West Virginia Pulls Out Improbable Victory In 79th OVAC Rudy Mumley Game

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Shane Lux | July 20, 2025

Wheeling – It’s never over until it’s over.

It’s a cliche, but for good reason. When Ohio broke a 7-7 stalemate with 17 seconds to play, hope looked all but lost.

But the West Virginia squad never panicked and found a way to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

Trailing 14-7 with three seconds on the clock on a 2nd-and-10 at their 16-yard line. Quarterback Lucas McAllister escaped the pocket to the near sideline and threw underneath to Weir High teammate Damir Mowder, who, after some nice moves, broke free and raced 84 yards for the touchdown with no time left on the clock.

“I dropped two passes earlier in the game,” said Mowder. “I knew I had to make up for that, and I did in a big way, as you can see. We’re calm-minded. We’re from West Virginia, we always stay calm, cool, and collected out there through it all.”

The decision to go for two points and the win was unanimous. McAllister lined up in the shotgun and fired a pass to Mowder, who made a sliding catch on a slant route to win the game.

“Yes, sir, that play was going to me, he said. “I knew at the end of the day I was the better player, and I finished it off.”

Needless to say, that catch set off a huge celebration and an outpouring of emotion, as just minutes before, the game looked all but over.

Ironically, it marked the only two passes that Mowder caught all night, but as they say, it’s quality over quantity.

“The only thing that was going to stop me was the final whistle in the end zone,” Mowder said. “That was the only thing stopping me on that play.”

For Mowder, it was a fitting end to his high school career as his senior season at Weir High School didn’t go as planned, as the Red Riders finished 1-9.

“This made up for it, our 1-9 season is fresh out the window, and we’re OVAC champions again,” said Mowder.

Ohio had taken a 14-7 lead following a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stuebenville’s Aiden Davis to Monroe Central’s Chance Allen, which appeared to be the game winner.

The drive began at the Mountain State’s 27-yard line thanks to a great punt return by Union Local’s Dre Saunders.

Saunders had himself a game as he finished the night with three catches for 39 yards, including the opening touchdown of the night, a 6-yard reception from Davis in the second quarter. He also rushed for 19 yards.

For West Virginia, it was a first half they’d like to forget as they mustered only 47 yards of offense and two first downs.

The Buckeye State didn’t fare much better, and even let a 15-play drive slip through their fingers when Dino Burk lost a fumble at the West Virginia 1-yard line early in the second quarter.

Burk did rush for a game-high 66 yards on 18 attempts.

Though their defense stood tall on three plays, and after the ensuing punt set them up at the Mountaineers 25-yard line, they took advantage on the Davis to Saunders connection for six.

Aiden Davis completed 8-of-12 passes for 72 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

West Virginia got their offense going on their initial drive of the second half when they drove 66 yards in 14 plays with McAllister punching home a 4th-and-goal score on a 2-yard run to even the game at seven with 9:58 to play.

Lucas McAllister led the Mountaineers with 56 yards rushing on 13 carries, while completing 6-of-11 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Ohio now leads the all-time series 46-31-2.

Game Highlights:

West Virginia 15 Ohio 14

Score by Quarters

Ohio – 0 7 0 7 – 14

West Virginia – 0 0 0 15 – 15

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

OH – Dre Saunders 6 yd pass from Aiden Davis, (Evan Lough), 5:43 – 3-25

Fourth Quarter

WV – Lucas McAllister 2 yd run, (Chase Hile pat), 9:58 – 14-66

OH – Chance Allen 20 yd pass from Davis, (Lough pat), 0:17 – 4-27

WV – Damir Mowder 84 yd pass from McAllister, (Mowder from McAllister), 0:00 – 2-84

Individual Stats

Rushing: OH – Davis 4-(-2), Dino Burk 18-66, Jalen Minniefield 3-22, Zion McGee 5-47, Saunders 2-19, Brady Schaffer 3-14. Totals: 35-166. WV – Lucas McAllister 13-56, Aiden Brooks 6-4, Klypsan Wallace 4-1, Wesley Molish 1-5, Slaton Pettit 1-0. Totals: 25-66.

Receiving: OH – Allen 3-36, Saunders 3-39, Burk 2-5, Blake Adkins 1-16. WV – Andre Crossland 1-16, Brooks 1-9, Mowder 1-84, Maverick Lemasters 1-6, Mason Scott 1-3, Landon Savage 1-13.

Passing: OH – Davis 8-for-12, 72 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, Schaffer 1-for-2, 24 yards. WV – McAllister 6-for-11, 131 yards, 1 TD.

Interceptions: WV – Hayden Gaiser.

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