MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Class AAA No. 1 Martinsburg’s home winning streak came to an end on Friday night as the Bulldogs (3-1) fell to Tuscarora (4-0) 40-21. It was Martinsburg’s first home loss since 2008.
Tuscarora was the only team to beat the Bulldogs a season ago and the 5-A Virginia school returned most of that talent.
More: Photo gallery of Martinsburg’s 40-21 loss to Tuscarora
In Friday night’s matchup, Martinsburg jumped out to the quick 14-0 lead, but Tuscarora battled back to tie things at 14-14 heading into the break. The two teams were tied at 21-21 with four minutes to go in the third before Tuscarora eventually wore down the Bulldogs and pulled away for a 40-21 win after 26 unanswered points.
Sticking in the eastern panhandle, No. 3 Jefferson improved to 4-0 with a 47-21 win over No. 13 Musselman. The Cougars scored five touchdowns on their first seven possessions.
Senior Jefferson quarterback Andrew King finished the game 18 of 34 through the air for 252 yards, three passing touchdowns and two more scores on the ground. Junior running back Marcus Burns finished the night with 173 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in the win.
No. 5 Cabell Midland edged rival No. 8 Huntington 31-26. The Knights led 14-6 at the break and held on for the win in the second half. Cabell Midland senior running back Alex Childers finished with 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Sixth rated Point Pleasant continues to be dominant on the year, cruising to a 63-8 win over Logan. Junior running back Cody Mitchell finished the game with a school record seven touchdowns, five receiving, one rushing and a defensive score.
No. 10 University, meanwhile, bounced back nicely from a loss last week to Brooke by knocking off No. 6 Wheeling Park 17-14. Hawks’ quarterback Jeremy Eckels scored one touchdown on the ground and another touchdown through the air for 26 yards to senior receiver Tristan Lucas. Lucas finished with a career high seven catches for 114 yards.
“Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated,” head coach John Kelley said after the win. “We lose one game to what I still think is a good team in Brooke and all of the sudden we’re no good, we’re not a top 10 team. What I challenged the kids with (this week) was effort. And tonight, I thought it was one of the more monumental efforts in school history.”
In Class AA, No. 1 Bluefield had no trouble with Gate City, Va., rolling to a 51-28 win. No. 2 Scott handed Sissonville its third loss of the year, beating the Indians 21-7. The Skyhawks were led on the ground by Garrett Roberts who finished with 81 yards on 16 carries. Scott held Sissonville to 201 yards offensively.
In a battle of No. 3 ranked teams, Mingo Central proved to be superior with a 59-16 thumping of Westside. The Miners totaled 630 yards of offense, 511 of that on the ground. Senior running back Chance Lester finished with 185 yards on the ground and a score in the win.
Junior running back Deonte Joplin who just recently transferred back to Mingo Central, played on Friday night and finished with 135 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Quarterback Stephen Hammond had three touchdowns in the win as well for the Miners.
No. 7 Bridgeport pulled away from No. 10 Robert C. Byrd in the second half for a 31-7 win. Junior Dylan Tonkery finished with a career high 166 yards on 26 carries in the win. The Indians accounted for 400 yards rushing, while holding RCB to just 123 offensive yards.
Weir improved to 3-1 with a 47-32 win over No. 8 Grafton.
Out of Class A, it was No. 10 Greenbrier West beating No. 2 Buffalo 36-14. Cavaliers’ running backs Jordan Grimmitt and Jordan Tincher both finished with over 100 yards rushing apiece in the win. Buffalo’s Jordan Tucker had just 10 yards on six carries in the loss.
No. 7 Meadow Bridge shutout Fayetteville 64-0 as Wildcats’ running back Ryan Church finished with 274 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries. Meadow Bridge forced four turnovers and finished with nine sacks in the win.
No. 12 East Hardy used a 96-yard game winning touchdown drive with two minutes left to beat Pocahontas County 13-12.
All of the scores are posted on the MetroNews High School Football Scoreboard.