Football 'Cats end year at 0

BUCKHANNON — The West Virginia Wesleyan football team ended its season at Cebe Ross Field, Saturday, falling to Glenville State University 42-23.

It was senior day for the football team, the Wesleyan athletic trainers and graduating members of the Bobcat band and dance team.

The game's lopsided ending did not reflect a battle that was full of big plays on both sides of the ball.

After the Pioneers took a 7-point lead with 3:03 left in the first quarter on a Zavione Wood 3-yard run, the Bobcats responded, going 65 yards in seven plays to tie the score when tight end Max Rocco grabbed a 17-yard Nathan Payne pass in the corner of the end zone to record his first touchdown of the year.

The Pioneers countered with a Markquan Rucker 3-yard touchdown run four minutes into the second quarter, then Wesleyan again tied it when wideout Wesley Sweeney caught a 9-yard score with 3:27 left before the half.

Glenville drove 70 yards on its ensuing possession and had a first-and-ten from the Bobcat one yard line with 30 seconds on the clock. A fumbled snap that the Pioneers recovered at the 12 set up the last attempt at a touchdown before the break, but Wesleyan's Victor Georges intercepted a Anthony Garrett pass in the end zone as time expired and the game remained tied at 14.

The Pioneers opened the second half with a big-play 35-yard touchdown pass from Garrett to Kordell Lewis just 78 seconds after the kickoff.

The Bobcats responded by going 71 yards to set up a successful 26-yard field goal by Cam Ceccotti to make the score 21-17.

But Glenville countered with a pair of consecutive rushing touchdowns, a 9-yarder by Wood and a 4-yarder by Rucker for a 35-17 lead with 5:49 remaining.

Payne then threw a 62-yard bomb to receiver Joseph Triplett to pull the Bobcats within 12 but Glenville countered with its own bomb, a 56-yarder to Tariq Miller with 2:43 remaining to end all scoring.

For the year, Payne led the Bobcats in passing with 1,360 yards on 121-of-206 completions, 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Kevin Mitchell led the ground game, rushing for 2 touchdowns and 212 yards on 68 carries.

Sweeney grabbed 40 passes for 467 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead all receivers.

The Bobcats ended 2024 without a win, going 0-11 to continue a losing streak that dates back to 2022.