ELLENBORO, W.Va. – Ritchie County head coach Rick Haught said a few weeks ago that two-time defending state champion Wheeling Central was still the top team in the state – no matter of their ranking – until someone knocked off the Knights in the playoffs.
Ritchie County had a chance to do so on Saturday.
The two-seeded Rebels played the tenth-seeded Knights about as close as possible, but a costly interception late in the fourth quarter sealed a win for Wheeling Central.
Despite picking up two huge stops on the Wheeling Central drive that led to the Rebels interception, Ritchie County’s season came to a close Saturday, losing 13-0 at home.
“I was hoping to get them on grass – they’re not on grass much – that would slow their speed down. But they came in with a good offensive game plan. Turned into a defensive struggle. They made a few more plays than us. Over the course of the season, I couldn’t be more proud of our kids, and really glad for them the season that they had,” Haught said after the game.
“Really quality kids that are leaving the program. And they’ve helped us turn this around. They’ve done a great job. And we’ll miss every one of those guys,” he said
