AA #13 Robert C. Byrd (9-3) vs. #1 Wayne (12-0) Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Huntington High School
RCB’s playoff run continued with 36-6 win at Ritchie County in the quarterfinals. Now, the Eagles get another shot at snapping Wayne’s long winning streak. This is a rematch of a 2012 Class-AA semifinal won by Wayne, 18-0.
“Anyone can beat anybody on any day,” said RCB coach Bruce Carey when asked what his message will be to his team this week. “We know we will be the underdog. But it’s all in your mind. That’s what it comes down to.”
What it has come down to for the Eagles is the fact that the team has grown up right before Carey’s eyes.
“We were very young at the beginning of the year and the kids were learning a lot,” Carey said. “Any time you are thinking on the football field, it slows you down. We’ve made everything easy to understand. They are not thinking any more, just reacting and playing. We are playing with a lot of confidence now.”
Sophomore Juwan Jones-Wright is leading the offense as he rushed for 173 yards in last week’s win. RCB was able to control the game on the ground as the Eagles churned out three 11 play touchdown drives.
Carey says the return from injury by sophomore linebacker Hunter Vanhorn has helped the running game.
“Hunter coming back has really solidified the line,” Carey said. “We’ll have to run the ball like we did last week. Keep control of the ball and keep it away from them. We just have to match their toughness. We played physical with them last year in the semi’s. We just have to do that again.
“They do a fabulous job of just replacing players and teaching their technique,” Carey said of Wayne. “It’s a place where I want to get RCB someday.”
The 18 points scored by Wayne in that semifinal round game against RCB last year is the fewest number of points scored by the Pioneers during their 35 game win streak.
Wayne coach Tom Harmon elected to move the game to the turf at Huntington High.
“Our place is a mess,” Harmon said Sunday after announcing the decision. “The field is just in too bad of shape to play the game there.”
AA #3 Bluefield (19-2) at #2 Bridgeport (11-1) Fri, 7:30
Bridgeport and Bluefield have been near the top of the classification all season. One team will get a chance to advance to the championship game Friday night.
“We’re not just excited about the opportunity,” said Bridgeport coach Josh Nicewarner. “Several months ago, we set one goal. That was to get to Wheeling and win a state championship. We’ve been in this (semifinal) situation too many times where he haven’t been able to jump the hurdle into the finals.”
Bridgeport heads into the semifinals after recording its fifth shutout of the season. The Indians knocked off Fairmont Senior 28-0 last Saturday. Bridgeport has allowed just 24 points in the last six games. Four of those five shutouts have occurred during that stretch.
Bluefield lost its regular season finale 29-27 to defending champ Wayne. But since then, the Beavers have scored 57 points in two playoff games.
D.J. Stewart rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns as the Beavers beat Nicholas County 26-14 to advance to the semi-finals for the first time since time since 2010.
Bridgeport and Bluefield last met in the playoffs back in 1996. In fact, Friday night’s game will be just the second meeting all time between the schools. Bluefield won that ’96 game 14-7.