WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – West Liberty scored two touchdowns in the final 4:21 here Saturday but couldn't recover an onside kick with under a minute to play and Bloomsburg (Pa.) held on for a 34-31 win on Senior Day at West Family Stadium.
    Junior QB Zach Phillips passed for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns while running for another score and senior WR Shane Phillips had a career-high 109 receiving yards as Coach Roger Waialae's Hilltoppers (3-7) threw a scare into the Huskies (6-4), a perennial PSAC East power who clinched their 20th consecutive winning season.
    "We lost our heads at times and it cost us some opportunities to get off the field," Waialae said. "That's out of character for us but the fact that they're a very physical football team and this was such a physical game on both sides of the ball that probably played into that.
    "It wasn't just one play or one penalty that lost the game for us. It was a combination of all those things. I've never been into moral victories but that is one of the better PSAC programs we played today and I'm proud of my guys for the way they battled through the adversity and fought all the way to the end."
    Untimely penalties and a crucial turnover turned a one-possession game into a 17-point deficit for the Black and Gold early in the fourth quarter.
    Trailing just 24-17 after Owen Rozanc drilled a career-long 46-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, the Hilltoppers appeared to have recovered a muffed punt at the Bloomsburg 13 only to be flagged for kick catch interference.
    The WLU defense then forced a 3-and-out, leaving the Huskies with 4th-and-2 from their own 36, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Hilltoppers gave the visitors a first down at the West Liberty 49. That set the stage for a Bloomsburg field goal and a 27-17 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.
    The Hilltoppers were pinned back at their own 13 following the kickoff and Huskie DB Dexter Jordan pushed the count to 34-17 with an interception and 17-yard TD return.
    West Liberty failed to move on its next possession but after the visitors misfired on a 37-yard field goal try with 7:29 remaining, the WLU offense began to roll.
    Zach Phillips capped a 9-play, 77-yard drive with a 19-yard TD pass to senior WR Osman Kargbo, trimming the deficit to 34-24 with 4:21 to play.
    The ground-oriented Huskies feature a trio of backs with multiple 100-yard rushing games on their resumes but the West Liberty defense came up big with another 3-and-out, forcing Bloomsburg to punt the ball away with 2:25 remaining.
    "They were definitely the most physical offensive line we've played all season," junior DT Cody Rine said. "I thought we matched up pretty well with them, though. The coaches gave us a great game plan, one of the best we've had all season. If we could have eliminated the big plays, I think we would have come away with a win."
    The Hilltopper offense needed less than a minute to roll 80 yards in 9 plays for another score. This one came on a 34-yard bomb from Zach Phillips to Shane Phillips, who high-pointed the ball above two defenders inside the 5 and stretched across the goal line for the score with just 50 seconds remaining.
    The 6-5 wideout's second TD reception of the day kept West Liberty's comeback hopes alive.
    "I've always believed I had the ability and knew coming into today's game that this would be a great opportunity," Phillips said. "I know our record says 3-7 but we're a better football team than that. We've been in a lot of close games but we always fight to the end."
    The Hilltoppers tried an onside kick but Bloomsburg recovered and ran out the clock.
    The Huskies had nearly a 10-minute edge in time of possession but total offense was virtually even. Bloomsburg finished with 379 yards to 364 for the hosts. West Liberty was flagged 10 times for 128 yards while Bloomsburg had 4 penalties for 56, ending WLU's 12-game streak of fewer penalty yards than their opponent.
    Zach Phillips completed 24-of-40 passes for 261 yards and 3 TDs while rushing for 28 more yards and another score. Shane Phillips had 6 catches for 109 yards and 2 TDs. Senior TB Charles Westbrook ran for 69 yards on 15 carries.
    West Liberty wraps up the season at home on Thursday night when the Hilltoppers host Fairmont State in the MEC Game of the Week. Kickoff is set for 7:10 p.m. at West Family Stadium.
    Bloomsburg                          10  7    7  10 – 34
West Liberty                            0  7  10  14 – 31      BU: FG Shollenberger 27, 5:29
     BU: Allen 10 pass from Benjamin (Shollenberger kick), :45      WLU: Z.Phillips 5 run (Rozanc kick), 9:39
     BU: Gooden 16 run (Shollenberger kick), 2:03      WLU: S.Phillips 11 pass from Z.Phillips (Rozanc kick), 14:48
     BU: Gooden 52 pass from Benjamin (Shollenberger kick), 11:59
     WLU: FG Rozanc 46, 7:03      BU: FG Shollenberger 37, 14:52
     BU: Jordan 17 interception return (Shollenberger kick), 13:41
     WLU: Kargbo 19 pass from Z.Phillips (Rozanc kick), 4:21
     WLU: S.Phillips 34 pass from Z.Phillips (Rozanc kick), :50
A: 1,804      RUSHING: Bloomsburg 46-221, Gooden 16-99; Sillman 15-84; Quiteh 5-36; Benjamin 6-9; Jack Gaugler 1-(-1); TEAM 3-(-6). West Liberty 30-103, Westbrook 15-69; Z.Phillips 14-28; Lykes 1-6.
     PASSING: Bloomsburg 11-21-158-2td-0x (all by Benjamin). West Liberty 24-40-261-3td-2x (all by Z.Phillips)
     RECEIVING: Bloomsburg 11-158, Allen 5-49; Sillman 3-32; Gooden 1-52; Popson 1-21; Vitti 1-4. West Liberty 24-261, S.Phillips 6-109; Durbin 6-44; McLean 4-63; Kargbo 3-34; Westbrook 2-3; Lykes 1-4; Rita 1-3; N.Phillips 1-1.
     First downs: Bloomsburg 22, West Liberty 23
     Fumbles: Bloomsburg 3-2, West Liberty 0-0
     Penalties: Bloomsburg 5-66, West Liberty 10-128
     Time of Possession: Bloomsburg 34:51, West Liberty 25:09