It's rare when two legitimate candidates for the Kennedy Award play in the same game.

But that's what took place on Friday night at Stadium Field when Brooke quarterback Cotey Wallace and Parkersburg running back Allan Wasonga found themselves on opposing teams.

When the game finally ended nearly three hours after it started with Brooke rallying for a 43-42 victory, the 5,000 fans who watched the season opener knew they had gotten their money's worth and then some.

This was a shootout like no other.

One team would get the ball and score, then the other would do the same.

Wasonga, making his Parkersburg debut, was even better than advertised. He carried the ball 23 times for 247 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 79, 32 and 6 yards.

He had one run where he literally bounced off so many Brooke defenders, it was like watching a pinball machine.

Yet, in spite of Wasonga's impressive performance, Parkersburg suffered a bitterly disappointing loss to a team it was expected to beat.

Wallace, an unheralded junior, rushed for three touchdowns, gaining 121 yards in 19 carries. But his most impressive statistic was completing 23 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns - both in the final nine minutes -to rally Brooke from a 42-28 deficit.

Brooke head coach Tom Bruney -making his debut with the Bruins -deserves a lot of credit.

Twice, his team gambled by attempting onsides kicks.

Plus, when Wallace threw a 15-yard TD pass to Zach Hartman with 3:18 to play to cut Brooke's deficit to 42-41, Bruney didn't hesitate.

He decided to go for two and Wallace hit Shane Paesano in the end zone for the game-deciding points.

Parkersburg took a lot of positives from this game.

Start with the running of Wasonga. You always hear about how good the newcomer is, but your skeptical until you see for yourself. Anyone who watched Wasonga perform last week likely can't wait until this Friday night to witness it again.

Then there was the performance of Derek Wenzel, who returned yet another kickoff for a touchdown after doing so four times last year. Not bad for a guy who couldn't lift his shoulder above his head when I visited Monday's practice.

Plus, Jeff Lantz was rock-solid on extra points and kickoffs.

But the Big Red defense couldn't stop Brooke and as a result, PHS is 0-1.

Defense, once the hallmark of PHS football, seems to be in short supply. In each of the last 14 games, the Big Reds have surrendered a double-digit amount of points. That's a school record, but not one you want to set.

Still, there should be no panic in the Big Red camp. This is a talented team with a good coaching staff that will do its best to solve its problems.

And it's pretty obvious what the No. 1 problem and priority are for the moment.

Contact Dave Poe at dpoe@newsandsentinel.com