LOGAN – Logan won its first county championship in eight years with a 24-14 victory over county rival Chapmanville Friday night at Willis-Nisbet Stadium.
Jordan Hayes threw for three touchdowns and Garrett Williamson caught two touchdown passes while Kolton Goldie ran for one and caught a pass for another for Class AA No. 13 Logan, who defeated Chapmanville for the first time in eight years.
“We are excited to be county champion,” Logan coach Gary Mullins said. “I love being a Logan Wildcat.”
Hayes was stellar, completing 20-of-24 passes for 145 yards. Hayes completed his first pass attempt before throwing incompletions on his next two attempts. He finished the first half with 10 straight completions and started the second half with two incompletions before completing his final nine passes in the second half.
“Hayes was super-efficient with the ball tonight,” Mullins said. “It was definitely his best game of his season.”
Carson Kirk led Logan with eight catches for 46 yards while Williamson hauled in six receptions for 44 yards and two touchdowns.
“I thought Coach Mullins and his staff did an excellent job with the gameplan,” Chapmanville coach James Barker said. “They took what we were giving them, we were giving up that hitch and we didn’t feel like Hayes was going to throw that ball when we watched film.”
Goldie rushed for 116 yards and scored one touchdown on 24 carries and caught three passes for 26 yards and one score.
“He is one of the best kids I have ever been around in my life,” Mullins said. “If you don’t give him the ball once he doesn’t care, if you give it to him every time he is fine with that too and in this day and age there are not a lot of guys like that.”
Coming into Friday’s game, Barker had high praise for Goldie, who he felt doesn’t get the publicity that others get statistically.
“They probably ran him more tonight than they have all season long,” Barker said.
Caleb Whitt’s one-yard touchdown gave the Tigers a 6-0 lead with 3:42 to play in the first quarter. Whitt’s run capped off a 13-play drive covering 69 yards in 6:59.
Goldie scored the first of Logan’s three second-quarter touchdowns when he crossed the goal line from two yards out to knot the contest at 6-6 with 10:22 to play. The Wildcat drive was kept alive by two pass interference penalties on the Tigers, the latter wiping out an interception in the end zone.
“You don’t want interference penalties, but at least they are trying,” Barker said. “I would rather have an interference penalty than have a guy catch a wide open touchdown.”
Logan forced a fumble on Chapmanville’s next possession as Logan took over at the Tiger 42. Seven plays later Hayes hooked up with Williamson for a 15-yard touchdown pass, giving Logan a 12-6 lead with 7:40 to play before halftime.
The Wildcats tacked on one more score before the half as Hayes found Goldie running across the back of the end zone for an 11-yard strike with 0:42 remaining to give Logan an 18-6 lead.
Chapmanville scored on its opening drive of the second half as Khol Farmer scored from two yards out with 7:43 remaining in the third quarter. Drew Berry connected with Jacob Topping on the two-point conversion to trim the deficit to 18-14.
Logan’s opening possession to start the second half ended in a three-and-out as the Tigers took over at their own 23.
With all the momentum on its side, Chapmanville steadily marched down the field into Logan territory. Facing a second-and-1 at the Wildcat 15, Farmer ran for a first down, however, the gain was nullified after Chapmanville was called for offensive holding.
The tide turned quickly on the following two plays as quarterback Brody Dalton was sacked by Logan’s Landon Adkins and Conner Mullins on second down, and then was intercepted by Kirk at the Logan 4.
“We should have stuck with running the ball and got it to third and manageable,” Barker said. “That second down was all on me and it’s a bad call and I will take the blame for that.”
The interception by Kirk was the first of three second half turnovers forced by Logan as the Wildcats turned the Tigers over four times in the game.
“Other than the Winfield game our defense has played lights out,” Mullins said.
Logan took over at its own 14 with 2:08 remaining on the third quarter clock and embarked on a remarkable drive that would put the game on ice.
The Wildcats ran out the remaining 2:08 and began the fourth quarter with a 2nd-and-12 at their own 25. Twelve plays into the fourth quarter, Hayes found a sliding Williamson for his third touchdown of the contest. This one an 8-yard strike that ended a 16-play 86-yard drive that lasted 9:25.
Mullins, who was displeased with his team’s ability to convert third downs in a two-point loss to Poca last week, was pleased with his team’s performance on third down this week.
For the game, Logan was 9-for-14 on third downs and was 4-for-5 in the fourth quarter.
“It was the difference, we were able to hit some balls underneath,” Mullins said. “Then you have stuff like Jake Ramey making that catch.”
Dalton was 9-of-13 passing for 116 yards and two interceptions. He also ran for 67 yards on 15 carries. Farmer led the Tigers with 84 rushing yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.
“I thought Kohl and Brody did a great job of reading their blocks and using those guys,” Barker said. “They had a really great gameplan about squeezing inside and making us bounce to the edge.”
Adam Mullins was the leading receiver for Chapmanville with four catches for 72 yards. Will Kirkendall caught four passes for 39 yards.
Chapmanville falls to 2-6 on the season and will host Mingo Central next week at Tiger Stadium.
“We are a good football team and it is a shame that we haven’t won as many games as we have,” Barker said. “We are not a bad football team, but our records indicates that we are, but I don’t think we are and we just got to keep on fighting, fighting, fighting and play our best football.”
Logan improves to 6-3 on the year and will return to action in two weeks at Class AA No. 2 Herbert Hoover. The Huskies are 8-0 and will entertain No. 1 Poca next week.
“I wish it was next Friday,” Mullins said. “We can’t wait to play that game.”
Logan 24, Chapmanville 14
CRHS 6 0 8 0- 14
Logan 0 18 0 6- 24
First Quarter
C- Whitt 1 run (kick failed), 3:42
Second Quarter
L- Goldie 2 run (pass failed), 10:22
L- Williamson 15 pass from Hayes (pass failed), 7:40
L- Goldie 11 pass from Hayes (run failed), 0:42
Third Quarter
C- Farmer 1 run (Topping pass from Berry), 7:43
Fourth Quarter
L- Williamson 8 pass from Hayes (pass failed), 4:43
