By Fred Persinger II
Shady Spring (0-3) at Independence (1-2)
One of the better rivalry games takes place this week in Raleigh County on Friday Night. Shady Spring and Independence have always played great games between the two schools, and even though the Tigers have moved to Class AAA, the rivalry continues.
It has been a struggle so far in the 2013 season for Shady Spring as head coach Vince Culicerto and the Tigers try to rebuild after losing a lot of talent from last year. Last week, Shady Spring lost to Greenbrier East 56-14 as the Spartans racked up 561 yards of offense.
Running back Dalton Cline flirted with a school record rushing for 257 yards on 14 carries. For Shady, the offense continued to struggle with just 152 yards of offense, although they did score their first points of the season with two scores in the 4thquarter.
The Independence Patriots started the season with a win over Midland Trail, but have lost two games in a row, coming off of a 55-0 loss to the No. 1 team in Class A, Greenbrier West. Independence struggled to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball as Thomas Williams led the way rushing for 57 yards on five carries. The Patriots could only manage 122 yards of total offense in the game.
This will be the home opener for Independence at the newly renovated George D. Covey Field Friday night at 7:30. The game can be heard on the Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS and WJLS.com
Wyoming East (3-0) at Summers County (3-0)
It’s a battle of the unbeatens Friday Night at Summers County as the Bobcats play host to the Wyoming East Warriors. Summers County is coming off a 27-0 road win over Grafton last week. In that game for Summers County, running back Isaiah Brown rushed for 108 yards and two scores. Brown also returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score as well.
For Wyoming East, the Warriors defeated the Sherman Tide 46-6. Running Back Coty Bishop rushed for 132 yards on just six carries for Wyoming East. The Warriors defense also helped out on the scoring for the Warriors as Michael Bland returned a fumble 41 yards for a score and Dakota White recovered a fumble in the end zone for another score.
It should be a good matchup as this will be the toughest test of the season so far for Summers County. The Bobcats and Warriors will kick off at 7:30 p. m.
Fayetteville (2-1) at Meadow Bridge (3-0)
Two long time Fayette County rivals battle on Friday night as Fayetteville travels to Meadow Bridge. Fayetteville has turned its season around after snapping a 12 game losing streak in week two. The Pirates have now won two games in a row, coming off a 61-0 win over Richwood.
Fayetteville has scored 113 points in its last two games. Last week, the rushing attack was led by Caleb Bailes who put up 104 yards on just five carries. The Pirates’ defense came up with four takeaways in the game, including a fumble return for a touchdown by Jake Alton.
Fayetteville’s defense will be tested this week against Meadow Bridge. The Wildcats are coming off a 52-0 win over Midland Trail. It was a short night for running back Jake Parker as he rushed for 181 yards on 21 carries and three scores in the first half.
This should be a good one Friday night between two Fayette County teams. Kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.
Other Games:
#14 (Class AA) Nicholas Co. (2-1) at #7 (Class AAA) Oak Hill (3-0)
Parry McCluer, Va. At Greenbrier East (2-1)
#15 (Class AA) Mingo Central at Westside (1-2)
Gate City, Va at Bluefield (1-1)
Mount View (0-3) at Liberty (Raleigh) (1-2)-game on AM 560 WJLS and WJLS.com
James Monroe (0-2) at Pikeview (1-2)
#1 (Class A) Greenbrier West (3-0) at Buffalo (0-3)
Clay County (1-2) at #8 (Class A) Valley-Fayette (2-0)
Craig County, Va. At Montcalm (1-2)
Midland Trail (0-3) at Richwood (1-2)
Hannan (1-2) at Sherman (1-2)
Woodrow Wilson (1-2) – Idle this week
#7 (Class AA) River View at #12 (Class A) Man