By Branden Wilt
bwilt@newstribune.info
tribune sports editor

With no visiting bleachers at Mylan Stadium in Morgantown the Warriors looked all alone, and Keyser didn’t exactly do much to make them feel at home.
Keyser overwhelmed an overmatched Wyoming East squad last night 47 - 0 to advance to the second round of the West Virginia AA State Football Playoffs next week.
Senior defensive back Jeremy Green picked off a pair of Thadd Grogg passes and added 148 combined yards (106 via the rush and 42 the pass) of offensive output to combine with his all-around great return game to lead the Golden Tornado.
Green got it all started when he picked off Grogg on Wyoming’s initial set of downs and following a 38-yard return, put Keyser in business at the Wyoming 25.
Green led off the initial drive with a two-yard pickup, and following a Matt Wilmer touch appeared to score on a 12-yard sweep.
However, a hold brought the football back momentarily to the 18, and Hartman was forced to scramble as the drive began to stall.
Green did it again though, this time making a great grab on the run and hauling in Hartman’s offering for a 14-yard score the first of his three TD’s on the evening.
Scott Kittrell tacked on the PAT, and with less than three minutes gone Keyser led 7-0.
Wyoming was able to take advantage of a Keyser penalty and a few passes to move deep into Keyser territory on the ensuing possession, but Keyser’s defense would stiffen and Green set up a second score with a 50-yard return.
This time working from the Wyoming 30, Keyser needed just three plays to make it 13-0 as Hartman hit who else – Green – streaking down the sideline for a 28-yard touchdown pass.
Keyser’s defense forced its’ third turnover of the game when senior linebacker Taige Redman hit Rob Harley after he took in a sqib kick, and the Golden Tornado recovered at the Warrior 27 yard line.
Keyser couldn’t capitalize, but neither could Wyoming even with the advantage of a questionable pass interference call that put them in Keyser territory.
The call seemed to give the Tornado a tailwind, as Keyser turned it on at that point.
Scott Kittrell came back on first down and ran for the play of his career, stumblin’ and rumblin’ with everyone wonderin’ just where his “speed” came from as he chewed up no less than 59 yards in what seemed like 59 seconds of slow motion to score.
Kitrell wasn’t tired though, and added the point after to make it 20-0 with 11:42 left in the first half.
Green picked off another Grogg pass in the half, and set up Keyser’s final score before the intermission.
Keyser needed just one play again, this time coming from Matt Wilmer.
Wilmer weaved 51 yards for another big play, and with the PAT left Keyser on top 27-0 at the half.
Wilmer did it again on Keyser’s initial play out of the locker room, racing 54 yards this time to put Keyser on top by 34.
Green did him one better with 6:24 left to play in the third, as he raced no less than 90-yards needing just one touch as the contest clearly was becoming more of a track meet than a football game.
And Wyoming was somewhere participating in field events.
Things were not going were well there either, as Joey Amtower recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and now down 40, Wyoming watched Keyser take over at the Warrior 27 yard line.
Matt Wilmer went 32 yards just minutes later for a score, but a penalty killed that effort.
Jarell Ross picked off another Grogg pass and returned it to the Wyoming 44, but a penalty brought the ball all the way back to the Golden Tornado 10.
It took a few plays this time to put it in the end zone, as Wilmer raced 30 stripes to the 40 yard line, and Brown picked up seven more markers a play later as the third period expired.
After the team’s traded ends, Cody Evans picked up four yards as Keyser continued to substitute in the fourth, and David Echartea followed him with a two-yard try that framed up Chris Browns 43-yard barreling touchdown trot to make it 46-0.
Kittrell added the point after, leaving Wyoming looking up 47-0 with 10:26 to play.
That score stood still, but Wyoming had watch Wimer amass 174 yards on no more than nine carries to lead a Keyser ground game that outgained the Warriors 481 to –26 in rushing.
The only offensive that Wyoming East could muster was Grogg’s 131 yards on 10-of-22 passing to put them on the positive side. Bishop caught four of those balls for 79 stripes.
Hartman was 3-of-nine for Keyser for 53 yards, while Kitrell and Brown rounded out Keyser’s attack with 67 and 62 yards each on three and seven carries respectively.
Keyser will play Magnolia next week in round two.
It took a late comeback by Magnolia as the eight-nine seed matchup held true to the chalk
And they defeated Point Pleasant in a squeaker, 21-20.
The date and time will be determined.