TENNERTON – Four different running backs scored and Brody McDaniels connected on two touchdown passes to Chance Morgan as the Buckhannon-Upshur Middle School Little Buc football team wrapped up a perfect 8-0 season with a 42-12 win over the Lincoln Wildcats Thursday night at Freal “Red” Crites” Memorial Stadium.

“We wanted a challenge and we got one tonight despite what the final score said,” remarked Buckhannon-Upshur Little Buc head coach Dave Chipps. “We knew Lincoln was a good football team. They almost made the championship game with us next week. They have some big linemen and some good skill players. It was a learning process for us tonight and that is what middle school football is all about.”

The Little Bucs scored on the opening possession of the game marching 74 yards in 11 plays with Forest Catlin taking it from 11 yards out with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

Aiden Snyder was good on his kick as B-UMS took a 7-0 lead.

The Little Buc defense recovered a Lincoln fumble on their first drive as Brody Jeran pounced on the loose football at the Wildcat 18-yard line.

Five plays later, Dylan Foster ran it in from two yards out for the Little Buc score.

Snyder was good on his kick as the Little Bucs took a 14-0 lead with 51 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

After forcing a Lincoln punt on their next drive, the Little Bucs took over their own 26-yard line.

One play later they were in the end zone after McDaniels hit Morgan with a short pop pass and Morgan raced to the end zone 74 yards later for the touchdown.

Snyder was again true on his kick as the Little Bucs upped their lead to 21-0 with 6:44 left in the second quarter.

Lincoln made it a 21-6 game with four seconds left in the half when Braydon Minor found Brody Barnes for a 20-yard scoring reception.

The score remained at 21-6 heading into the fourth quarter as neither team found the end zone in the third period.

The Little Bucs scored just 56 seconds into the fourth quarter when McDaniels and Morgan hooked up again, this time for a 50-yard touchdown reception.

Snyder was again good with his kick as B-UMS took a 28-6 lead.

Lincoln answered with a touchdown when Hunter Burdette caught a pass from Barnes and went 63 yards for the score.

The two-point conversion pass came up short, but Lincoln trimmed their deficit to 16, at 28-12 with 4:26 remaining.

The Little Bucs put the game away with two scores in the final 3:36.

Jeran broke free for a 61-yard touchdown scamper and Zack Simmons wrapped up the scoring with an 11-yard scoring jaunt. Snyder was good on both his conversion kicks to make it a 42-12 game.

“We went up 21-0 and then got a little sloppy,” stated Chipps. “We let down and let Lincoln back into the game. Then we responded and started playing football again. We haven’t had a let down all year so maybe we were due for one. We got a little overconfident and I told them that we have to play four quarters of football.”

The Little Bucs piled up 321 yards of offense, gaining 184 on the ground and 137 through the air.

Jeran led the B-UMS ground game with 88 yards on just five carries while Foster gained 75 yards on 15 attempts.

McDaniels completed all three of his passes for 137 yards as Morgan caught two of them for 124 yards.

“Our offense is so talented,” remarked Chipps. “We can pick and choose what we want to do. If we want to go spread we can, if we want to run the ball we can. We are lucky to have that. We can do a lot of things on offense and do them well.”

The Little Bucs, now 8-0, will host Washington Irving in the Mid-8 Conference championship game Thursday with a kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m.

The Little Bucs opened their season with a 34-14 win over the Hilltoppers.

“I told them team it was great to go 8-0 but the season isn’t over yet,” concluded Chipps. “We still have one more game to go. We have 29 eighth-graders on the team and several of them have been with us for three years. It is a great thing that they get to play for a championship.”