Aug 28, 2019 3 min read

Name: Marshall Whipkey

School: McGuffey

Sport: Football

Class: Senior

Whipkey’s week: It did not take long for the McGuffey football team to be mentally tested at the start of the season. The first hurdle came while the team was being bused to Ambridge for a Week Zero game.

That was when the Highlanders found out that, incredibly, no officials were booked to work the football game, which was scheduled to begin in a couple hours.

The game was rescheduled for the next day, Saturday, throwing off the carefully planned schedule of head coach Ed Dalton and forcing the team to readjust pregame rituals.

But Whipkey didn’t miss a beat, completing four of five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown and rushing for another two scores in a 41-6 victory over the Bridgers.

“I think that was only my second Saturday game,” said Whipkey, who also rushed for 40 yards on five carries. “No one was happy about (the game being switched).”

Whipkey said that it was rough to get mentally prepared again for a game that was supposed to be played the night before.

“We started (poorly),” said Whipkey. “But then we got it going.”

And how.

After falling behind 6-0, McGuffey scored the next 41 points. Whipkey tossed a 63-yard touchdown pass to Nate Yagle to spark the uprising.

“Marshall was as good as he’s been, maybe his best game ever,” said Dalton. “He’s throwing the ball with such touch now. He’s always been an athlete, he’s always been a leader. He’s pretty darn good.”

Brother to brother: On most plays, Marshall Whipkey is sticking the football into the gut of his brother, McKinley, and Dalton’s wishbone offense depends on the decisions made about whether to leave it there.

The brothers have to be in sync or the running game doesn’t work. Not a problem, says Dalton.

“I think they are best friends,” said Dalton. “In our offense, the fullback is just as important as the quarterback in hitting the mesh point. Sometimes, our fullback has a thankless job. He has to take a fake handoff and sometimes get hit by five people. But that means his brother he can go around end for a 45-yard gain.”

Marshall Whipkey says he has the advantage of going over the offense with his brother more often because they live under the same roof.

“A lot of times, we’ll do extra stuff,” said Marshall Whipkey. “Most of the time, it’s a vocal thing.”

When all the components come together, McGuffey is a dangerous team.

“I think we have the talent to have a good season,” Marshall Whipkey said.

Compiled by Joe Tuscano