CHARLESTON - Running back Ryan Switzer ran for 232 yards on just eight carries, scored six touchdowns in a variety of ways and threw for a seventh score as George Washington completed the regular season with a 54-17 victory over Parkersburg High at Laidley Field Saturday afternoon
The win locked up the No. 3 seed for the Patriots (8-2) in the Class AAA playoffs, while the Big Reds finished at 4-6.
Switzer scored on runs of 51, 43, 63 and 43 yards, returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown, caught a 5-yard TD toss from Trevor Bell and threw a 3-yard scoring pass to Jordan Clay.
Article Photos
Photo courtesy of Lawrence Pierce
George Washington's Zack Malone drages down Parkersburg's Cameron McCoy in the second quarter Saturday. The Big Reds lost, 54-17.
It was reminiscent of last year's game with Parkersburg, a 56-12 GW victory in which Switzer ran for six TDs - most from long distance - and tacked on a seventh via a punt return.
"We talked all week about that,'' said Big Reds coach Don Reeves. "That's been our downfall all year, giving up big plays. I was proud of our kids coming out and playing hard in the first quarter. We controlled the line of scrimmage, I thought, and that's what we wanted to do. But we couldn't turn around and let them score a minute, minute and a half later. We can't keep score with them.''
Deep into the second quarter, go-for-broke Parkersburg (4-6) looked like it was willing to make a game of it, controlling the clock with the powerful bursts of running back Adam Lindamood, who finished with a career-high 49 carries for 240 yards and two TDs.
Fact Box
George Washington 54,
Parkersburg 17
Parkersburg (4-6) 7 0 3 7 - 17
George Washington (8-2) 6 28 14 6 - 54
GW: Ryan Switzer 51 run (kick failed)
P: Adam Lindamood 1 run (Codey Roney kick)
GW: Switzer 43 run (kick failed)
GW: Switzer 90 interception return (Zach Malone run)
GW: Switzer 63 run (Reed Deer kick)
GW: Malone 59 interception return (Deer kick)
P: FG Roney 43
GW: Switzer 43 run (Deer kick)
GW: Jordan Clay 3 pass from Switzer (Deer kick)
GW: Switzer 5 pass from Trever Bell (kick blocked)
P: Lindamood 4 run (Roney kick)
Team statistics
First downs: PHS 19, GW 9. Rushes-yards: PHS 64-271, GW 18-232. Passing yards: PHS 21, GW 108. Total yards: PHS 292, GW 340. Passing: PHS 2-11-3, GW 5-8-0. Fumbles-lost: PHS 3-1, GW 3-1. Penalties-yards: PHS 3-28, GW 3-38. Punts-average: PHS 2-43.5, GW 2-36.5.
Individual leaders
RUSHING: Parkersburg: Adam Lindamood 49-239; Aaron Roberts 15-30. George Washington: Ryan Switzer 8-235.
PASSING: Parkersburg: Aaron Roberts 2-11-3, 22 yards. George Washington: Trever Bell 4-7-0, 104 yards; Ryan Switzer 1-1-0, 3 yards.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg: Cameron McCoy 2-22. George Washington: Trevon Johnson 2-49; Jacob Jackson 1-50, Ryan Switzer 1-5; Jordan Clay 1-3.
The Big Reds opened the game with an onside kick (that GW's Jacob Whitlock recovered) and on their first possession, went for it - and made it - on fourth-and-1 at their own 29.
But with GW ahead 12-7, the Big Reds drove to to the Patriots' 34-yard line, only to see Switzer pick off a pass at his own 10 and weave his way back downfield for a touchdown to help make it 20-7 with 4:30 left before halftime.
Then after Switzer ripped off a 63-yard scoring run, Lindamood returned the ensuing kickoff to his own 43 and Parkersburg made it to the GW 39 in the final minute. But Patriots linebacker Zach Malone put a stop to that, picking off a screen pass and returning it 59 yards for a TD with 40 seconds left before halftime to make it 34-7.
The final stats belied the game's outcome. Parkersburg led in first downs 19-9 and ran 75 scrimmage plays to GW's 26. It's just that six of GW's plays covered a total of 280 yards - Switzer's four TD runs and two Bell completions of 50 yards each.
The game also marked the end of an era for Parkersburg's running Lindamood family, as senior Adam Lindamood completed his career following older brothers and fellow 1,000-yard PHS rushers Joey and Matt.
"We knew we had to control the game by running the ball,'' Reeves said. "Our problem right now is throwing the ball. We gave it to Adam 40 times last time, and [49] more today. I'm proud of him. The bad part about it: he's the last of the Lindamoods.''
