Jacob Rine is a big dude.
Think not?
Then you didn’t see how immensely huge he was Saturday night on Wheeling Island, playing like the star he was destined to be in leading Wheeling Central to its third straight West Virginia Class A championship, this time a 38-21 decision over previously unbeaten Doddridge.
It was the 11th state championship for Central since 2000, and 12th overall. That incredible run of success has spawned so many epic storylines of kids and coaches overcoming adversity and bonding together as one, season after season, year after year.
But the story of Jacob Rine and his game for the ages Saturday is kinda unbelievable, yet also so predictable.
The son of a coach, Rine grew up with Central football. He started going to their practices at age 5 and never went away. You think he knows everybody’s assignments? You think he knows how to break down film? You think they talk a little football at the Rine dinner table?
But Jacob Rine wasn’t supposed to be the quarterback. That job belonged to Curtis McGhee, the dazzling focus of the team’s offense and a Brown University recruit. McGhee was the star QB on the last two state title teams, and early this season was fashioning a bid to break into the Kennedy Award debate as the state’s top player.
Then he injured his knee. Rine, who was playing receiver and defensive back, was the next man up. “Game manager” and “don’t do anything to hurt us” are awful labels to pin on a quarterback, but that was Jacob Rine’s reality at the time. Good thing he’s big enough to carry such a burden.
“Curtis is one of the best players to ever go through Central,” Rine said of his good friend. “I’m really lucky to have such great teammates. These guys, whenever Curtis went down, they had me from the start. They had my back and made sure I was ready to go. They showed they had the confidence in me.”
Against Doddridge, Rine unleashed hell, going 13-for-18 for 214 yards and four touchdowns. He also scrambled for 83 yards and added a 25-yard field goal for good measure.
His first TD strike came while on the move and ended with a circus catch in the corner of the end zone by Payton Marling, himself enjoying a marvelous game. His second was probably the most important, as Central moved 49 yards in just two minutes to close the half with a TD to make it 21-7.
Rine found the mark on a back-foot flip to Adam Murray, and it was made all the more impressive as the QB was about to get crushed by 6-6, 260-pound Connor Cunningham. One big guy taking on another. Fair enough.
Rine’s final two TD passes — both in the second half — went to old friend Jalen Craighton. That’s the same combo that connected two weeks ago in an improbable, last-minute, 13-12 nod over Tolsia.
But perhaps his defining play came midway through the second quarter when, flushed from the pocket, Rine took off down the right sideline for a big gainer. The QB must’ve forgotten his QB’ness somewhere along that jaunt, because instead of slipping out of bounds like he’s supposed to, Rine lowered his shoulder and delivered the blow against a stunned safety. The DB learned unequivocally that Jacob Rine is indeed a very big dude.
“It says so much for the guts and grit of the young man,” said a proud Head Coach Mike Young after the game. “This kid is the heart and soul of our team and he has been for the last 7-8 games.”
The Super Six game program lists Jacob Rine as 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds. Must be a misprint.
*****
The championship was the eighth under Coach Young, who has yet to lose in the Super Six. Young and his staff had a picture-perfect game plan, both offensively and defensively. This team was well coached, folks.
On offense, Central was remarkably diverse and emptied the playbook with dive plays, counters, shovel passes, deep throws, and even unveiled a muddle huddle formation in the second quarter. Every skill player got to handle the ball and strut his stuff. The O-line was particularly good: tackles Spencer Helms and Hayden Manns, guards Michael Horan and Andrew Burkle, and center Kyle Brown. By the time the Maroon Knights had scored their last TD, they had 212 yards passing and 216 rushing.
Defensively, the team was bent on shutting down Doddridge star RB Hunter America. The Bulldogs certainly weren’t going to be accused of using their all-stater as a decoy, that’s for sure. They forced the ball to their 5-9, 190-pound speedster on their first eight offensive plays, and on all but two plays in the first quarter. Unbeaten in their last two regular seasons but stopped cold by Central both times in the playoffs, Doddridge was determined to Make America Great Again. He was impressive, of course, even throwing a touchdown pass on a gadget play.
But Central had all the answers on this night, stacking the box and inviting the Bulldogs to throw. But the ‘Dogs didn’t have Jacob Rine, and Wheeling Central did. And that was big.
