Buckhannon, WV -- Regardless of outcome, it has to be said that this was the best game that West Virginia Wesleyan Football has played in 2019. As Saturday wore into the late afternoon, it was clear to everyone in Cebe Ross Field that they were enjoying a game that was leading towards an exciting finish. And that is precisely what everyone in attendance received, as the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets marched down the field in the final minute and capped off the game 39-36. The result spoils what was a fantastic performance by Wesleyan's Junior QB Jarrett Northrop. By far his best game in a Bobcats uniform, he lead two late fourth-quarter drives down the field that finished in the endzone, only to be matched by the offense on the other side. 

The game started how it was predicted, West Virginia State jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and hoped to bury Wesleyan early. The Bobcats, however, roared back with a touchdown on a connection between Northrop and Freshman WR Chelo Teneval with two minutes left in the first half. The ensuing two-point conversion was successful, and they found themselves with some momentum.  Following that touchdown, the defense made a quick stop to get their offense the ball back, and Northrop delivered a touch pass down the left sideline that hit Junior WR Kenny Lewis Jr in stride for a 42-yard touchdown right before the halftime whistle. Wesleyan lead at the break 15-14, and went into the second half with the lead and possession of the opening second half kickoff.

After a dry first seven minutes of the second half, a routine West Virginia State punt turned into a disaster for the visitors. Sophomore Dana Young bolted off the line, blocked the punt, and scooped up the loose ball and took it to the house. The Bobcats lead grew to 22-14, and the home crowd was fully into the action. The next two scores came from the Yellow Jackets, and down 25-22 with four minutes to play, the Bobcats needed someone on offense to step up. Luckily the entire group was up to the task, and the manufactured drive was capped off with another left-sideline deep touchdown pass to Kenny Lewis Jr, this one for 32 yards. WVSU answered with a quick touchdown pass, and once again Wesleyan was trailing late and needed a big play. With one minute remaining, down four, and four plays into the drive, a short second down pass to Junior RB Lawrence Brown quickly turned into one of the best plays all season from the Wesleyan offense. Brown found some open running space, and proceeded to shed over four tacklers on his determined run to the endzone. Cebe Ross Field was rocking, and the Bobcats look like they were about to steal a win from the third place Yellow Jackets, in a matchup where they were overwhelming underdogs. 

With under a minute remaining, needing a touchdown to win, West Virginia State somehow looked calm. Possibly because they are lead by one of the most experienced signal-callers in the Mountain East Conference in QB Austin Hensley, and the fact that they have been competing in tight games all season long. The Yellow Jackets have played in five games this season that were decided by four or points or less, and they have won four of them. Saturday was no different, and the connection between Hensley and Senior WR Isiah Scott reared its ugly head again, when they linked up for the second time on a go-ahead touchdown. This one, coming with ten seconds remaining, was the knock-out punch that ended the day for home team.

One of the best performances by a Wesleyan Football team in recent memory, this was a valiant effort by the Bobcats. Coming in as big underdogs, the 'Cats rose to the challenge and took a possible postseason team to the final whistle. Bobcats fans have to be excited about what they saw from the offense on Saturday, especially the connection between Jarrett Northrop and Kenny Lewis Jr. If Wesleyan can come out with this level of execution and determination against Concord next weekend, they will start to see their program-building efforts turn into victories. The Mountain East Conference is a tough league, with a quality opponent waiting almost every weekend, and performances like this prove that the Bobcats belong and will come to play spoiler the rest of the season. 

Northrop's totals on Saturday notched career highs across the board. He completed a career high 24 passes on 45 attempts, gained a career high 376 yards through the air, and tossed one to the endzone a career high four times. Kenny Lewis Jr also got into the endzone twice for the first time in his career, and Lawrence Brown had the most impressive play of the game to give the Bobcats the late lead, dragging defenders along with him.

Austin Hensley's 382 yards were his third most this season for the Yellow Jackets. Isiah Scott has been their leading receiver this season, and he tallied a season-high seven catches, and it was the third time in 2019 that Scott reeled in two touchdowns.

Wesleyan will look to build off this performance in Athens next weekend, as they take on an 0-8 Concord team. A second win this season will be an improvement upon 2018, and it will be another sign that Coach Testa is building the program in the right direction. More notes on this upcoming matchup will be published next week.

West Virginia State has postseason hopes, and they will get a shot at rival Charleston next Saturday. The two schools share a city, and they will share the field in what should be a great game starting at 11 AM on Channel 13 WOWK.