September 19th, 2026 1:30pm
WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — The West Liberty University football team opened Mountain East Conference play with a victory that will go down as one of the program's most memorable in years.
The Hilltoppers rallied from a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter, forced overtime and then defeated defending MEC champion Frostburg State, 30-24, Saturday afternoon at West Family Stadium.
The victory moved West Liberty to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in MEC play and snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Bobcats. It was West Liberty's first win over Frostburg since a 27-17 victory in 1983.
"This was just a really, really good football game," West Liberty head coach Chad Salisbury said. "I think, by two good teams that played really hard. ... The thing that stands out the most is just the fight, just the never quit, the grit that the kids have."
The Hilltoppers trailed 24-21 with 1:19 remaining after Frostburg's KJ Smothers broke loose for a 33-yard touchdown run. West Liberty, however, had one more answer.
With the clock winding down, the Hilltoppers drove 63 yards in just over a minute, setting up freshman kicker Aidan Grella for a 26-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining. Grella drilled the kick to tie the game at 24-24 and send the conference opener to overtime.
Salisbury said the Hilltoppers were still looking for a touchdown on the final drive before Grella ultimately provided the equalizer.
"We were trying to score," Salisbury said. "We still had three timeouts. Hunter had hit a big run and there was a penalty. ... Our freshman kicker went in there. Aiden ... he's kind of a pressure kid ... and man, he hit it good."
West Liberty's defense then took the field first in overtime and quickly delivered.