BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – After earning a share of the 2022 Mountain East Conference Football Championship in week 10, Notre Dame College clinched sole possession of the title with 27-3 win over Alderson Broaddus on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the regular season. Concord finished second in the league in 2022 with an 8-2 mark after defeating UNC Pembroke 58-56 in five overtimes on Saturday evening in North Carolina.
 
The Falcons and Mountain Lions will watch the NCAA Football Selection Show, Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. Both teams were regionally ranked heading into week 11, with Notre Dame at No. 6 in Super Region 1 and Concord at No. 8. The top seven teams in each Super Region earn a bid to the NCAA Football Playoffs.


Notre Dame 27, Alderson Broaddus 3 | Final Stats
By Notre Dame College Sports Information
 
PHILIPPI, W.Va. – In the final game of the regular season, Notre Dame College took on Alderson Broaddus University. The Falcons struggled to get the offense going in the first half, but scored 24 second half points to put the Battlers away, 27-3. The win guarantees that the Mountain East Conference trophy will be exclusively in South Euclid for another year.
 
On a cold day in Philippi with constant rain, both teams struggled to find the grip on the ball. Uncharacteristically, on NDC's first drive of the game, Chris Brimm threw an interception across the middle of the field. However, Alderson Broaddus could not take advantage as quarterback Levi Gullion threw a ball that was about five yards short of his intended receiver and Notre Dame's Cael Bright was there to intercept his fourth pass of the year.
 
Punts and turnovers continued for both teams until the game reached the middle of the second quarter. A two and-a-half minute drive for Alderson Broaddus went 40 yards down the field and set up a 37-yard field goal for Joao Lima. That gave AB the lead with 4:50 to go before halftime.
 
On senior day, the Battlers were playing inspired and held the lead until NDC's final drive of the second half. Knowing they would receive the ball to start the second half, the Falcons were looking to score and grab momentum. Notre Dame put together a 50-yard drive, and a Brimm to Jeremy Hamilton pass-and-catch for 29 yards was the highlight of the possession. With two seconds left in the half, Cameron Shirkey launched a 35-yard field goal through the uprights to tie the game.
 
To start the second half, Jay Sharp put his mark on the game, by returning the opening kickoff 56 yards to set up his offense on AB's 34-yard line. Brimm found Michael Solomon for 18 yards though the air and then Idris Lawrence took the handoff and ran to the left, finding the holes and getting past the goal line with a 22-yard run.
 
Lawrence ran for 83 yards in the game.
 
"I'm proud of how our guys came out in the second half and made the adjustments we did," said head coach Garrett Mack. "Obviously, the elements of the weather played a part in some of our struggles early in the game. We weren't able to pass the ball with the rain and we were getting a heavy box [from Alderson Broaddus], making the run difficult."
 
After forcing an Alderson Broaddus punt, the offense went back to work. Lawrence moved the ball with runs of nine yards, four yards and 10 yards. Tyris Dickerson pushed the ball past midfield with an 11-yard run and then the Falcons went back to the air. After two short passes, Brimm threw to the right side of the field, finding Andre Allen Jr. on a screen play. Allen used his speed to go 27 yards for a touchdown and NDC led 17-3.
 
Not only did the offense step up in the second half, but the defense was stellar, again. In the final 30 minutes of the game, Notre Dame had three interceptions.
 
On Alderson Broaddus' first drive of the fourth quarter, Gullion was sacked by Lavell Gibson before DeMarcus Rankin intercepted the next pass. That would lead to a short 19-yard drive for the Falcons, resulting in a six-yard TD run by Brimm.
 
And another AB possession, with the same result. On the very next drive, Jacalyn Morrison stepped in to intercept a pass on the Battlers' 13-yard line.
 
Notre Dame continued to turn the turnovers into points, when Shirkey came on to score on a 25-yard field goal to give NDC a 27-3 lead, with 7:31 to go in the fourth.
 
"Our defense continued to stay strong in the first half to allow our offense to make the adjustments at half time and, in the second half, we came out and played together offensively, defensively and on special teams," Mack said.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, Gibson, Nathan Moore and Zion Hawkins all had five tackles to lead the team. Moore, Gibson and Teddy Tiokeng all recorded a sack. Tavon Hooks, Bright, Rankin and Morrison had the interceptions.
 
