by Charles Casey
CORRESPONDENT
NEW MARTINSVILLE -- The ballyhooed battle of Wetzel County ended up with all the drama of the Battle of New Orleans.
Magnolia, as efficient as Andy Jackson in whipping the British in the War of 1812, rolled to a 41-6 win Friday over Valley Wetzel in the first football meeting between the schools.
Magnolia wasted little time in establishing dominance, capitalizing on five Lumberjack turnovers en route to a commanding 28-0 lead at the break.
Magnolia (4-0), ranked third in Class AA, outgained Valley Wetzel 181-26 in the first half, while its defense set up three of four touchdowns.
Magnolia's first score came as the Blue Eagles drove 30 yards in six plays.
Derek Palmer ran in from 5 yards, his first of three first-half touchdowns.
Derek Cisar made the conversion kick, his first of five, for an 7-0 lead with 8:08 left in the first period.
After a Valley Wetzel punt, the Blue Eagles had their longest scoring march of the first half, traveling 59 yards in nine plays.
Palmer again scored from 5 yards and Cisar's PAT made it 14-0 with 4 minutes left in the first period.
"We just didn't do ourselves any justice at all offensively by giving the ball away like we did," said Valley Wetzel coach Tom West. "We knew they had a tough defense, but our offense kept putting us in such a hole."
Valley Wetzel (3-1), ranked second in Class A, had two more fumbles in the final 3 minutes of the first half.
Those miscues led to 14 more points by Magnolia.
The Blue Eagles drove 20 yards in seven plays, with Cisar sneaking in from the 1, for a 21-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the second period.
The Lumberjacks fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the 18, and Magnolia needed just three plays to score again.
Palmer added his third TD run, from 2 yards, to finish the first-half scoring.
"I thought it was key for us to win the game within the game," said Magnolia coach Dave Cisar, the quarterback's father. "You have to win the line of scrimmage battle if you are going to beat a Valley Wetzel team. You know what they are going to do from the outset of the game, and that's why the line of scrimmage is a key factor to win against them."
Palmer added his fourth touchdown early in the fourth quarter, from 3 yards out, to finish off an impressive evening. The senior finished with 115 yards on 10 carries.
Cisar completed 9 of 15 for 118 yards. Jonathan Ricciardi caught five of those passes for 80 yards.
Jonathan Loy, who led the Lumberjacks with 80 yards on 22 carries, scored Valley Wetzel's only touchdown from 4 yards out midway through the fourth period. Derek Palmer ran in from 5 yards, his first of three first-half touchdowns.
Derek Cisar made the conversion kick, his first of five, for a 7-0 lead with 8:08 left in the first period.
After a Valley Wetzel punt, the Blue Eagles had their longest scoring march of the first half, traveling 59 yards in nine plays.
Palmer again scored from 5 yards and Cisar's PAT made it 14-0 with 4 minutes left in the first period.
"We just didn't do ourselves any justice at all offensively by giving the ball away like we did," said Valley Wetzel coach Tom West. "We knew they had a tough defense, but our offense kept putting us in such a hole."
Valley Wetzel (3-1), ranked second in Class A, had two more fumbles in the final 3 minutes of the first half.
Those miscues led to 14 more points by Magnolia.
The Blue Eagles drove 20 yards in seven plays, with Cisar sneaking in from the 1, for a 21-0 lead with 2:40 remaining in the second period.
"I thought it was key for us to win the game within the game," said Magnolia coach Dave Cisar, the quarterback's father.
"You have to win the line of scrimmage battle if you are going to beat a Valley Wetzel team. You know what they are going to do from the outset of the game, and that's why the line of scrimmage is a key factor to win against them," Cisar said.
Palmer added his fourth touchdown early in the fourth quarter, from 3 yards out, to finish off an impressive evening. The senior finished with 115 yards on 10 carries.