ELKINS - Brandon Tucker rushed for 227 yards and scored three touchdowns as No. 15 Wheeling Central pulled away from No. 6 Tygarts Valley 24-13 Saturday afternoon in Class A semifinal action at Wimer Field.
The defending state champion Maroon Knights (9-4) advance to face top-ranked Williamstown next Saturday at Wheeling Island Stadium in the title game.
"This is a great accomplishment for our kids,'' said first-year Wheeling Central coach Mike Young. "We made a lot of mistakes in the first half that kept us from building a big lead. But the kids stayed positive and did a better job in the second half."
The Maroon Knights jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Tucker's 32-yard touchdown run with 3:39 left in the first quarter.
Tygarts Valley answered on the ensuing kickoff when senior receiver Khris Currence raced up the middle for an 80-yard return to tie the game at 7.
The score remained tied until Edward Vargo kicked a 25-yard field goal with 5:28 left in the third quarter that gave Wheeling Central the lead for good.
Tucker added two touchdown runs in the fourth quarter to allow the Maroon Knights to pull away. His 44-yard run with 11:50 remaining extended the lead to 17-7.
After the Bulldogs cut the deficit to 17-13 on an 18-yard reception from Derrick Fike to tight end Dillon Lewis, Tucker put the game away with a 55-yard scamper with just 2:54 left.
"Brandon ran well today,'' Young said. "The offensive line also deserves a lot of credit because they opened up a lot of holes for him."
Wheeling Central, which was whistled for 11 penalties on the afternoon, held a 329-219 advantage in total yardage.
Tygarts Valley was limited to a season-low 40 yards on the ground.
"We wanted to stop their running game and the defense responded,'' Young said. "We forced them into a passing game and I thought our young cornerbacks played well."
Alex Peluchette completed 6-of-15 passes for 90 yards for the Maroon Knights, who didn't commit any turnovers in the contest. P.J. Henry had three receptions for 63 yards.
"We allowed two big plays in the fourth quarter and that was the difference,'' said Tygarts Valley coach Russ Collett. "We also couldn't run the ball and that took us out of what we like to do on offense."
Tygarts Valley finished the season 10-3.
Wheeling Central 24, Tygarts Valley 13
Wheeling Central 7 0 3 14 - 24
Tygarts Valley 7 0 0 6 - 13
WC - Tucker 32 run (Vargo kick), 3:39
TV - Currence 80 kickoff return (Fike kick), 3:29
WC - Vargo 25 field goal, 5:28
WC - Tucker 44 run (Vargo kick), 11:50
TV - Lewis 18 pass from Fike (kick failed), 10:29
WC - Tucker 55 run (Vargo kick), 2:54
Individual Statistics
RUSHING: Wheeling Central, Tucker 24-227, Andrew Grubler 8-19, Chris Martin 5-12, Alex Peluchette 6-(minus 19). Tygarts Valley, Ryan DeWitt 8-22, Fike 8-20, Keith Currence 1-2, Lewis 1-(minus 3).
PASSING: Wheeling Central, Peluchette 6-15-90-0. Tygarts Valley, Fike 15-32-178-1.
RECEIVING: Wheeling Central, P.J. Henry 3-63, Cory McKitrick 1-11, Larry Witzberger 1-11, Grubler 1-5. Tygarts Valley, Philip Engelkemier 6-117, Khris Currence 4-14, Lewis 3-40, Keith Currence 1-5, DeWitt 1-2
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