GLENVILLE, W.Va. - The Glenville State Football team held on late to defeat MEC preseason favorite Notre Dame College 24-21 today at Morris Stadium. The thrilling ending secured the Pioneers first win over NDC since 2019 when GSU went to South Euclid and beat the No. 6 ranked Falcons.
1st Quarter
The Pioneers had two offensive possessions before the Falcons had their first offensive drive to start the game. Anthony Garrett was picked off by Antoine Hollloway II but he would cough the ball up on the return, giving the Pioneers the ball back and a new set of downs. On Glenville's second drive, GSU drove down into NDC territory, eventually seeing a similar ending as their first drive with the Falcons' picking off Garrett once again to stall the drive.
After a quick three and out for Notre Dame, the Pioneers early passing struggles continued. Brayden Hall gathered in an interception, making that the third interception of the game for Garrett. The fifth turnover of the game came just over 40 seconds later as Seth Arnold popped it out of quarterback Isaiah Murphy's hands and Joshua Carr fell on top of it. GSU put together a strong drive after forcing the fumble, rumbling down the field for a 64-yard drive, ending in a two-yard TD pass to David Livingston.
2nd Quarter
NDC answered with a solid drive, eventually having to settle for three points due to the Pioneers staying strong down in the redzone. The Falcons trimmed the GSU lead to 7-3. A barrage of short gains proved to work for Glenville State, extending the lead to 14-3 with an 80-yard drive that took over four minutes off the clock and concluded with a Saeed Galloway four-yard TD run. The Falcons once again had a solid drive that didn't end in a touchdown score, settling for a field goal to make it 14-6.
The defense had three defensive touchdowns last week and got their first of this week midway through the 2nd Quarter as Jamair Diaz forced the ball to hit the deck and Tank Gant finished it off with a scoop and score. Hayden Moore joined in on the turnover frenzy with just 30 seconds left in the half, picking off Murphy's pass through the middle and putting the ball back in the Pioneer offenses' hands. GSU took full advantage of the extra possession, putting freshman kicker Brody Layman in position to knock down a 20-yard field goal as time expired,
Stats At The Half
Between the two squads, there were 7 turnovers through the first two quarters of play. Though Garrett had three interceptions, he was able to gather 141 passing yards.
3rd Quarter
Both teams opened up the 2nd Half with scoreless drives but NDC got their first TD of the game in their second drive of the new half. A bullet through the middle to James Faulkner capped off a 79-yard drive for the Falcons, trimming the Pioneers lead to 24-13. The offense for the Pioneers became stale, handing the ball right back to NDC who were building momentum. With Notre Dame driving, the Pioneers took a 24-13 lead into the closing quarter.
4th Quarter
Just two minutes into the 4th, NDC got even closer to the Pioneers on a 26-yard TD reception in the corner of the endzone, making it a 24-21 game with 12:59 remaining. Both squads had a pair of slow drives until Glenville State was able to waste some time off the clock but eventually had to punt it back. The defense remained strong up front, slowing down the Falcon attack and giving the offense the ball back.
The offense took another significant amount of time off the clock with a four-minute drive that led to GSU punting the ball to NDC with just one-minute left in the game. NDC used quick routes to get the ball out fast, moving quickly down the field. Using a huge 29-yard reception to put themselves in field goal range, Notre Dame set their eyes on a game-tying 39-yard field goal. The FG attempt would come up short, giving Glenville State the huge 24-21 win.
The Final Stats
Anthony Garret ended the day 15-33 (45%) for 185 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Alfred Menjor led the rushing attack, carrying the ball 18 times for 75 yards. Saeed Galloway had a touchdown and 23 yards on the ground. Orion Bonner averaged 17.5 yards per catch, gathering four catches for 70 yards. Zion Barnette was key all day as well as the Concord transfer had 63 yards on five catches. David Livingston finished with the lone receiving touchdown.
Senior Seth Arnold closed out the day with 14 tackles, six more than the closest Pioneer (Steve Bradshaw, 8). Arnold also forced a fumble along with Jamair Diaz and Max Boyd. Hayden Moore pulled in an interception to go with his two tackles.
Starting QB Isaiah Murphy went down with an injury and didn't finish the game, putting Deshawn Evans in the spotlight. Evans finished 12-23 (52%) for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Idris Lawrence had over 100 yards rushing on the day with 108. James Faulkner was a key contributor, netting five catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Isaiah Stephens led the charge with 10 tackles. Brayden Hall was a ballhawk, earning two of the three interceptions.
Up Next For The Pioneers
The Pioneers travel to West Virginia State next Saturday for big road matchup with kickoff set for 6 p.m.
