Darren Banks got a record-tying pair of interceptions and Branden Ore got his yards, and the West Liberty Hilltoppers got by a spirited second-half challenge by Concord University by a score of 38-20 on a hot summery evening in Athens Saturday.
Both teams lost their starting quarterbacks to injury, and Concord senior defensive end Aaron Lowe, whom coach Greg Quick called “the leader of our football team,”
left the game with a knee injury as well. Reserves found a reserve of ability to call upon and kept the game exciting until the final minutes.
Ore, the former Virginia Tech tailback, ran for 142 yards on 20 carries. Immediately after an interception by his cousin Banks, Ore took a lateral and tossed a halfback pass to Eddie Hills for the game’s first touchdown.
Hills’ contributions for the Hilltoppers were mountainous. He scored the game’s next touchdown on a 64-yard pass from Zach Amedro, and finished off the TD parade with a 59-yard run with 4:12 left in the game. He finished with 274 all-purpose yards.
Concord could not protect quarterback Tommy Frazier, who hurt his ankle and took to the sidelines in the second quarter. Jerry Robinson found more mobility and success. He threw for 124 yards and ran for 50 more. On the last play of the half, Robinson heaved a pass into the end zone that bounced off Nathan Tanner and into the hands of Kareem Royal for a 41-yard score, cutting the West Liberty lead to 31-13.
“That gave us some life,”
Quick said. “That was the catalyst to our second-half efforts, scoring there at the end of the half.”
He said, “Jerry did an admirable job tonight. He showed poise in there, he made some good decisions. … We saw him come of age a little bit, once he got some playing time.”
Concord took its first possession of the second half and kept the ball for more than five minutes, going 85 yards for a touchdown. James Wilson got the honor, running three yards from his one-back spread formation. With James Caudill’s kick, the Mountain Lions were behind by 11 points, 31-20.
Early in the fourth, Ore ran for 52 yards but the Hilltoppers could not penetrate the red zone and a field goal try went wide left, giving Concord some hope.
Banks snagged his second interception late in the fourth quarter and lay on the turf, facing upward. It was the 32nd pickoff of the senior’s career, tying him with former Shepherd player Dan Peters for most in the West Virginia Conference.
The Athens crowd applauded when the accomplishment was noted on the public address system, and Quick walked to midfield to hand him the football that he caught to tie the record.
With special teams play favoring West Liberty, due to some strategic Concord mistakes, and the Hilltoppers’ multiple offense keeping the defense guessing, the visitors were able to outscore their hosts.
“We try to do that every week,”
said West Liberty coach Roger Waialae. “We try to make people cover the field.”
Brian Kennedy had 57 yards rushing and 46 return yards for Concord, and Thomas Mayo caught passes for 57 more.
Concord plays at West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at 1 p.m., still looking for its first win of the season.
