Football | 11/2/2016 8:03:00 AM

The West Liberty University football team will be heading to Glenville on Thursday night for the final road game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. under the lights at Morris Stadium.
Coach Roger Waialae and his Hilltoppers (3-6, 3-5) would like nothing better than to take out their frustrations on the resurgent Pioneers (5-4, 5-3), who have rebounded from a four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins.
The hard-luck season continued for West Liberty a week ago as the Hilltoppers battled unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Shepherd to the wire, leading the Rams late in the third quarter before coming up short at the end by a 38-27 tally.
Despite the loss, West Liberty controlled the game for long stretches. A patient and productive Hilltopper offense racked up 25 first downs and reeled off a season-high 94 plays while the WLU defense held the Rams to a season-low 65 rushing yards.
"Obviously, the bottom line is we didn't win the game but I don't think our record is in any way indicative of what kind of team we are," Waialae said. "We went toe-to-toe with the No. 3 team in the country – a team with a chance to win a national championship – and I have to think they felt lucky to get out of here with a win."
With half of its six losses coming by one-point margins and two others – including last week's heartbreaker – not decided until the final two minutes, West Liberty will be trying to change the narrative and put together a strong finish over the final two weeks of a disappointing season.
The Hilltoppers face a challenge in Glenville on Thursday as the Pioneers are coming off a 19-8 throttling of Concord in which the Glenville offense racked up nearly 200 rushing yards in the second half alone while the GSC defense didn't allow the Mountain Lions past midfield until the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.
The three Glenville tailbacks – Dom Gibson, Eric Kyle and Thomas Boles – are all averaging better than 5 yards a carry this season while junior QB Dante Roberts has completed more than 60 percent of his passes for 2,138 yards and 20 TDs with just 7 interceptions.
The Pioneer secondary ranks among the NCAA Division II leaders with 15 interceptions – eight Glenville players have at least one pick this year – and special teams is also a strength. PK Chandler Carrera is the reigning MEC Special Teams Player of the Week while Giles Guy-Williams and Dionne Jackson each have a punt return TD under their belts.
West Liberty's front line, led by All-MEC standout DT Darnell Vickers, has been the strength of an outstanding WLU defense all season. Leading tackler LB Cliff Clark and pass-rushing DE Mohammed Sankoh are questionable after being banged up in the Shepherd game but the tank is far from empty with senior DE Zach Barnes leading the nation with 5 fumble recoveries and freshman FS Logan Deri No. 2 in the MEC with 5 interceptions.
Senior QB Dakota Conwell continues to lead the Hilltopper offense. Conwell ran for 55 yards while passing for 226 more and a pair of scores against the Rams last week, surpassing the 6,000-yard passing career milestone, and now stands alone as No. 2 all-time at WLU in total offense yards (7,601) and touchdown passes (62).
Senior WR Dan Monteroso pulled in two more TD passes against Shepherd and ranks among the MEC leaders with 46 catches for 737 yards and 10 TDs. Monteroso has also emerged as one of the MEC's more accurate punters, averaging 36.2 yards per punt with 15 of his 46 kicks pinning the opponent inside their 20 with only two going for touchbacks.
The Hilltoppers will close out the regular season at home on Nov. 12 against West Virginia State. Kickoff for the Senior Day game is set for noon at West Family Stadium.
"I thought we rose to the challenge and pretty much controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball against Shepherd last week," Waialae said. "I was really disappointed for our kids that they weren't rewarded with a win but we need to take that same passion and intensity with us when we get on the bus to Glenville."