Photos by Greg Barnett
Fairlea – It’s been 10 years since Greenbrier East assistant coach Aaron Baker called the shots in Fairlea but with head coach Ray Lee suspended for Friday’s game, Baker filled a familiar roll.
He didn’t appear to miss a beat.
Monquelle Davis scored on a 10-yard touchdown run in overtime and the Spartan defense stopped the visiting Tigers on fourth-and-9 as Class AAA No. 9 Greenbrier East beat No. 7 Princeton 23-17 in overtime Friday night in Fairlea.
Following an ejection last week, Lee was ineligible to coach Friday but still helped inspire the Spartans in the win.
“It was weird being on the sideline, it really was,” Baker said. “I go back to years ago when Coach Lee gave me the opportunity to come back and coach and I’ll be honest with you, he sold me with an $8 burger. That’s how I got the job. We tell that story a lot but he took me out for an $8 burger and got me back. I love what I do. I’ve been in and out of this program since 2002 and it’s been awesome. To come back down tonight and be on the sidelines, you know I’m glad. Last week made coach’s record 50-50 and tonight it’s 51-50. It’s not about me. It’s about this team and about this program and I couldn’t be more happier right now.”
Defense was largely the story of the night for the Spartans as they came away with stops while turnovers on offense nearly doomed them.
The first came with the Spartans up 7-0 with 3:44 left in the half.
Knocking on the door at the Princeton 11, Davis was intercepted by Brodee Rice who returned the ball to the East 26. Back-to-back completions from QB Grant Cochran to Peyton Clemons followed by an offsides penalty moved the ball to the 48 where the visitors struck gold.
Sophomore receiver Dominick Collins adjusted to a pass thrown by Cochran and 52 yards later helped tie the game 7-7.
And it pays off. Princeton’s Dominick Collins with a great adjustment on a 52-yard TD catch. It’s 7-7 with 2:23 left in the half #wvprepfb pic.twitter.com/Gs5HeTk0ta
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) October 30, 2021
Unaffected by the turnover, the Spartans marched 70 yards in 10 plays, capping the half with a 22-yard field goal from Noah Dotson.
Out of the break the Tigers’ offense roared, going 81 yards in 13 plays with the end result being a six-yard screen to Clemons for a touchdown. The drive consumed nearly seven minutes but the Spartans had their own counterpunch.
An 18-play, 84-yard drive ended in a 17-yard touchdown run from sophomore running back Ian Cline, his second of the evening. Cline had seven carries on the drive alone including two fourth down conversions – one at the East 36 and another at the Princeton 40. The two runs from Cline as well as a second-and-17 pass from Davis to Jarrett McHale that picked up 25 yards gave context to a night where Baker was willing to roll the dice.
“It was a situation where we work on situational stuff in practice,” Baker said. “I knew we were going to be okay, but once again I put my faith in those guys to tell me what’s going on out there and execute. I can’t explain what the senior meant tonight because every one of them contributed. They were giving suggestions and giving tips.”
The run from Cline staked East to a 17-14 lead, one that nearly held in regulation.
After forcing a Princeton punt the Spartans rolled the dice once more on their next drive coming up empty. On  fourth-and-1 on their own 26, the exchange between Davis and Cline was fumbled and recovered by Princeton.
That’s where the East defense began to make an imprint, holding the Tigers to a 35-yard field goal. Despite moving the ball into Princeton territory on their next drive with the clock dwindling to under a minute, a sack of Davis on third-and-14 forced a punt that ultimately sent the game to OT.
The Spartans had the first shot at scoring, doing so in four plays when Davis scampered to his left and extended for the pylon.
It’s East ball first and Monquelle Davis makes the most of it. He scores from 10 yards out but the PAT goes wide right. It’s 23-17 East, Princeton has a chance to win it.#wvprepfb pic.twitter.com/xrknW0ubGU
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) October 30, 2021
Needing one last stop, the Spartan defense got it.
On fourth-and-9, Cochran’s heave to the end zone was dropped, causing the East sideline to celebrate.
“It’s been like that all year,” Princeton head coach Chris Pedigo said. “We’re just a play away from being a really good football team. We’re not bad, just a play away. This game is a game of inches but if we catch the ball right there – it’s not Jon’s (Wellman) fault. The ball was a little under thrown. That’s not Grant’s fault. We gave ourselves and opportunity to make a play. We’ve just gotta make the play.
“I thought our kids played tremendous in the second half, I thought Greenbrier East played tremendous in the second half cause it’s two football teams that have a lot to play for in the playoffs. We came up short tonight but you’ve got to give Coach Lee’s staff a lot of credit. I know he wasn’t there tonight but you’ve got to give Coach Baker and that group a lot of credit. They did a great job, we just came up a little short.”
Cline led Greenbrier East with 26 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns while also catching three passes for 42 yards. Brodie Rice led Princeton with 27 carries for 135 yards while Cochran completed nine passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
The loss is Princeton’s second of the season and their second straight, dropping the Tigers to 5-2. The loss likely eliminates the possibility of a home game for Princeton but turns the fortunes of East.
The Spartans improve to 7-2 and are likely to host a playoff game for the second time in three years should they beat Lincoln County (4-4), who they’ll welcome to Fairlea next week.
Princeton will finish its regular season slate next week when it travels to Parkersburg South.
GE: 0 10 0 7 6 – 23
P: 0 7 7 3 0 – 17
Scoring Plays
Second Quarter
GE: Ian Cline 1 rush (Dotson PAT), 10:09
P: Collins 52-yard pass from Cochran (Geso PAT), 2:23
GE: Dotson 22-yard FG
Third Quarter
P: Clemons 6-yard pass from Cochran (Geso PAT, 5:36
Fourth Quarter
GE: Cline 17 rush (Dotson PAT)
P: Geso 35-yard FG
OT
GE: Davis 10 rush (Kick missed)