After the game, NDC took a photo in front of the scoreboard, as they have done every year since 2018. The Falcons are the first team in MEC history to win five conference trophies.
 
"We're excited to take a trophy home to South Euclid for our fifth straight conference title and we look forward to the playoffs," Mack mentioned.
 
 
Concord 58, UNC Pembroke 56 (5OT) | Final Stats
By Concord Sports Information
 
PEMBROKE, N.C. – The Concord University football team outlasted UNC-Pembroke in five overtimes, 58-56, in a Mountain East Conference game at Grace P. Johnson Stadium Saturday night.

To begin overtime, UNCP (5-6, 5-5 MEC) scored on its third play from scrimmage. Concord (9-2, 8-2 MEC) answered in the first overtime as senior quarterback Jack Mangel scrambled into the end zone from three yards out.

The Mountain Lions used a one-yard rush from junior running back Thurlow Wilkins in the second overtime to gain a 54-48 lead as the two-point play failed. With the Braves backed up to the 34-yard line on third-and-long, UNCP extended the game with a touchdown. CU's defense held on the ensuing two-point attempt.

Both teams came up empty on their sudden death two-point plays in the third overtime. The Mountain Lions came back with a successful conversion in the fourth overtime as Mangel rolled out and found sophomore wide receiver Mack Simmons. UNCP answered to keep the game going.

In the fifth overtime, a run up the middle was good for Wilkins. In the bottom of the fifth overtime, UNC-Pembroke's pass attempt was broken up as Concord held on for a 58-56 victory.

Concord ran out to a 21-3 lead after Wilkins' three-yard touchdown at the 8:18 mark of the second quarter. The Braves, however, scored the final 17 points of the first half to trim the deficit to 21-20 at halftime.

The UNC-Pembroke surge continued into the second half as the Braves opened up the third-quarter scoring with a field goal to take their first lead of the game, 23-21.

CU had immediate answer as Mangel found Simmons in the back of the end zone for a 21-yard scoring play.

After a fourth Alex Alvarado field goal, Concord extended its lead from 28-26 to 41-26 with touchdown drives on two of the next three possessions. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Solomon Butler caught his only pass of the game for a seven-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left in the third. Mangel had a one-yard sneak to cap a nine-play 60-yard drive in the fourth.

Down 15 points, and just 5:55 left on the clock, UNC-Pembroke pieced together a touchdown drive, got Concord off the field and scored again to get within 41-39 with 24 seconds left. A successful two-point conversion pushed the game to overtime.

Mangel shook off an interception on his first throw of the game to toss for 371 yards and four touchdowns bringing his total for the season to 39. Junior wide receiver Jarod Bowie notched his fifth 200-yard receiving game of the season with eight catches for 212 yards and a touchdown.

Wilkins rushed 25 times for 141 yards and two scores. Senior running back Kris Copeland totaled 217 all-purpose yards (141 return, 58 receiving, 18 rushing) on just 10 touches.

Graduate linebacker Ty Maust led the defense with 16 stops on the night to equal a career high. Sophomore linebacker Jordyn Bentley racked up a career-best 11 stops with fifth-year senior defensive back Marcellus Saint adding 11 tackles.

Three of the five tackles for graduate defensive back Rashon Lusane were for loss. Junior defensive lineman Manny Azolin and graduate defensive lineman Nathan Lease each had 1.5 sacks.

Concord was outgained by the Braves, 553-516, but CU averaged 7.7 yards per play.

With the win, CU has thrown itself into prime playoff contention. The Mountain Lions stared the week ranked eighth in Super Region 1. Fifth-ranked Slippery Rock and seventh-ranked Gannon both lost Saturday.

Saturday night was the longest game in MEC history.
 
 
West Virginia State 42, Charleston 35 | Final Stats
 
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia State outscored Charleston 21-7 in the second half and came away with a 42-35 victory over the Golden Eagles on Saturday afternoon at UC Stadium.
 
West Virginia State outgained Charleston 555-to-340 in the victory, with both teams recording over 250 yards on the ground. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 295 yards, while adding 260 yards through the air. Charleston, on the other hand, rushed for 258 yards while being limited to just 82 yards through the air.
 
Donovan Riddick completed 18-of-26 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns through air for the Yellow Jackets. Barry Hill hauled in nine passes for 111 yards and two scores. On the ground, West Virginia State got 179 yards and a score from Joel Felder, while Riddick added 51 rushing yards and two TDs.
 
