Barnesville Falls to the Patriots
At Marietta College Friday night, the Shamrocks lost to the West Virginia top ranked Class AA football team. The Independence High School Patriots from Raleigh County near Beckley came into the contest undefeated at 6-0.
The ‘Rocks got off to a rough start. The Patriots recovered a dropped kick off on the 22-yard line, scoring a touchdown within the first 50 seconds of the game. The PAT made the score 7-0.
The next Barnesville drive ended with an interception at the Independence 40, the second turnover within three minutes of play.
Stalled at the 22 and facing a needed 5 yards, the Patriots tried to kick a field goal at the 7:30 mark. The kick went wide right, their kicker’s first miss for the season.
Barnesville took over, moving the ball downfield. A pitch out to Trey Toliver at the 3:30 mark put the hometown team on the Board. The PAT by exchange student Luis Garcia Del Manzano tied the game.
A 15-yard penalty on a Shamrock player for continuing to play after his helmet came off and a 15-yard penalty for a chop block personal foul on a Patriots player ended the quarter tied,7-7.
The Patriots struck within the first minute in the second quarter on a touchdown pass and PAT, making the score 14-7.
At the 9:30 mark, Toliver scored his second touchdown, the PAT tying the game a second time.
Several penalties were called on both teams over the next five minutes with neither team scoring.
At the 4:10 mark, on a quarterback keeper, Independence scored, 21-14.
In less than a minute Shamrock’s Phoenix Graham went in for the Shamrocks third touchdown. A PAT evened the score 21-21 a third time.
When the half arrived, one of the West Virginia broadcasters, a teacher at their high school, described the game as “a real dogfight….the Shamrocks do not disappoint”.
In the second half, the Shamrocks were stymied time and time again.
Independence scored at the nine minute mark, 28-21, scored again after three more minutes of play, score 34-21, and two minutes later hit paydirt a third time in the quarter, score 42-21.
In the fourth frame, an interception by Barnesville and run out to the 35 provided hope. But an unsportsmanlike penalty on the Shamrocks moved the ball back to the Barnesville 20.
More hope came with a Toliver run to the Independence 36, but it was followed by a second interception for the Patriots.
The game ended on a third interception and a facemask penalty against the Shamrocks. That moved the Patriots half the distance to the goal.
With 1:12 left on the clock, the Patriot’s quarterback took a knee ending the game.
Penalties proved costly for both teams, especially for Independence in the first half. The Patriots commanded the clock throughout the game while all three ‘Rocks touchdowns came in quick drives described by the Patriot announcers as “lightning fast”.
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Next week the Shamrocks travel to Morristown to take on backyard rival, Union Local (7-2) for control of the Milk Bucket Trophy.
Independence will take on undefeated Princeton, the current number two AAA team in the Mountain State.
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Friday’s game was livestreamed on the Independence High School’s YouTube channel, Coal Camp Tough TV, with over 1,500 viewers tuning in at various times during the broadcast. A disclaimer at the beginning of the game and after half time reminded viewers that the broadcast was not “neutral”, but a supporter of the Patriots team.
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