FROSTBURG, Md. – A fourth-quarter rally came up just short for West Liberty here Thursday night as Frostburg State held on for a 27-24 win under the lights at Bobcat Stadium.
    The Bobcats (2-1, 2-1) snapped a 14-14 tie on the final snap of the first half with a 43-yard Jeremy Harrison field goal and took advantage of some costly penalties by the Hilltoppers (1-2, 1-2) to tack on 10 unanswered points in the third quarter.
    A facemask penalty against the WLU defense set up a 46-yard Harrison field goal midway through the frame to make it 20-14. The West Liberty offense couldn't move the sticks and a personal foul on the punt return gave Frostburg State a short field at the 50.
    Seven snaps later, quarterback Will Brunson tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Christian Thornton and the hosts carried a 27-14 lead into the fourth quarter.
    The Hilltoppers didn't go down without a fight. A 13-play, 85-yard touchdown drive capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Zach Phillips to Isaiah Robinson made it a one-score game, 27-21, with 9:49 still to play.
    That drive was aided immensely by two huge Bobcat penalties. A pass interference call gave WLU a first-and-goal from the 10. The visitors settled for a short Owen Rozanc field goal after failing to find the end zone but FSU was flagged for roughing the kicker. Head coach Roger Waialae elected to take the three points off the board and Phillips found Robinson in the end zone on the next play.
    The West Liberty defense forced a 3-and-out on the ensuing kickoff and the Hilltoppers had a chance to take the lead when Phillips shook loose on a 40-yard scamper to the Frostburg State 10.
    Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, three straight incompletions followed and they opted for a 27-yard Rozanc field goal, closing the gap to 27-24 with exactly 5 minutes remaining.
    That turned out to be the last gasp for the offense as Frostburg State was able to pick up a pair of crucial first downs and run out the clock.
    West Liberty's two first-half touchdowns came on the ground - a 2-yard burst by Aaron Farmer and an electrifying 85-yard sprint by D.J. Frisby. The Hilltoppers finished the game with 190 rushing yards on 29 carries. Frisby led the way with 86 yards on 5 attempts while Farmer added 62 yards on 9 carries.
    Frisby's 85-yard scamper was West Liberty's longest run from scrimmage since WLU Hall of Famer Derrick Stickles' school-record 91-yarder in a 20-17 win at Walsh (Ohio) on Sept. 3, 2005.   
    Phillips completed 12-of-23 passes for 160 yards with no interceptions. Christian Rita was WLU's leading receiver with 3 catches for 51 yards.
    Frostburg gained 159 rushing yards on 44 tries. Hard-nosed tailback Gavin Lavat led all runners with 98 yards on 25 carries. Brunson completed 13-of-24 passes for 184 yards and 2 TDs with one interception for the hosts. Thornton led all receivers with 84 yards on 5 catches.
    Frostburg had a 34:32-25:28 advantage in time of possession and held West Liberty to just two first down conversions on a dozen third down snaps. Neither team had a fumble but the Hilltoppers were flagged 11 times for a season-high 121 yards. Frostburg also had 11 penalties for 80 yards.
    West Liberty returns to the friendly confines of West Family Stadium next week for another Thursday night game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. against Glenville State.
  West Liberty           0  14    0  10 – 24
Frostburg State       7  10  10    0 – 27      FSU: Brunson 1 run (Harrison kick), :07      WLU: Farmer 2 run (Rozanc kick), 13:12
     FSU: Brown 17 pass from Brunson (Harrison kick), 8:28
     WLU: Frisby 85 run (Rozanc kick), 3:13
     FSU: FG Harrison 43, :01      FSU: FG Harrison 46, 7:11
     FSU: Thornton 28 pass from Brunson (Harrison kick), 1:13      WLU: Robinson 5 pass from Phillips (Rozanc kick), 9:49
     WLU: FG Rozanc 27, 5:00
A: 2,990      RUSHING: West Liberty 29-190, Frisby 5-86, Farmer 9-62, Z.Phillips 10-36, Wimbish 5-6; Frostburg State 44-159, Lavat 25-98, Brunson 8-38, Facey 7-28, Marshall 1-1
     PASSING: West Liberty 12-23-160-1td-0x (all by Z.Phillips), Frostburg State 13-24-184-2td-1x (all by Brunson)
     RECEIVING: West Liberty 12-160, Rita 3-51, Robinson 3-29, Cole 3-21, Jenkins 1-31, Durbin 1-18, Wimbish 1-10; Frostburg State 13-184, Thornton 5-84, Brown 5-51, Ikwubuo 2-46, Holton 1-3
     First downs: West Liberty 13, Frostburg State 18
     Fumbles: West Liberty 0-0, Frostburg State 0-0
     Penalties: West Liberty 11-121, Frostburg State 11-80
     Time of Possession: West Liberty 25:28, Frostburg state 34:32