senior Jordan Waterhouse and sophomore Riley Watkins were able to put together some nice runs, however, the Cadets defense stood tall on their first red-zone stand of the evening, stopping Central on a Knights fourth down from the Fort Frye 10. Toepfer dropped back ad could not find an open receiver and took off, but came up just short of a first down giving the visitors the ball back..

The Red-and-Blue’s offense quickly got back on track with junior quarterback Ian Ellis hitting Atkins for a 14-yard gain on first down. Between Adkins and Maeson Long rushing the ball, and quarterback Ian Ellis finding both of them on timely passes, the Cadets found the end zone again at the 2:06 mark, covering 80-yards on nine plays with Adkins covering the final 10 at the 2:06 mark of the second. Damain Huck’s PAT was good putting First Frye up 13-0, which was the score at halftime.

The Cadets asserted themselves again to start the second half, assembling a 10-play drive that covered 67-yards and ate up 4:42 of the game clock. The Wheeling Central defense forced Fort Frye into a fourth-and-goal from the one, but the Cadets found the end zone with Ellis sneaking in for the touchdown. The conversion run was stopped short, putting Fort Frye up 19-0.

Wheeling Central’s offense started their next drive on their own 39 after a nice 19-yard kickoff return by Payton Marling, and Toepfer was able to find senior running back Jordan Waterhouse streaking down the sideline for a 55-yard completion that looked like a surefire touchdown before a Cadets defender made a shoelace tackle to stop him. Unfortunately for the hosts, the Cadets D stepped up again, forcing a turnover on downs.

Fort Frye’s offense continued to keep the scoreboard moving as the Beverly based squad again found an effective mix of the pass and the run before junior back Maeson Long took off on a 33-yard jaunt to pay dirt. The shifty running back zigzagged his way through the right side of the Knights defense, somehow managing to run 33-yards untouched to the end zone, despite a number of Wheeling Central defenders seeming to be within an arms reach. Adkins punched in the two-pointer for a 27-0 lead.

The Cadets recovered a Wheeling Central fumble on the ensuing kickoff but ended up punting the ball away. The Knights next drive lasted just five plays as Marling was intercepted by Cadets senior Jaymison Baker at midfield, who returned the ball to the hosts 30. This set up the final touchdown of the evening, as junior fullback Collin Welsh drove in from the five for a touchdown. The conversion run failed, putting the score at 33-0.

Both teams subbed liberally to conclude the game, ending in a 33-0 score in favor of Fort Frye. The Cadets’ offense was led by Long, who ran for 114 yards on 10 carries with a score, while Adkins added 53 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, as well as 48-yards receiving to lead the team. Waterhouse finished the game with 82 yards on three receptions to lead the Maroon Knights offense.

The Knights will play Weirton next week, while the Cadets have a bye week, and will play Belpre the week after.