Nick Henthorn
BACK TO PASS — Toronto QB Zeb Kinsey fires a pass against Wheeling Central during Friday night’s game at Clarke Hinkle Stadium.
TORONTO — In the clash between Maroon and Red Knights, it was visiting Wheeling Central that emerged in a tight road victory Friday at Red Knight Stadium, 29-27.
Central quarterback Nico Kusic and an explosive cast of receivers pushed just far enough to squeak out the road win and move to 7-2 on the season with their sixth straight W. Toronto wraps their season at 7-3, and with a bittersweet senior night as they now look to their own playoff future.
“Loved our fight tonight from our team,” Toronto head coach Jaret Aubiel said. “We fought hard, we played well. Sometimes you come just short and tonight’s an example of that. It’s got to be a quick turnaround because we’ve got to get ready for week 11 and the playoffs. Not sure who we’re going to have or where we’re going but the quick turnaround starts tomorrow morning.”
Unofficial playoff rankings at joeeitel.com has Toronto as the seven-seed in Division V, Region 21, hosting either Smithville or Leavittsburg, both 7-3 themselves.
Kusic accounted for four touchdowns for the Maroon Knights, ripping a 46-yard touchdown run and throwing touchdown passes of 62, 39 and 33 yards. All three scores involved serious yards after the catch by the trio of Kade Koroneos, Braden McWreath and Joey Hall.
Wheeling Central took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, but trailed 14-13 by halftime. They retook the lead with McWreath touchdown reception late in the third quarter and held on to maintain their winning streak.
Central took a 7-0 lead on the fourth play of the game, Kusic finding Koroneos deep over the middle, and Koroneos receiving a key downfield block by Max Olejasz to race the rest of the way to the end zone.
Braden McWreath recorded a pass breakup on a fourth-and-seven play by Toronto to trigger a turnover on downs. Central kept rolling with another first-quarter score, a 46-yard dash by Kusic on a read option at the 2:25 mark. The extra point was blocked though, putting Central up 13-0.
Toronto mounted a nearly six-minute drive following Central’s score, and were eventually faced with a fourth-and-goal from the one yard-line with nine minutes to play in the second quarter. The Red Knights opted for a QB sweep, and Wheeling Central’s Dustin Sanner was able to shoot into the backfield and wrestle down Toronto quarterback Zeb Kinsey behind the goalline for another Toronto turnover-on-downs.
Momentum swung back to the Red Knights quickly though, recovering a fumble at the Wheeling Central 32 yard-line.
In a flash, Toronto’s Aiden Filby pulled down a 33-yard catch and Drake Boucher finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
The Red Knights were back on the attack with little time before the half, but Mason Marchbank cashed in Toronto’s final drive of the half with a 21-yard touchdown reception, reeling in the catch at around the 10 yard-line and plowing through two tentative Maroon tacklers into the end zone.
With the extra point, Toronto lurched ahead 14-13 at the break.
Wheeling Central responded though- first on defense, then on offense. The Maroon Knights forced an incompletion on fourth-and-goal from the 20-yard line for another Toronto turnover-on-downs. Kusic found McWreath for a 39-yard score on the ensuing drive, and Kusic ran in a two-point conversion for a 21-14 lead at the 3:57 mark of the third quarter.
Marchbank recorded his second touchdown of the game with under a minute to play in the third, a 15-yard slant, but it was Wheeling Central’s turn to block an extra point, and the Maroon Knights stayed ahead, 21-20, going into the fourth quarter.
Central was able to keep the pressure on with a touchdown in the fourth quarter- in a situation where the pressure was on them. Facing a fourth-and-10, Kusic rolled out of the pocket and found Hall for an improbable 33-yard pitch-and-catch, and Kusic delivered a pass to Wyatt Brady for a two-point conversion that pushed the Maroon lead to two possessions, 29-20.
Toronto got close with time to spare, Kinsey throwing a strike to Boucher that went 61 yards down to Central’s five yard-line, Boucher finishing the drive off with a run the next play- but Toronto wouldn’t get the ball back until but four seconds were left on the clock.
Kinsey’s hail-mary attempt was incomplete to end the game. Toronto’s QB ended with 244 yards and two touchdowns on 13-34 passing. Boucher was the Red Knights’ leading rusher with 90 yards and two touchdowns on 11 totes.
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