By: Adam Freeman
This week at R.H. Armstrong Memorial Field, Class of 1984 Stadium, a jam-packed Homecoming crowd got their money’s worth. The Tucker County Mt. Lions faced off in a top 10 matchup in Class A, hosting the Pendleton County Wildcats, who came to town with a 3-1 record and their only loss coming to Class AA contender Petersburg.
Pendleton started strong, putting Tucker in an early hole by scoring on their first two possessions, both through the air, to jump out to a 14-0 lead. Tucker finally found a spark as junior Luke Barb electrified the crowd with an 80-yard kickoff return touchdown, putting the Mt. Lions on the board at 6-14 before the end of the first quarter.
Pendleton answered with another score to extend their lead to 20-6, but from there, the Mt. Lions went to work, seeing a standout performance from Cayden “Diz” Arnold. Quarterback Sam Marks began to take control of the game, delivering touchdown passes of 6, 3, and 12 yards, all to Arnold, to send Tucker County into halftime with a 28-20 lead.
Tucker’s defense stepped up in the second half, holding Pendleton scoreless over the final two quarters and forcing two turnovers. The Mt. Lions’ passing game remained dominant, with Marks connecting with Keelyn Eichelberger for a 6-yard touchdown to push the lead to 34-20 entering the fourth quarter.
Tucker would seal the victory on their final drive, as Arnold caught his fourth touchdown of the night, this time on an 18-yard strike from Marks to cap off the scoring at 42-20.
While Pendleton County actually outgained Tucker in total offense (358 yards to 342), the Mt. Lions won the turnover battle, grabbing two interceptions and committing none.
On defense, Reid Kisamore led the way with 6 tackles and 1 interception, while Marks contributed 4 tackles, Arnold added 3, and Eichelberger chipped in 3 tackles and 1 interception.
Offensively, Marks has himself a game, completing 18 of 27 passes for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also rushing 4 times for 30 yards. Arnold posted a career night, hauling in 7 catches for 111 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kisamore added 3 receptions for 82 yards, and Eichelberger recorded 5 catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.
With the win, Tucker County improves to 5-1 on the season. The Mt. Lions will now hit the road to face the Moorefield Yellowjackets this week, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m.
