The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
CoachComm Cobalt Plus
Turf Tank
 

Williamstown Wins Second Straight State Title

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

| December 3, 2023

Wheeling – Williamstown wins their second straight state title – 42-12 over Greenbrier West.

In a matchup of 13-0 teams, the reigning state champions jumped out to a 28-0 first-half lead and never looked back en route to their fourth state title.

“We got a great senior class, and they worked their butts off,” said Williamstown head coach Chris Beck. “They decided they wanted to do something that had never been done before by going back-to-back and 14-0. This is the greatest senior class we’ve ever had come through. I’m so proud of them. They’ve had so many memories here.”

A year ago, the Yellowjackets defeated James Monroe 52-20 – it was a similar story on Saturday night.

Once again, quarterback Maxwell Molessa led the way. After rushing for 273 yards and five touchdowns last year, Molessa again had a huge game, rushing for 155 yards while completing 8-of-10 passes for 97 yards and accounting for three total touchdowns.

“Coach Beck put the faith in me,” said Molessa. “My line blocked well, and so did our receivers. We just wanted to come out and physical football – that’s what we do. That’s how we wanted to set the tone, and we managed to do that. It’s a blessing to be out here and go out with a bang. It’s hard to even explain right now.”

Perhaps in irony, Greenbrier West came out of the gates on fire. Two of their first three snaps resulted in a 25-yard run by quarterback Cole Vandall and a 32-yard scamper by Moses Gray.

The Yellowjackets’ defense would tighten up and force a 28-yard field attempt by Hayden Ridgeway that was unsuccessful.

Four plays later, Louis Goodnow took a jet sweep 59 yards to open the scoring – Goodnow had only the single carry, but it counted. He was also the game’s leading receiver, with four catches for 64 yards.

Carson Haines then intercepted a Vandall pass at the 2-yard line – two plays later, Molessa exploded for a 98-yard touchdown run, extending the lead to 16-0 after a quarter following two successful 2-point conversions.

 

“Carson is only a sophomore, but he’s made big plays throughout the year,” Beck said. “He played junior varsity early in the year but kept playing better and showed he deserved a spot with us. We were able to get stops on our side of the field when we had to. We took away their pass game and made them one-dimensional.”

Williamstown continued to pour it on in the second stanza when Molessa scored on a 12-yard, capping off an 8-play 62-yard drive.

Defensively, the Yellowjackets came up with a 4th-down stop at their 47-yard line, leading to Lynken Joy’s 48-yard run, pushing the lead to 28-0 with 10:09 remaining in the half.

After turning the ball over downs at the Williamstown 37-yard, the Cavaliers finally put it all together and drove 56 yards in three plays, scoring on Isaac Agee’s 25-yard run with 2:04 to play in the half.

 

Receiving the ball to begin the second half, the Yellowjackets went on a 14-play 65-drive capped with Molessa’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Martin. The drive ate up over seven minutes.

“We ate up the clock well on that drive,” Beck said. “Then they came out and wanted to run the ball, which we were completely fine with. We were all for it. Both teams controlled the ball in the second half.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Williamston invoked the mercy clock when Joy scored on a 16-yard run with 7:19 to play. Lynken Joy led all rushers with 161 yards on 22 carries with a pair of touchdowns.

The Cavaliers closed the scoring late in the contest when Ethan Holiday scored from 23 yards, succeeding a 62-yard drive.

Greenbrier West rushed for 269 yards as a team, with Moses Gray leading the way with 94 yards on 11 carries. Isaac Agee and Ethan Holiday rushed for 65 and 77 yards, respectively.

Williamstown finishes the season with a perfect 14-0 record.

“The credit goes to these players,” Beck concluded. “The guys work hard and are selfless. We have great coaches and community support. This means the world.”

Game Highlights:

Williamstown 42 Greenbrier West 12

Score by Quarters

Greenbrier West – 0 6 0 6
Williamstown – 16 12 7 7 – 42

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

W – Louis Goodnow 59 yd run, (Max Molessa rush), 7:40 – 4-80

W – Molessa 98 yd run, (Goodnow from Molessa), 4:44 – 2-98

Second Quarter

W – Molessa 12 yd run, (rush failed), 11:16 – 8-62

W – Lynken Joy 48 yd run, (rush failed), 10:09 – 2-53

GW – Isaac Agee 25 yd run, (kick failed), 2:04 – 3-56

Third Quarter

W – Cooper Martin 8 yd pass from Molessa, (Brylee Jones pat), 4:31 – 14-65

Fourth Quarter

W – Joy 16 yd run, (Jones pat), 7:19 – 6-61

GW – Ethan Holiday 23 yd run, (kick failed), 3:39 – 6-62

Individual Stats

Rushing: GW – Cole Vandall 9-37, Moses Gray 11-94, Holiday 7-77, Agee 8-65, Team 1-(-4). Totals: 36-269. W – Molessa 17-155, Joy 22-161, Goodnow 1-59, Rex Anderson 2-5, Landon Dodrill 1-9. Totals: 43-389.

Receiving: GW – Holiday 1-11. W – Danner Hooper 1-11, Goodnow 4-64, Joy 1-5, Martin 2-17.

Passing: GW – Vandall 1-for-11, 1 INT. W – Molessa 8-for-10, 97 yards, 1 TD, Goodnow 0-for-1, Team 0-for-1.

Interceptions: W – Carson Haines.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
QwikCut
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
x