WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Notre Dame (OH) cornerback Akyee Henderson had two long interception returns for touchdowns to propel the Falcons to a 30-13 victory at West Liberty on Saturday in a mutual season finale at Russek Field.
Henderson opened the scoring with a 43-yard TD runback to give Notre Dame (5-6, 4-5) a 7-0 lead less than five minutes after the opening kickoff but it was the second return by the sophomore defensive back that put the game on ice.
The Hilltoppers (3-8, 3-6) came into the fourth quarter on the short end of a 17-6 tally but had driven into Falcon territory when a receiver broke the wrong way on a pass route and the ball hit a surprised Henderson right between the numbers at his own 36.
He sprinted down the left sideline behind a convoy of blockers and hurdled the last potential West Liberty tackler at the 15 before jogging into the end zone to complete the 64-yard touchdown return. The PAT pushed the lead to 24-6 at13:52 of the fourth quarter.
“It was a frustrating end to a frustrating season,” Hilltopper head coach Roger Waialae said. “Our defense did a good job for us most of the year but never at any time in the season did we play well on offense. It doesn’t matter how good your defense is if your offense gives up 14 points when your defense isn’t even on the field.”
West Liberty answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Lagarde to Dylan Potts, who made a spectacular one-handed grab at the goal line with 6:35 remaining to cut the lead to 24-13 but Notre Dame recovered the onside kick and wrapped up the scoring with a 25-yard TD pass from Ray Russ to Mikhail Morgan with 5:41 to play.
“Once again, we had opportunities but couldn’t take advantage of them due to our own mistakes,” Waialae said. “The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins the majority of football games. We have to get back to being that team.”
Waialae had a one-word answer when asked about the best way to work toward that goal.
“Recruit!” he said. “We have a good nucleus coming back but we need guys who will step up and want the ball at crunch time. We’re not looking to fill a hole here or a hole there. Every position is a priority because I want competition at every position. We’re going to bring guys in who want to compete.”
Lagarde and Tyler Tucci combined to complete 18-of-30 passes for 133 yards and a TD but threw 3 interceptions. West Liberty ran the ball 43 times for 89 yards with Kenjay Trueblood’s 53 yards on 16 carries leading the way. Daree Goodwin had 7 catches for 65 yards to lead the receiving corps.
The WLU defense held to Falcons to just 267 yards of total offense. Workhorse TB Pedro Powell accounted for the bulk of that with 34 carries for 132 yards, including a 33-yard TD burst just before halftime. The visitors completed 15-of-34 passes for 141 yards with one TD and two interceptions. Morgan was the leading receiver with 66 yards on 7 catches.
GAME NOTES
X Bryan Arbes kicked two more field goals to extend his school single-season record to 19. The senior came into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation
X Junior punter Griff Yocum, who missed Saturday’s game due to injury, also set a single-season punting record this season with an average of 41.5 yards per punt
X Notre Dame QB Ray Ruff had at least one touchdown pass in every game this season
X The Falcons’ Powell was edged out for the MEC rushing title by Glenville State’s Rahmann Lee. Powell finished with 1,377 rushing yards to Lee’s 1,407
