Parkersburg, W. Va. – What looked to be a lopsided win for the Wheeling University Football team (6-4, 5-2) turned into a nail bitter, coming down to the final two seconds of play. The Cardinals would call on Conor Fitzpatrick, and he sailed the game-winning field goal from 23 yards out through the goal posts to give Wheeling a 35-38 win. It held off a strong comeback attempt for the Pioneers and kept Wheeling in the conversation for the 2025 NCAA DII Football playoffs.
After being down 28-0 to start the game, Glenville State came roaring back and with 32 seconds left on the clock, they tied the game at 35-35. The Pioneer's Anthony Garrett connected with Tariq Miller for a 13-yard score and the Cardinals were set to get the ball back. It would start with a strong kick return from Nasir Rhem that got the Cardinals down to the 46 yard line. On the first play to start the drive, Ade Olanegan would connect with Jordan Kaiser on a 42-yard strike down the middle of the field that got them down to the Pioneer's 12-yard line. They would get down to the Glenville State six-yard line and with 2.5 seconds left on the clock they would call on Conor Fitzpatrick. He would set up from 16 yards and split the uprights for the game-winning field goal that gave Wheeling a 38-35 win.
At the beginning of the game, it didn't look like the Cardinals would be thinking about late game heroics. They would score on their opening drive of the game as Landon Lutz drove the offense 48 yards in seven plays, capping the drive with a 20-yard touchdown strike to tight-end Alex Godavitarne. The Cardinal defense played strong throughout the quarter, not allowing the Pioneers to get over midfield, and got their lone turnover of the day when Leonard Sherrod III picked off a pass and set the Cardinals up at the Pioneer's 10-yard line. The Cardinals were unable to get points off the turnover, but as the quarter ended, Wheeling was driving on the Pioneer's 43-yard line with a 7-0 lead. They would continue the drive into the second quarter and Olanegan came in to take the offense to the Pioneer's eight-yard line.
The Cardinals would go to the ground game to cap off the drive as Dawaun Green plunged the final eight yards into the endzone for the Wheeling touchdown. Fitzpatrick would send through the extra point and the Cardinals were staked to a 14-0 lead with 13:06 to go before the half. After the defense was able to force a three-and-out, The Cardinal offense was right back at it after a Rhen punt return put the ball at the Pioneer 40-yard line. Olanegan would take over with three short passes on the ensuing drive, and he would cap things off with his first touchdown of the day, a two-yard strike to Godavitarne, and the Cardinals pushed their advantage to 21-0. The Cardinal defense continued their string of three-and-outs and the Wheeling offense was back on the field. Olanegan would come through again, this time hitting Colin Oberdick on a 10-yard strike and Wheeling built their advantage to 28-0 with 6:04 to go before the half.
Genville State would get on the board with 3:03 to go in the half, as Anthony Garrett found Landon Frey on a two-yard strike that made it a 28-7 game. That would be the final score of the half, and the Cardinals would hold their biggest halftime lead of the season. Glenville State would carry that momentum into the second half, scoring on their first drive of the new half, with Garrett once again finding the endzone on a 14-yard strike to Jeremiah King and the Wheeling lead was cut in half at 28-14. As the fourth quarter started, Glenville state would get their third touchdown of the day, as Garrett found Tariq Miller for a three-yard catch and the score sat at 28-21.
Wheeling would get a spark on the ensuing kick-off as the kick went short to Will James on the front line. James would take the ball 45 yards to the endzone and got the Cardinals a key touchdown. Fitzpatrick would send through the extra point and Wheeling would once again hold a two-score lead at 35-21. Glenville State would get in the endzone two more times, to tie the game at 35-35, before the late-game heroics put the game away.
Leading the way for the Cardinals was Ade Olanegan, who finished 12-22, throwing for 176 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The top target on the day was Jordan Kaiser, who finished with four catches for 70 yards, while Alex Godavitarne pulled in two catches with both resulting in touchdowns. Dawaun Green would lead the ground game, carrying the ball 13 times for 92 yards and a touchdown on the day. Leading the defensive effort was Jefferson Bretanys-Desca, who finished with 12 total tackles, five solo and seven assisted. Leonard Sherrod III set a new career high with 10 takes, eight solo and two assisted, while finishing with an interception on the day.
The Wheeling University Football team returns to action on Saturday, November 15th, when they travel to West Liberty with kick-off at noon.
