Passing game lifts Ohio

WHEELING - For most football teams, the passing game is the last thing to click.

For Ohio in the 64th-annual Rudy Mumley Ohio Valley Athletic Conference All-Star Charity Football Classic, the squad looked as though it was in mid-season form.

The pigskin cutting through the night sky with pin-point accuracy and receivers rarely missed an opportunity in the 47-7 victory over West Virginia.

Head coach Dave Caldwell pointed to his team's camaraderie as the reason for success.

"They came in and they worked hard the entire time. On Wednesday, they all got together and shaved their heads and began bonding," Caldwell said. "I think that was the day that they became a unit and they said that we are going to win this football game.

"We went out on Thursday and passed the whole day and never dropped a ball. We looked like a team that was in mid-season form. I was pretty fortunate that it worked out that way and the kids did a great job. I give all of the credit to the kids. They are a wonderful group."

Union Local's Jordan Barbina finished the game 10-for-23 with 196 yards and three touchdowns. Beallsville's Eric Lucas led the Ohio receiving corps with three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown.

Also adding a receiving score for Ohio was Big Red's Brandon Carroll on a 32-yard grab in the second quarter.

"We were well prepared. At the beginning of the week, we were having three-a-days and we were going really hard. It paid off in the end," Carroll explained.

"We had a great quarterback. Jordan Barbina did a great job for us. It just seemed as though everyone worked together. We had wide receivers helping each other with their routes. We made up our own wrist cards with the plays on them.

"It all came together and it was really nice."

Also playing a large role in the outcome was the Ohio defense. After an impressive opening quarter for West Virginia that included a 27-yard touchdown run by Wheeling Central's DeVaughn Gordon, the Ohio defense buckled down.

Leading the way was Big Red's Jeryl Christian, who had a sack, several tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

"We had a few miscommunications on that first drive," Christian said. "But, we worked it all out. We pulled it together and got the win. The key was to stop (DeVaughn) Gordon from getting the ball. We wanted to make them pass. We were able to do that and our plan worked out."

For Christian, the win was an important one, as his final memory as a Big Red standout was a heart-breaking loss in the Division IV state finals to Kettering Alter last November.

"It was an honor to be able to play with all of these guys. It was a lot of fun. We enjoyed spending the week together and playing in the game. That three-a-day on Monday killed us," Christian said. "That is how we were able to learn a lot in just a week.

"It helped ease the memory of my last high school football game. It was great to be able to walk off with a win."

Harrison Central's Westley Skinner was also a key catalyst for the Ohio defense. He explained that Caldwell's plan of keeping things simple was the key.

"We just ran our base defense. It was a 50-read and it just seemed to click with all of us. That is pretty much all we practiced with," Skinner said. "So, when the game came around, we were ready and felt comfortable with it.

"We played a great game tonight. Our first two days of practice, we had three-a-days. So, we were ready for this game. We just practiced and practiced and we had everything down."

Caldwell pointed out adjustments as the difference between the first quarter and the other three periods.

"As a coach, I didn't know what offense they were going to run and I didn't know what defense they were going to run," Caldwell said. "I had to go on the fly. They got a couple of good runs. We made our adjustments and we were able to shut them down.

"I knew it was going to be a little tough at the start. As a coach, when you have nothing to go by, it is always tough. So, we made adjustments and our coaches did a great job. Coach (Clint) Abbott, the defensive coordinator, stepped in and figured things out. They didn't do much after that."

On the other side of the field, West Virginia head coach Bob Kramer was left searching for answers.

"We didn't execute. Maybe I should have worked them harder during the week. This was my first time coaching in this game and I made a lot of mistakes. I take responsibility for that stuff," Kramer said. "I liked the team going in, but we just didn't perform tonight. I don't know what it is and I guess it is just my nature. I'm not a 'rah-rah-type' coach and I expect the kids to go out there and understand what they have to do and get fired up.

"But, we had some injuries and it sort of took the heart out of our team and we just couldn't find it again. This is a better bunch of ball players than what we showed tonight."

Even in defeat, Kramer was proud to have been selected for the contest.

"We have great kids on this team," he said. "I had kids give some great efforts. I can't say enough about these guys."

Weirton Madonna's Dante Greco openly questioned the future for the West Virginia-Ohio Classic, as Ohio has now won 14 of 15 games.

"We're outclassed here. They have a lot more schools than us and they have the bigger schools. It was just a tough day," Greco said. "I'm not used to losing by this margin, I'm used to winning by this margin.

"I don't know what they can do to make it more fair. They were talking about making it North-South. I don't know if that is the answer, but they have to do something. This was a little embarrassing and we were just out-manned when we stepped out on the field."

As an anchor on the West Virginia defensive line, Greco was perplexed at his squad's inability to defend the pass.

"We just couldn't cover the pass. We did really well against it in practice. We did a good job of containing their running game," Greco said. "They had (Jeremy) Murray and he is a good athlete.

"But, they were just rolling out and guys were open. A week of practice just isn't enough time to prepare for an offense like that."

Greco is proud that he was able to compete in a game that has seen so many OVAC legends over the years.

"This is the second (all-star game) that I've played in. It is just an honor to be included with the people that have played in this in the past. You see guys like Quincy Wilson from Weirton, who played in the NFL," Greco said. "It feels great to have been picked to play in the same game as he did."

(Newman can be contacted at anewman@heraldstaronline.com)