UC quarterback Davis Black completed 10-of-21 passes for 82 yards and a score. A majority of Charleston’s damage came on the ground, as Chavon Wright rushed for 218 yards and three scores on 33 carries. Wright was also UC’s leading receiver with four catches for 26 yards. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry.
 
 
Frostburg State 28, West Liberty 23 | Final Stats
By Frostburg State Sports Information
 
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Frostburg State football team capped off the regular season with a win over West Liberty on the road 28-23.
 
The Hilltoppers won the toss and deferred the ball until the second half, giving the FSU offense a chance to work on the ground with senior Josh Maxwell picking up runs of 22 and 26 yards. Redshirt sophomore Graham Walker found redshirt freshman Jordan Marcucci for a two yard touchdown and early 7-0 Frostburg lead. West Liberty answered with a ten-play drive and a rushing TD to tie things up at 7-7. With the ball in hand again, the Bobcats drove down the field with purpose, with Walker finding freshman Jermaine Earl for a 24 yard pickup. FSU returned to the ground the rest of the way, with redshirt freshman Sean Aaron and Maxwell picking up chunks at a time. Maxwell finished things off, punching it in from a yard out to put Frostburg back up 14-7 on the point after from junior Dayne Koontz.
 
WLU would start the second quarter with the ball and had a good drive going, until the FSU defense came up with a tackle for loss on third down to force a field goal, making the score 14-10 Bobcats. The FSU offense punted for the first time on the day, putting the defense on the field with a short rest. Redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Baxter came up big, nabbing an interception as both defenses would clamp down to force punts. With the Hilltoppers pinned back in their own zone, senior Luke Freeman would make a great play, earning a sack fumble that he was able to pick up and score. Koontz knocked through his third extra point to make the FSU lead 21-10 going into halftime.
 
West Liberty would come out from the locker room with success through the air, hitting two passes over 20 yards, with the second finding the endzone to cut the deficit to 21-17. FSU would also come out firing, taking a 14-play drive 77-yards, with Walker crossing the goal line on fourth and goal from one yard out for a 28-17 lead. WLU would take the ball down the field on their final drive of the quarter, attempting a fourth and three from the Frostburg six-yard line that was shut down by the Bobcat defense to hold strong going into the final frame.
 
West Liberty would get the ball back early in the fourth and pick up a big first down from a pass interference call on fourth down, keeping the drive alive. They would go on to score on the drive, but failed the two-point conversion to make the score 28-23. After FSU's next drive stalled out, the Hilltoppers got ball near midfield and two minutes on the clock. Junior Robert Horsey capitalized on an offensive miscue and came up with a fumble recovery to close things out for the Bobcats with the victory.
 
Maxwell led all rushers with 118 on the ground, followed closely by Aaron's 93. Sophomore Wylan Harich came up with a game-high 12 tackles, followed by Freeman and Horsey at seven each, with the two combining for two sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.
 
With the win, the Bobcats finish the regular season at 8-3, while the Hilltoppers end their year at 4-7. The eight wins for Head Coach Eric Wagoner are the second-most for a first-year head coach in program history, only trailing Ed Sweeney's 1996 nine-win team. The mark is also good enough for third place in the Mountain East Conference this season.
 
 
Wheeling 31, Fairmont State 28 (OT) | Final Stats
By Wheeling Sports Information
 
Wheeling, W.Va. - It was the end of an era on Saturday afternoon as many of the pillars that helped create the Wheeling University Football program walked across the field for senior day. The Cardinals did their best to honor them and came through in a big way as they took down Fairmont State in overtime 31-28. It was a back-and-forth competitive game throughout the afternoon, and it came down to the final push in overtime for Wheeling to seal their best season in program history.
 
Defense led the way on the first few drives of the night as both teams went three and out to open the day. However, Fairmont State put together the first scoring drive, taking the ball 72 yards down to the Wheeling six-yard line. They would kick in the chip shot and the Falcons went up 3-0 with 5:37 to go in the first quarter. Wheeling would respond on the very next drive the Cardinals would get going as Javon Davis and Lowell Patron hooked up on a few big passes to move the Cardinals into Falcon territory. That same connection would cap the first try as Davis found Patron for a five-yard score to make it 7-3. That would be the score as the first quarter came to an end as the offense tried to add on.
 
