Down But Not Out: Ohio Rallies for 80th OVAC Rudy Mumley All-Star Game Victory
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Shane Lux | July 19, 2026
Wheeling: Two explosive second-half touchdown passes turned the tide for Ohio, fueling a 28-21 comeback win over West Virginia.
Sam McLean of St. Clairsville High School tossed two second-half touchdown passes of 61 and 67 yards to lead Ohio past West Virginia and erase a 21-14 halftime deficit.
Trailing 21-7 in the second quarter, the Buckeyes went on a 14-play 78-yard drive capped with McLean’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Steubenville’s Nolan Blackburn with 1:15 to play in the first half on a 4th-and-goal.
West Virginia had taken a two-touchdown lead early in the second quarter when Kade Koronoes scored on a 78-yard touchdown run.
Koronoes, who set the West Virginia state record with 415 rushing yards and seven touchdowns during Wheeling Central Catholic’s 56-34 state-title victory over Clay-Battelle High School last December, ran for a game-high 206 on 25 carries, including 145 of those yards in the first half.
Late in the opening stanza, Ty Sperringer of Brooke High School hooked up on a pair of touchdown passes to Glen Brown of University High School covering 14 and 32 yards.
The 14-yard strike followed a 6-play 65-yard drive, while the 32-yard score came immediately following a fumble recovery.
The Buckeyes held the Mountaineers’ passing game in check in the rest of the game, as Sperringer completed only one second-half pass while being intercepted three times.
Sam McLean then connected with his St, Clairsville teammate Ollie Muhly on broken coverage as he walked into the end zone for an easy 61-yard touchdown as Ohio pulled even at 21 with 6:58 to play in the third quarter.
Late in the contest, the Buckeye State put the nail in the coffin as Trevon Wiggins of Steubenville caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from McLean following a 79-yard drive with just over five minutes to play.
“We believed in each other, and I believed in my receivers,” McLean said. “We made some adjustments at halftime. We wanted to come out and make plays like we were in the backyard. Trevon and I only met five days ago, but we made it work out. These guys are special; we’ve made a lot of memories that will last a lifetime tonight.”
McLean completed 8-of-11 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
Fellow Big Red teammate Che’Mier Adams then intercepted Sperringer with 2:59 to play, allowing Ohio to run out the clock to victory.
The Buckeyes had taken an early 7-0 lead when Ian Starkey of Indian Creek scored on a 2-yard run, taking advantage of a short field following a punt.
Game Highlights:
Ohio 28 West Virginia 21
Score by Quarters
Ohio – 7 7 7 7 – 28
West Virginia – 14 7 0 0 – 21
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
OH – Ian Starkey 2 yd run, (Parker Galloway pat), 6:23 – 3-24
WV – Glen Brown 14 yd pass from Ty Sperringer, (Clifton Shreves pat), 3:43 – 6-65
WV – Brown 32 yd pass from Sperringer, (Shreves pat), 0:34 – 1-32
Second Quarter
WV – Kade Koronoes 78 yd run, (Shreves pat), 9:18 – 3-72
OH – Nolan Blackburn 5 yd pass from Sam McLean, (Galloway pat), 1:15 – 14-78
Third Quarter
OH – Ollie Muhly 61 yd pass from McLean, (Galloway pat), 6:58 – 3-57
Fourth Quarter
OH – Trevon Wiggins 67 yd pass from McLean, (Galloway pat), 5:12 – 5-79
Individual Stats
Rushing: OH – Cajuan Bryant 16-73, Matt Evans 9-42, Starkey 8-18, Threet 1-(-1), McLean 1-(-12), Team 2-(-4). Totals: 37-116. WV – Koronoes 25-206, Logan Murray 2-7, Isaac Sands 3-1, Team 2-(-34). Totals: 32-180.
Receiving: OH – Wiggins 1-67, Muhly 2-69, Niko Jacob 1-35, Kamden Wright 2-18, Blackburn 1-5, Bryant 3-(-9). WV – Brown 3-54.
Passing: OH – McLean 8-for-11, 142 yards, 3 TD, Starkey 2-for-3, 43 yards, Jaki Threet 0-for-1. WV – Sperringer 3-for-11, 54 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT.
Interceptions: OH – Zach Bryan, Zach Schnelle, Che’Mier Adams.
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