POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. - And just like that, Spring Valley remembered how to play football.
The Timberwolves scored 44 consecutive points in the second half to turn a 27-14 halftime deficit to a 58-34 victory over Point Pleasant Friday night in high school football at soggy Ohio Valley Bank Track and Field.
Quarterback Nate Ellis ran for a career-high 227 yards and four touchdowns on a mere 11 carries and Owen Chafin rushed for 171 yards and one TD on 16 attempts as Spring Valley (9-0) eventually lived up to its No. 1 rating in Class AAA against the talented and feisty Big Blacks (7-1).
"They're a really good football team and when you turn the ball over three times and give up a special teams touchdown that will happen," Spring Valley coach Brad Dingess said of his team's first half miscues. "They got us on the ropes, but I thought our kids thought our kids responded well in the second half. We came out and played pretty good football in the second half."
The Timberwolves regained the lead 28-14 in the third quarter before Point Pleasant ever ran a play. Ellis used a 37-yard run to set up his 33-yard touchdown jaunt just four plays into the third period to pull Spring Valley within 27-21. After the Big Blacks fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, Chafin capped a six-play, 1-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Timberwolves a 28-27 lead they never relinquished.
After forcing a punt, Spring Valley scored again on its next possession, a 1-yard plunge by Cody Sharp to make it 34-27. After another Point Pleasant punt, Ellis scored from 47 yards on the fir play to increase the lead to 42-27 with 11:41 left in the contest.
Spring Valley went up 50-27 just 32 seconds later when David Livingston returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown and Chafin ran for a two-point conversion.
Ellis' final touchdown was a 37-yard keeper with 8:43 left. Isaac Howard ran for the conversion for the last of 44 straight Timberwolves' points.
Ellis was effective as Spring Valley adjusted to Point Pleasant's stingy interior defense and finished with 471 yards rushing.
"They we're taking away some of our traps and things we like to do," Dingess said. "That's what they gave us. (Ellis) has some tools. We threw him in the gun and ran our quarterback, gave them some misdirection stuff and he played really well."
Christopher Holland scored on 6-yard run up the middle for the Big Blacks to set the score.
The first half was quite different. Point Pleasant showed it was not intimidated by Spring Valley, driving 74 yards in nine plays, the final one a 20-yard touchdown pass from Cason Payne to Josh Wamsley, to take a 6-0 lead.
The Timberwolves appeared to break out of their early game funk as Graeson Malashevich capped a quick three-play 77-yard drive with a 17-yard TD run around left end, following a block by guard Luke Jarrell. Zane Porter's extra point gave Spring Valley a 7-6 lead.
The Big Blacks erased that deficit 14 seconds later as Wamsley returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Oliver Skeie's kick made it 13-7.
Back came Spring Valley. Ellis scored on an 8-yard keeper set up by runs of 20 and 30 yards by Chafin as the Timberwolves regained the lead 14-13 at 6:12 of the second quarter.
Wamsley, though, struck again, catching a 41-yard touchdown pass from Payne to make it 20-14 in favor of the Big Blacks with 3:13 left until halftime.
The Timberwolves fumbled on the first play of their next possession and Payne recovered at the Spring Valley 48. Nine plays later, Payne scored on a 1-yard sneak to make it 27-14 with 13 seconds left in the half.
Payne ran for 104 yards on 17 attempts and completed 7 of 18 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Wamsley caught four passes for 95 yards.
SPRING VALLEY 0 14 20 24 - 58
POINT PLEASANT 6 21 0 7 - 34
PP - Wamsley 20 pass from Payne (kick failed)
SV - Malashevich 17 run (Porter kick)
PP - Wamsley 98 kickoff return (Skeie kick)
SV - Ellis 8 run (Porter kick)
PP - Wamsley 41 pass from Payne (Skeie kick)
PP - Payne 1 run (Skeie kick)
SV - Ellis 33 run (Porter kick)
SV - Chafin 11 run (Porter kick)
SV - Sharp 1 run (run failed)
SV - Ellis 47 run (Hall run)
SV - Livingston 60 int. Return (Chafin kick)
SV - Ellis 37 run (Howard run)
PP - Holland 6 run (Skeie kick)
SV PP
First downs 15 20
Rushes-yards 50-471 48-190
Passes 0-1-0 10-24-2
Passing yards 0 121
Total yards 471 311
Fumbles-lost 3-2 5-3
Penalties-yards 7-65 4-40
Punts 2-38.5 3-15.3
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: (SV) Chafin 16-171, Malashevich 8-36, Howard 5-24, Ellis 11-227, Hall 1-(minus-6), Diamond 5-8, Christopher 1-0, Hinchman 1-(minus-3), Sharp 1-1, Team 1-(minus-7); (PP) Payne 17-104, Adkins 17-53, J. Wamsley 3-8, Holland 6-37, Bush 5-(minus-12).
PASSING: (SV) Adkins 0-1-0; (PP) Payne 7-18-0, 106, Bush 3-6-2, 15.
RECEIVING: (PP) J. Wamsley 4-95, Beattie 1-2, Jones 2-9, Adkins 1-5, Z. Wamsley 1-6, Musgrave 1-4.
