The Glenville State Pioneers (4-3, 3-1) built a 35-14 third quarter lead and survived Branden Ore’s five-touchdown afternoon to post a key 42-39 win over the Hilltoppers of West Liberty (4-3, 3-1).
Glenville rolled up a 226-93 rushing edge as Jerry Seymour gained 153 yards on the ground, while quarterback James McCants added 76 more yards and a pair of rushing scores. McCants also completed 15 of 25 passes for 180 yards without an interception.
West Liberty’s Zach Amedro hit on 20 of 36 passes for 282 yards. Eddie Hills caught eight of those passes for 98 yards. Ryan Travis chipped in seven receptions for 94 yards. Ore garnered 116 rush yards on 23 carries and added a pair of receptions for 37 yards.
A 19-yard McCants-to-James Russell touchdown pass with 7:42 left in the game gave the Pioneers a 42-24 lead and set the stage for a furious Topper rally. Ore scored on a 12-yard rush at the 6:35 mark to cut the margin to 42-31. A recovered onsides kick led to another Ore touchdown only a minute later. The 27-yard effort and a Amedro-to-Travis two point conversion narrowed the gap to 42-39.
GSC recovered the ensuing onsides kick and drove inside the Topper 20-yard line before turning the ball over downs. An Andre Wright sack forced an Amedro fumble on the Toppers’ final possession. GSC’s Clifford Mason jumped on the loose ball with 1:20 left in the game to ice the Pioneer victory.
