Fort Gay, W. Va. Tolsia wrapped up their season falling to Phelps 26-14 on Senior night Friday at Wilt Salmons Athletic Complex.
2021 Tolsia Seniors
#3 Zach Ramey, #72 Quistis Stanley, #5 Eli Blackburn
Phelps dented the scoreboard first on a 3 yard touchdown run from Hayden Mounts to lead 6-0 with 8:11 left in the first period.
After two long passes from Cameron Ratcliffe to Eli Blackburn to set up the Rebels in the red zone, Ratcliffe hit David Dingess for a 11 yard strike and then connected for the two point conversion and Tolsia lead 8-6 with 4:21 left in the opening period.
Late in the first quarter Cainan Land found the end zone for a 3 yard touchdown to give the Hornets a 12-8 lead.
Cameron Ratcliffe gave the Rebels the lead right back with a 1 yard touchdown run with 9:39 left in the first half it was 14-12 Tolsia.
Mounts scored his second touchdown on a 1 yard plunge and Bryson Locklear added the 2 point conversion and Phelps led 20-14 with 3:35 before halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter and Phelps put the game away on a Land 35 yard touchdown with 3:55 left in the game to set the final score.
David Dingess, Kaleb Walker and Bray Mollette had a fumble recovery each for the Rebels.
2021 Tolsia Cheerleaders
L to R Back Senior Lilly Gissel, Senior Brynna Castle, Senior Brody James, Senior Camree Meddings, Senior Haley Fluty.
L to R Front Senior Mika McCormick, Senior Kaleigh Ford, Senior Brynn Thompson, Desiree Keene, Senior Hayley Collie, Kaylee Johnson
Tolsia Head Coach Eric Crum
COACH’S COMMENTS
“… Well you know, we have been decimated by injuries and most of those in key spots. But they have stayed with it and stuck it out and fought through a lot of stuff throughout the year. Honestly tonight was probably our best effort from start to finish. We kept fighting and scrapping and it was the best effort. I’m really proud of everyone tonight.”
“… Phelps is a scrappy team we knew coming in that their record was deceiving because of the schedule that they have played. The last three weeks has been brutal for them. I talked to you before the game about how physical they were and how they play. I thought were matched their intensity for the most part. They had nine seniors and have a much more experienced team than us. We are so young and don’t have much experience at all. I thought we fought hard all night and this is something that we can build on going into the off season. They did all that we could ask of them all year long.”
“…Eli Blackburn and David Dingess made a couple of plays were they just out fought the defense for the football. Sometimes you just have to go up a make a play, sometimes your quarterback is going to trust you to make a play.”
“… So I’m proud of them tonight because every other game this year after one thing went wrong it kinda snowballed on us and and seemed like everything went wrong after that. They didn’t let that happen tonight. They bounced back pretty quick and made stuff happen. I thought they fought that and they are gonna build on this for next year, getting in the weight room and have good off season. Things will get better around here that’s for sure.”
“…Well, exactly what you said. You know, they battled it out Zach Ramey hadn’t played since his freshman year. He had a pretty bad concussion his freshman year and sat out a couple of years, and then came back out for his senior year. Quistis tore her ACL early in the year. She had battled up to the point. Eli Blackburn has been banged up pretty much all year with a back injury and now an ankle injury as well. you know, he last played banged up. I told all three of the earlier that we are like the Marines, the few, the proud. They all three scraped all year long and they stuck it out. I’m proud of them for that and they can be proud of that as well.”
