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By ANDREW GRIMM
For The Intelligencer
MADISON, W.Va. -- The rest of the state Is certainly paying attention to Weir High now -- they have no choice because the Red Riders are in the final four.
Malachi Stromile fired a strike over the middle to fellow senior Corey Lyons for the game-winning score with 33 seconds to go in the fourth quarter to propel No. 5 Weir to the Class AA state semifinals with a thrilling 35-33 victory on the road over No. 4 Scott on Saturday.
"They're all finding out. We didn't get a whole lot of attention coming off a playoff season last year, we didn't get a whole lot of attention (in other parts of the state) because we're in the panhandle and kind of an afterthought down here ... they're finding out how big the heart of this team and this coaching staff is and the hard work that's been put in." said Weir High head coach Frank Sisinni, whose team defeated a top-5 ranked team for the third time this season. "We're one step away from playing for a state championship and that's because of the hard work of these players and this coaching staff."
The late heroics capped both a roller coaster of emotions late in the contest that saw both sides look to be in position to win and a huge second half by the now 11-1 Red Riders, who fell behind 14-0 early and trailed at the half.
"It was amazing to watch the effort and how they never gave up," Sisinni said. "We made a lot of mistakes in the first half, but we didn't quit. …
"We played for each other. We said at halftime we didn't want to have to say goodbye to each other. They came out (in the second half) and played their hearts out for each other. Big players make big plays in big games. It was the same guys it's been all season with the offensive line leading the way."
Leading 28-26 with under six minutes to play, Stromile was picked off for a third time in the game, the Skyhawks (10-2) ultimately turning the turnover into a go-ahead score with 2:29 to go after they converted a fourth-and-9 that kept them alive.
Stromile, though, showed his resilience with the game -- and Weir's season -- on the line. Prior to firing the winning pass to Lyons, he broke tackles in the backfield and found room on a scramble, breaking free for 31 yards to set the Red Riders up in the red zone.
"Nothing fazes him, it's amazing," Sisinni said. "Corey is the same way. This whole group, I've seen it since Day 1 of taking over the program.
"He did a real good job of tucking the ball and taking off with it in that situation, We've seen that from him all year.
"Bigger than his athletic ability is his heart and determination. It's that way with this whole team."
He finished with 286 passing yards and three touchdowns in the game, firing scoring tosses of 85 and 74 yards. He also ran for 72, almost all of which came in the second half.
"I knew after I threw that interception that we just had to stay together as a family, work it down the field and do our thing," Stromile said. "We had a terrible first half, we promised our coaches (at halftime) that we'd come out and do better."
Lyons, for his part, played an integral role in the drive on the ground as well. After being bottled up for most of the day, he rushed for 32 of his 56 yards on the final drive, including a pair of 11-yarders on option tosses from Stromile that gained key first downs.
Weir started the game without leading receiving Colin "G" Cross and lost Jacob Taylor for the day on the opening kickoff, but Devan Colson stepped up with the best game of his season with 178 yards and a score on six grabs.
After being held to seven rushing yards in the first half, Weir racked up 135 in the final two quarters after switching to more options and pitches after the break.
The Red Riders tied the game at 14-14 with a 10-play march capped by a Stromile 6-yard run on the opening drive of the second half.
After Scott answered to re-take the lead, but missed the extra point, Lyons capped an eight-play drive on the next Red Rider possession with a 1-yard plunge to give the Red Riders their first lead, 21-20, which was the score going to the fourth quarter.
After Scott answered again, but did not convert on a try for two, Stromile and Colson connected on an 84-yard catch-and-run to give the Red Riders a 28-26 lead with 7:50 to go.
The Red Rider defense made a big stand forcing a three-and-out and the only punt of the game by the Skyhawks, but the interception got the hosts the ball back to set up the wild finish.
Scott QB Matt Frye, who is under consideration for the Kennedy Award and finished with nearly 3,000 yards on the season, threw for 104 yards in the first quarter as the Skyhawks opened a 14-0 lead, but was held to just another 112 over the final three quarters to finish with 216 going 21 of 37. He also ran for another 79 and a score.
The Red Riders turnaround started with a 74-yard Damir Mowder catch-and-run to cut the deficit in half late in the second quarter, Mowder then picked off a Frye pass in the final minute of the first half to allow Weir to get to the locker room down seven.
Weir will travel to face No. 1 seed North Marion in the Class AA semifinals with a trip to Wheeling Island Stadium on the line. The Huskies topped No. 9 Herbert Hoover 35-17 at home on Saturday night.
"We thought (coming into the season) we would have a chance to do something special with this group and that's a credit to these seniors and what they've done," Sisinni said. "We're not finished. We're not done yet. We're happy with fight and ecstatic to be moving on, but we're not done yet."
Class A Quarterfinals
No. 1 James Monroe 17, No. 8 Cameron 0
The top-seeded James Monroe Mavericks shut out the visiting Cameron Dragons on Saturday, ending the season for a Dragons teams which went 9-1 in the regular season and blew out No. 9 Man 40-8 in the first round of the Class A WVSSAC playoffs.
The game remained scoreless after the first half with turnovers and stout defense keeping both teams off the board.
In the third quarter, faced with a fourth-and-16, James Monroe took the lead on a trick-play touchdown, the only offensive touchdown the Mavericks would score Saturday.
They would turn an interception into a field goal and come away with a 70-yard pick-six to bring their total to 17, while the James Monroe defense never relented in keeping the Dragons offense down.
James Monroe will host No. 4 seed Greenbrier West in the semifinals next week.