Logan running back Gabe Workman looks for a running lane during the Wildcats 28-20 loss at top ranked Scott Friday night. (Boothe Davis/Captured by the Moment Photography)
Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
MADISON In a battle of top six Class AA teams, sixth-ranked Logan ran out of plays Friday night.
Trailing by as many as 22 points and trailing by eight in the final minute of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats drove to the Skyhawk 32, but Drew Berry’s pass was intercepted by Scott’s David Fennessy at the Scott 8 and returned to the Scott 34 with 1:01 remaining.
The top ranked Skyhawks ran out the remaining clock and held on for a 28-20 win over the Wildcats Friday night at Scott Field.
The Wildcats trailed 28-6 with 3:30 to play in the third quarter after Preston Cooper’s 3-yard touchdown, his fourth of the evening, but the Wildcats closed the gap to 28-13 on Berry 11-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Slack with 2:50 to play in the quarter.
Logan closed to within eight points, 28-20, on Gabe Workman’s 9-yard touchdown with 7:41 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Logan stopped Scott at the Wildcat 18 and took over with 2:16 to play. The Wildcats potential game tying drive was aided by three Skyhawk penalties resulting in 30 yards.
Scott outgained Logan 442-252 in total, ran 77 plays to Logan’s 45 and ran for 280 yards on the ground in the victory.
Cooper carried the ball 43 times for Scott and rushed for 223 yards and touchdowns of 2, 1, 1 and 3 yards while Matt Frye completed 14 of 24 passes for 162 yards.
Berry, starting in place of starting quarterback Jaxon Cogar, had his first pass intercepted by Scott’s Jayden Sharps. Berry rebounded from that interception to complete 22 of his 34 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Slack hauled in two touchdown receptions and finished with 101 yards on nine receptions while Garrett Williamson caught six passes for 54 yards.
Fennessy, Sharps and Keaton Wheatley had interceptions for the Skyhawks while Logan linebacker Bryce Davis recorded a game-high 21 tackles and forced one fumble for the Wildcats.
Scott, who had lost the last six games in the series, improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Cardinal Conference while Logan fell to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Cardinal Conference.
Scott jumped out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter on a pair of Cooper touchdown runs. Cooper’s first touchdown, a 2-yard run with 5:17 to play in the opening quarter, capped off a 14 play, 63-yard drive that included a pair of fourth down conversions.
Following Sharps interception, the Skyhawks marched 53 yards in 10 plays as Cooper scored from 1 yard out with 1:00 to play.
Logan got on the board with 10:12 remaining before halftime as Slack hauled in a 2-yard reception from Berry to trim the deficit to 14-6.
With Scott driving on its next possession, Davis stripped Cooper of the football at the Logan 6 as a mad scramble for the loose pigskin ensued. The ball would eventually trickle into the end zone where the Wildcats Ryan Roberts was able to recover it for a touchback.
Logan took over at its own 20, but with 4:22 remaining before halftime Berry’s pass was tipped by Dalton Milam and intercepted by Wheatley at the Logan 32 and returned to the Wildcat 29.
Cooper ran in from 1-yard for his third touchdown of the first half with 0:59 remaining to give Scott a 20-6 lead.
Scott will enjoy a bye week before returning to action at home against Poca on Oct. 21.
Logan returns to action Friday night at Liberty (Raleigh). A win by Logan would give the Wildcats six wins and move them one step closer to a return to the postseason for the first time since 2013.
Logan travels to Chapmanville on Oct. 21 and closes the season at home against Herbert Hoover on Nov. 4.
Scott 28, Logan 20
Logan 0 6 7 7- 20
Scott 14 6 8 0- 28
First Quarter
S- Cooper 2 run (Green kick), 5:17
S- Cooper 1 run (Green kick), 1:00
Second Quarter
L- Slack 2 pass from Slack (kick failed), 10:12
S- Cooper 1 run (kick failed), 0:59
Third Quarter
S- Cooper 3 run (Cooper run), 3:30
L- Slack 11 pass from Berry (Slack kick), 2:50
Fourth Quarter
L- Workman 9 run (Slack kick), 7:41
Individual Statistics
RUSHING- Logan: Workman 9-50, Berry 2-(minus 1). Scott: Cooper 43-223, Brinegar 6-55, Frye 4-2, Team 1-(minus 1).
PASSING- Logan: Berry 23-34-3 203. Scott: Frye 14-24-0 162.
RECEIVING- Logan: Slack 9-101, Williamson 6-54, Clancy 4-34, Workman 3-14. Scott: Brinegar 7-65, Clark 3-40, Bush 1-30, Wheatley 1-13, Sharps 1-11, Cooper 1-3.