Wasonga assumed the feature-back role that was supposed to go to senior Tyler Grant, a fullback-linebacker and all-state candidate who led Point in rushing the past two seasons. Grant suffered a broken ankle in a preseason scrimmage against Hurricane and will miss the entire season.

"I didn't think I'd be able to take Tyler's spot because he's a great back for us,'' Wasonga said. "But I'm doing all right now. We'll see how the season goes. I worked hard in the offseason and the team worked hard.''

The Black Knights flashed more weapons than just Wasonga Thursday, rolling up 595 rushing yards on 45 carries and finishing with 634 net yards. They were over 600 on the ground until the reserves lost yards on the final two possessions.

Wingback Derek Mitchell added 109 yards on seven attempts, and scored on a 21-yard run. Fullback Nathan Roberts had 84 yards on nine carries, including a 40-yard TD burst. JaWaan Williams also scored on an 18-yard run for Point.

But at least for now, the lead role will be played by Wasonga, who moved to Point Pleasant last year from Wahama. He also excels in the classroom with a 3.5 grade-point average.

"I'm fitting in pretty good,'' Wasonga said. "The kids are nice, and the school teachers. The coaches are good. It's working out pretty good right now.''

For Trail, Coty Pierson caught two of Syner's scoring passes on plays of 28 and 13 yards. William Deskins landed a 3-yard TD toss and Dustin Nickell scored on a 15-yard reception.

Pierson had 79 yards on four catches and Nickell 52 yards on six grabs. Nickell left the game in the second half after sustaining an apparent neck/back injury.

Point Pleasant gets its toughest test of the season next Friday when it travels to unbeaten Wayne (4-0), which is tied for third in the Class AA playoff ratings.

Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Allan Wasonga has come a long way. And if he keeps this up, his team could come a long way, too.

Wasonga made a triumphant return to Laidley Field Thursday night, racking up an incredible 387 rushing yards and six touchdowns to lead Point Pleasant to a 64-28 victory over Midland Trail.

A native of Nairobi, Kenya, who moved to the United States in the first grade, the sophomore running back carried just 17 times and scored on runs of 66, 7, 62, 11, 44 and 75 yards. He didn't play a down in the fourth quarter.

"We saw this team on film and they looked tough,'' Wasonga said of Midland Trail. "I didn't know I'd do that good, but the line blocked real good today, so good things happened.''

The intersectional matchup of playoff contenders was scheduled at a neutral site to treat the teams to Laidley's field turf and atmosphere. But it soon turned into a showcase for the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Wasonga.

By halftime, he had carried 10 times for 202 yards and three scores, but the game was actually close, with Point ahead just 31-28. Midland Trail hung around on the arm of senior quarterback Nathaniel Syner, who threw four first-half TD passes.

But Point stepped up its pass rush in the second half, flushing Syner out of the pocket on numerous occasions and disrupting the Patriots' offense. Syner wound up completing 17-of-24 passes for 173 yards, but managed just 46 yards and three first downs after the break.

Meanwhile, Midland Trail (3-2), ranked No. 11th in Class A, never figured out a way to defend the speedy Wasonga. He broke off his final touchdown run from 75 yards despite a personal-foul facemask penalty being called on Patriots lineman Ethan Shrewsbury in the backfield.

It was the second successful visit to the Capital City for Wasonga this year. As a freshman last spring, he ran on Point Pleasant's state championship 4x100-meter relay team at the state track meet and also placed fifth in the 100.

He's now surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season as the Black Knights (3-2) make a run for a postseason spot. Point, 20th in the most recent AA ratings, is unbeaten against West Virginia schools, having dropped a pair of close games to Ohio teams.

Wasonga assumed the feature-back role that was supposed to go to senior Tyler Grant, a fullback-linebacker and all-state candidate who led Point in rushing the past two seasons. Grant suffered a broken ankle in a preseason scrimmage against Hurricane and will miss the entire season.

"I didn't think I'd be able to take Tyler's spot because he's a great back for us,'' Wasonga said. "But I'm doing all right now. We'll see how the season goes. I worked hard in the offseason and the team worked hard.''

The Black Knights flashed more weapons than just Wasonga Thursday, rolling up 595 rushing yards on 45 carries and finishing with 634 net yards. They were over 600 on the ground until the reserves lost yards on the final two possessions.

Wingback Derek Mitchell added 109 yards on seven attempts, and scored on a 21-yard run. Fullback Nathan Roberts had 84 yards on nine carries, including a 40-yard TD burst. JaWaan Williams also scored on an 18-yard run for Point.

But at least for now, the lead role will be played by Wasonga, who moved to Point Pleasant last year from Wahama. He also excels in the classroom with a 3.5 grade-point average.

"I'm fitting in pretty good,'' Wasonga said. "The kids are nice, and the school teachers. The coaches are good. It's working out pretty good right now.''

For Trail, Coty Pierson caught two of Syner's scoring passes on plays of 28 and 13 yards. William Deskins landed a 3-yard TD toss and Dustin Nickell scored on a 15-yard reception.

Pierson had 79 yards on four catches and Nickell 52 yards on six grabs. Nickell left the game in the second half after sustaining an apparent neck/back injury.

Point Pleasant gets its toughest test of the season next Friday when it travels to unbeaten Wayne (4-0), which is tied for third in the Class AA playoff ratings.

Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.