West Liberty’s coaching staff brought the team together and helped steer the ship in the right direction this week with a 24-0 win against Alderson Broaddus. Everything that plagued the Hilltoppers in their 27-6 loss against Walsh last week was a strength this week.

The Hilltoppers goal on Saturday was to send a message to the rest of the Mountain East Conference (MEC) and they did that within the first minute of the game. Isaiah Robinson brought the opening kickoff 58 yards and all the way to the Alderson Broaddus 38-yard line.

The very next play, the redshirt freshman quarterback, Jamie Diven threw a 38-yard touchdown to Wisdom Jenkins. The extra point by Owen Rozanc was good and the Hilltoppers were up 7-0 and only 16 seconds had passed.

The Hilltoppers then flexed their muscles defensively. Alderson Broaddus’s drive started at the 25-yard line. After picking up the first down, the Hilltopper defense suffocated the Rattlers defense. A four-yard rushing loss, a sack resulting in an 11 yard loss and an incomplete pass forced the Rattlers to punt on a drive with a net value of minus one yard.

The first drive of the second quarter saw the Hilltoppers push the score to 14-0. Diven hit Robinson and Jenkins each for 30-yard passes. Then Diven hit Robinson again but this time for a 14-yard touchdown.

The Hilltoppers then got the ball right back as the defense sent the Rattlers offense back to the sidelines on a three and out. TJ Griffin returned the punt 13 yards to the Alderson Broaddus 37-yard line.

The offense, looking to extend the score, took the ball to the Rattlers one yard line before Diven scrambled for the touchdown and pushed the lead to 21-0. The Hilltoppers a week after struggling on offense were now cruising.

The offense once again put points on the board as kicker, Rozanc nailed a 16-yard field goal to extend the lead to 24-0. The defense then took the Hilltoppers home as the final remained 24-0.

The gritty Hilltoppers looked great on both sides of the ball and rebounded nicely after their loss last week. Leading the way in the air was Diven who was 9 for 22 with 167 yards, 2 touchdowns in the air and one rushing touchdown.

The Hilltoppers running game was much improved this week as they rushed for 168 yards. Leading the way was Tyler Moler who had 105 yards and a long of 28 yards.

The receiving corps were led by Jenkins who had 3 receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown. Robinson had two receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Next week, the Hilltoppers will host the number 10 team in division two football in Notre Dame College, Ohio. West Liberty will play at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18 at West Family Stadium. Make sure to come out and support the team!

For more information regarding this game or future games, please visit Hilltopper Sports at hilltoppersports.com.