However, it would be Fairmont that would add on as they scored their first touchdown of the day and took a 10-7 lead. Fairmont State would get in the endzone again on their next drive and suddenly it was a 16-7 Fairmont State advantage. The Cardinals needed to put together a drive and they would do just that as they got the ball back. Wheeling would begin with the ball on their own 25-yard line and once again the passing game led the way. The Cardinals got down inside the Falcons 10-yard line once again, and this time converted as Davis connected with Chris Canaday on the eight-yard completion to make it a 16-14 game with 2:34 left before the half. The Falcons would tack on a field goal in their final drive of the half and Wheeling went into halftime trailing 19-14.
 
In the third quarter, both teams put on a clinic in clock management as time ticked off on both opening drives. The Cardinals received the ball to start the half and took seven minutes off the clock as they drove to the Fairmont State six-yard line. Javon Davis would come through again, this time with his legs as he rushed in from six yards out to make it a 21-19 game. After forcing a three-and out for the Falcons, Wheeling got the ball with 5:13 to go in the quarter and held it until the quarter wrapped up. The Cardinals held a slight 21-19 advantage, but things were far from over.
 
The Wheeling defense was strong to start the fourth quarter and forced another Fairmont State three and out. However, the Falcon's kicking game would come through as Wheeling was pinned at their own one-yard line. Fairmont State would pick up a safety on the first play from scrimmage and the game was tied at 21-21. The ensuing free kick would go to the Falcons, and they drove down the field again, scoring a touchdown to make it a 28-21 score. The Cardinals would get the ball back with 8:52 to go and quickly moved the ball down the field. Davis would throw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, finding Lowell Patron for 24 yards to tie the score at 28-28. It was Patron's second touchdown of the day as the Cardinal tied the game. Both teams would get another offensive opportunity in the fourth with Fairmont State attempting a field goal with three-seconds to go. They shanked the kick, and the game was sent into overtime with the score sitting at 28-28.
 
Fairmont State would get the first possession of the overtime period and got it to the Wheeling 22-yard line as Fairmont State would get another chance to kick a field goal to go ahead. Again, they missed the shot and Wheeling would get the ball back needing just a field goal to win. They went to fifth-year senior running back Sy Alli and he helped drive them down to the one-yard line setting up a fourth and goal. The Cardinals would call on fifth-year senior kicker Matt Greenwood for what would be a 22-yard field goal. He kicked in the game winner and the Cardinals would win the game 31-28. The kick helped them end the season 7-4 overall as they set the new program record for wins in a season.
 
Many of those seniors who were honored before the game played a big role in the outcome as they ended their careers on top. Lowell Patron led the receiving corps with nine catches for 94 yards and two scores on the day while Chris Canaday pulled in four catches for 58 yards and the other score. Sy Alli IV led the running game, carrying the ball 21 times for 76 yards in the contest. Jayvon Johnson led the defensive unit with 12 tackles, three solo and nine assisted as Wheeling's defense held strong. Brandon Munoz, Jason Simon, and Kelvin Bazemore finished their careers with seven tackle games as they helped in the big win. 
 
The Wheeling University Football team now heads into the off-season as they look to build off the strong 2022 campaign. They broke the single season wins record and look to continue taking the program to new heights as they prepare for 2023.
 
 
Glenville State 27, WV Wesleyan 14 | Final Stats
By West Virginia Wesleyan Sports Information
 
GLENVILLE, W.Va. – Glenville State capped the 2022 season with a 27-14 home win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon. Glenville led 20-14 at the half and held the Bobcats scores in the second half to pick up the victory.
 
Glenville State’s Anthony Garrett led his Pioneers with 231 passing yards through the air. Zay Huff found himself receiving most of these throws tallying up his total receiving yards to 140 with the longest being 71 yards. Zakee Swann contributed to his offense with a total of 67 rushing yards. On the defense, Seth Arnold contributed a total of 9 tackles. 
 
Offensively for Wesleyan, Nathan Payne threw for 130 yards, completing 14-of-28 pass attempts. Three of the receptions went towards Dariuse Cooper who had 34 receiving yards. Evin Hurt also contributed with 34 receiving yards. Defensively, Ely Ghameshlougy led the group with 8 tackles with Deontre Logan behind him with 7 tackles.