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Photo of Alex Kozlowski Parker Watkins, 23, of Wheeling Central, and the Knights hope to return to the win column against Man this Friday.
WHEELING – Wheeling Central just suffered back-to-back losses to two quality OVAC schools in Bellaire and Shadyside.
Adversity is nothing new for the Knights, who won three straight State Championships from 2017-19 and finished with four losses in two of those years.
It’s simply a “learn, improve and move forward” mindset that doesn’t change this week as Central hosts W.Va.’s Class A Man High School on Friday night at Bishop Schmitt Field in 19 hours.
“You just put the past behind you, win or lose, step forward, get back to basics and keep working on the blocking and tackling,” center coach Mike Young said. “We have a good group of kids who will respond and our coaches will supervise them. “
Despite the setback last week for the Tigers, the QB duo of Michael Toepfer (100 yards passing) and Payton Hildebrand (80 yards and a TD) led Central to a pair of quick strikes in the first half and generated a long TD in the fourth quarter to keep the game tight, which gives Young and his team plenty of good points to build on.
“We put points on the board and were able to move the ball,” Young said. “We had a hard time trying to stop Wyatt Reiman, which few teams have been able to do this year. Nothing to be ashamed of, but we have to be better up front.
It will be crucial this week, especially as Man (2-1) enters the match with strength on the offensive and defensive lines.
“They’re really big up front and they’ve got a lot of aggression,” Young said. “They also played a tough schedule so this game will be a great indicator for us of where we stand in the Class A playoffs.”
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