Patrick Henry dug itself an early hole, and couldn’t recover as two-time defending AAA West Virginia state champions Martinsburg downed PH 22-10 Friday night at Merrill Gainer Field.
Martinsburg took advantage of an early gift, scoring from two-yards out after Patrick Henry fumbled away the ball on their first offensive play. The Bulldogs added a field goal for a 9-0 lead before Patriot running back Xavier Whorley’s 5-yard run and Jacob Otterman PAT sent the teams to the locker room with Martinsburg holding the narrow 9-7 advantage.
The Bulldogs tacked on seven points in the third quarter, and Otterman cut the lead to 16-10 with a 38-yard field goal with just under nine minutes left in the game.
Martinsburg sealed the deal when quarterback Justin Clinton hit Malique Watkins on a 28-yard strike with under three minutes left.
Patrick Henry was held to 129 rushing yards by the sizeable Bulldog defense. Virginia Tech-bound PH quarterback David Prince threw for 139 yards on 8-of-11 passing.
PH travels to Halifax County Friday night (Oct. 19th) for a Western Valley District matchup with the Blue Comets.
BILL TURNER game story/photo