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Martinsburg Wins 10th State Title

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, Gameday Hub, News, Non-PIAA, pfn, Playoffs

| December 2, 2023

Wheeling – Martinsburg won their 10th state title with a convincing 57-13 victory over Princeton Saturday afternoon at Wheeling Island Stadium.

After a one-year hiatus, Martinsburg returned to Wheeling after winning the 2021 state title 62-21 over Huntingdon. The Highlanders were the defending state champions, beating Parkersburg South 28-3 in last year’s state final.

“It feels great,” said Martinsburg head coach Dave Walker. “To be back on the big stage and come out with our tenth title in school history is special.”

Huntingdon had beaten Martinsburg 28-21 in the 2022 semifinals; this season, the Bulldogs got their revenge with a 49-26 victory.

Martinsburg won four straight state titles from 2010 to 2013 and 2016 to 2019. The Bulldogs also enjoyed a 57-game winning streak from 2016 to 2020.

On Saturday, despite falling behind 7-0 after a quarter, nothing was going to prevent Martinsburg from hitting double digits with their 10th title.

“We had some penalties and mistakes early on that cost us,” Walker said. “We got settled in the quarter and started playing how we are capable of.”

The 2023 season marked Walker’s return to the Martinsburg program after spending two years at Concord University.

“I’m blessed,” Walker said. “I’m glad to be back home and doing things I love.”

Once again, quarterback Murphy Clement led the way as the senior rushed for 207 yards on only 14 carries while completing 6-of-12 passes for 82 yards. Clement accounted for six total touchdowns.

“Murphy is Murphy,” said Walker. “He’s a great kid and athlete. He made some big plays on the ground that helped turn things around for us. It was a team effort, and our other guys stepped up also.”

Trailing 7-0 after a quarter, Martinsburg took over at the Tigers’ 40-yard line and three plays later pulled to within 7-6 when Clement scored on a 31-yard run with 8:34 left in the half.

“They showed up too, and they weren’t going just to let us play our game,” said Clement. “They wanted to play their game too. We knew we needed to get things together, move, and grow a pair. That’s what we did.”

It can be challenging to find a sequence of events in a 57-13 game that shifted the momentum, but on Princeton’s next possession, they elected to go for a 4th-and-1 from their 29-yard.

The result was a 4-yard loss on a carry from Marquel Lowe – two plays later, Kashez Gedeon caught a 21-yard pass from Clement, giving the Bulldogs the lead for good.

 

“That was the turning point, Clement said. “Those little things mean a lot.”

Immediately following three consecutive incomplete passes, Clement ripped off a 48-yard touchdown run on the ensuing snap.

“My line helped me out a ton tonight, and my receivers blocking down the field,” Clement concluded. “I love all those guys. They did their jobs and set things up for me. It was great.”

Forcing another 3-and-out by Princeton, Martinsburg took over at the Tigers’ 42-yard line. Three plays later, Koi Fagan scored on a 29-yard touchdown run.

The Tigers got one back before halftime when, on a 4th-and-4, Dom Collins caught a 49-yard touchdown from Chance Barker with 14 seconds to play in the half.

Princeton took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when Collins caught a 44-yard pass from Barker. Dom Collins led all receivers with eight receptions for 180 yards and two scores, earning him the player of the game for the Tigers.

 

Martinsburg’s player of the game, Murphy Clement, made sure there would be no second-half comeback as the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 29-0 over the final two quarters.

On their first four second-half possessions, the Bulldogs only needed a combined 12 plays to score four times.

In the third stanza, Clement scored on runs of 42 and 15 yards following 61 and 72-yard drives.

Koi Fagan scored his second touchdown on a 12-yard run following a Buzz Dover interception. Dover intercepted two passes in the contest.

Fagan rushed for 81 yards on six carries, and Nicholas Busky also went over the century mark with 106 yards on six carries. As a team, the Bulldogs rushed for 410 yards.

In the fourth quarter, Kashez Gedeon caught his second touchdown from Clement as Martinsburg put the finishing touches on their title. Gedeon caught four passes for 67 yards with two touchdowns.

Martinsburg finishes the season at a perfect 13-0.

Martinsburg 57 Princeton 13

Score by Quarters

Princeton – 7 6 0 0 – 13
Martinsburg – 0 28 22 7 – 57

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

P – Dom Collins 44 yd pass from Chance Barker, (Saeed Aboulhosn pat), 7:34 – 1-44

Second Quarter

M – Murphy Clement 31 yd run, (kick failed), 8:24 – 3-40

M – Kashez Gedeon 21 yd pass from Clement, (Koi Fagan rush), 4:43 – 2-25

M – Clement 48 yd run, (Cody Paige pat), 4:14 – 1-48

M – Fagan 29 yd run, (Paige pat), 1:48 – 3-42

P – Collins 49 yd pass from Barker, (kick blocked), 0:14 – 4-57

Third Quarter

M – Clement 45 yd run, (Paige pat), 10:30 – 3-61

M – Fagan 12 yd run, (Fagan rush), 7:46 – 3-12

M – Clement 15 yd run, (Paige pat), 4:21 – 3-72

Fourth Quarter

M – Gedeon 34 yd pass from Clement, (Paige pat), 9:46 – 3-58

Individual Stats

Rushing: P – Barker 11-(-28), Marquel Lowe 13-46. Totals: 24-18. M – Clement 14-207, Nicholas Busky 6-106, Fagan 6-81, Marcus Shants 1-7, Sirod Musgrove 1-9. Totals: 28-410.

Receiving: P – Collins 8-180, Wyatt Cline 1-29, Bradley Mosser 4-33, Michael Diacomo 1-0, Amarvion Howard 1-18. M – Gedeon 4-67, Tyion Jacobs 1-17, Buzz Dover 1-(-2).

Passing: P – Barker 15-for-32, 260 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT. M – Clement 6-for-12, 82 yards, 2 TD

Interceptions: M – Dover (2).

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