By: Wes McKinney
No. 8 AAA Huntington (2-1) at No. 5 AAA Cabell Midland (3-0)
This will be a matchup of the last two state runners-up in Class AAA as Huntington and Cabell Midland will battle for The Shield.
Huntington recovered from its defeat at Spring Valley in week two to beat Woodrow Wilson in week three, 41-21, while Cabell Midland took to the road for the first time in 2014 to knockoff Parkersburg, 42-21.
The teams have split have the last four meetings with both of Cabell Midland’s wins coming by a single point each time. As for now, Huntington owns The Shield after a 19-7 win last year.
“They are a typical Luke Salmons football team,‘ Huntington coach Billy Seals said. “They are physical up front and they do a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage.
“They have a three-headed monster rushing attack, really four counting Coy Pettit who has come into his own as a quarterback,” he continued.
And while Cabell Midland’s offense has received most of the attention this season, Seals isn’t counting out the Knights defense.
“They played a little undersized, but they absolutely get after it on the defensive side of the ball,” Seals emphatically said.
After losing on the road last year against Huntington, Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons is expecting a raucous crowd in Ona.
“There’s pride on the line Friday night,” Salmons said. “Both teams are good and that’s what you want in a rivalry game. I’m sure there will be a huge crowd at our place. That’s the thing with this game is that the last three or four years it has been sold out. Huntington is well coached and they will be ready to play.”
Meanwhile, Seals is looking forward to taking his kids into a hostile environment in week four.
“Anyone who says every game is equal — this is a big game for Cabell County,” Seals said. “It’s turned into a great rivalry and it’s been very close the last three years and I don’t expect anything different Friday night.”
No. 3 AA Westside (3-0) at No. 3 AA Mingo Central (3-0)
The Miners will return home after a hard-fought 28-27 win at Sissonville.
In the win against the Indians, quarterback Stephen Hammond combined for two touchdowns while running back Chance Lester added 79 yards rushing and one touchdown.
With the win, Mingo Central is 3-0 for the first time in the brief history of its program. In three previous meetings with the Renegades, the Miners are 2-1 including a 22-8 win last year.
No. 16 AAA Logan (2-1) at No. 6 AAA Point Pleasant (3-0)
Point Pleasant made a statement Friday night by outscoring Wayne 28-7 in the second half to hand the Pioneers their first regular season loss since 2011.
“Us and Wayne have had a long history of playing each other tough,” Point Pleasant David Darst said. “They came in here jacked up and at halftime it was still anybody’s ballgame. In the second half, our kids made their minds up that they wanted to win and I’m really proud of them.”
But now Darst has to get his kids’ attention for the upcoming matchup with Logan to avoid a letdown.
“We are going to put that game behind us and focus 100 percent on Logan and trying to make sure these guys don’t have any kind of hangover from the win,” Darst said.
Logan will be looking to avenge two losses to the Big Blacks as Point Pleasant beat the Wildcats 37-21 in the playoffs and 41-14 in the first round of the Class AAA playoffs.
The Wildcats, who have won two straight after losing their season opener versus Man, bring back a wealth of experience that remembers both losses to the Big Blacks including quarterback Ryan Miller, who has impressed Darst.
“He throws a tremendous long ball and throws it really well,” Darst said.
Miller has 497 passing yards with six touchdowns. Three of those passing scores have gone to wide receiver Zach Acord.
Ripley (1-2) at No. 10 AAA Spring Valley (2-1)
Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess is ready to move on after this team’s 43-14 lost at the hands of South Charleston in week three.
“If you dwell on losses in this conference, we will have a letdown,” Dingess said. “We can’t let South Charleston beat us twice. It’s full go against Ripley, try to get our head on straight and get back on track.”
In fact, the Timberwolves should be looking ahead as the combined record of their next five opponents is 3-11.
And as the season nears its midpoint way Dingess can begin to see the strengths and weaknesses of his team.
“We have played some really top-notch competition in the state,” Dingess said. “We saw a lot of what our kids can and can’t do. We have a real good grip on what our team can do which will help us game plan better the rest of the season.”
No. 4 A Man (2-1) at River View (1-2)
The Hillbillies are ranked fourth in the state thanks in part to their challenging schedule in the early going of the season.
This will be the third straight game in which Man will face a Class AA team. The Hillbilles are coming off a tough loss at home to Westside, 28-22.
Traditionally, River View has owned Man, but the Hillbillies beat up on the Raiders last year 46-8.
No. 2 Scott (3-0) at Sissonville (1-2)
It appears Scott has rebounded from a 4-6 season last year to star the 2014 season at 3-0. The last time the Skyhawks started 3-0 was when they won their first six games and made the final eight of the Class AA playoffs.
Running back Cody Harvey has been the workhorse for Scott as he has piled up 229 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Sissonville will be facing its third consecutive ranked team after falling to Wayne and Mingo Central the previous two weeks.
Other Games:
Tolsia (0-2) at Herbert Hoover (2-1)
Haysi, Va. at Tug Valley (2-1)
Sherman (1-2) at Gilmer County (1-2)
Frontier, Ohio at Van (0-3)
Bye Week:
Hannan (0-2)
Wayne (2-1)