By: Eric Little
Seven Ranges Radio
A collision of two highly-touted Class A teams leads a crowded Week 2 field. Even with Parkersburg High School hitting the early season bye week, there are plenty of good games in the area this week. All games set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, unless otherwise noted:
A No. 2 Magnolia (1-0) at A No. 1 Williamstown (1-0) (7:00 Friday)
If the number of whiplash cases in West Virginia (and parts of Ohio) was higher-than-normal last weekend, the Magnolia Blue Eagles were probably to blame. Magnolia’s 40-0 thrashing of Shadyside, Ohio turned so many heads that Edgar Snyder and Associates probably started driving to New Martinsville out of second nature.
Not only did the Blue Eagles pitch an impressive Week 1 shutout, but they also ended Shadyside’s 32-game regular season winning streak. Tyler Anderson ran for 66 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Blue Eagles rushing attack – a unit that posted a respectable 213 yards on opening night. Nick Priem ran for a touchdown and threw for another one for Magnolia. The Blue Eagles took advantage of great field position for parts of the night, starting three scoring drives inside the Shadyside 30-yard line.
Williamstown found themselves in more of a battle in their opening week 38-21 win over Tyler Consolidated. Playing without injured standout Jace Reed, the Silver Knights led 15-14 at the end of the first quarter. However, there’s probably not a team in the area that makes in-game adjustments as well as Williamstown. The Yellow Jackets stepped up to hold Tyler Consolidated to just six points the rest of the night.
Trenton Tallman scored three touchdowns in his first game as Williamstown quarterback, including one on an 87-yard punt return. Michael Beck ran for 79 yards and a touchdown for the Yellow Jackets on a night where 392 of Williamstown’s 423 yards of total offense came on the ground.
The defending state champion Yellow Jackets will need to bring their “A” game defensively to knock off the Blue Eagles. Tyler Consolidated managed 345 total yards of offense last week. Given that amount of yardage, Magnolia would be a force to be reckoned with.
This game will go a long way to determine the Class A pecking order for the 2015 season, at least in the Mid-Ohio Valley. Magnolia returns a load of talent from last year’s 4-6 team, but until you unseat the king…the king retains the throne. Williamstown will put up quite the fight in an effort to do exactly that.
AAA No. 10 Parkersburg South (1-0) at University (0-1)
For the most part, Parkersburg South’s 28-0 opening week shutout of Ripley was about as clean of an opener as you’d want. The running game clicked, with multiple backs contributing to a 176-yard ground effort. Quarterback Garrett Gilkeson ran for a touchdown, threw for another and hit nearly every receiver in stride.
The defense rose to the occasion on a number of short-yardage situations early in the contest, forced fumbles late and began to eat away at the Vikings and force negative yardage plays in the second half. But the game wasn’t without its share of “back to the drawing board” points for Parkersburg South head coach Mike Eddy and his staff.
For starters, 13 penalties for 95 yards won’t cut it most nights. Many of Gilkeson’s 13 incompletions hit the hands of talented (and open) wide receivers, only to be dropped. So there are points of emphasis for the Patriots as they prepare to visit University.
The Hawks fell 22-11 to John Marshall in their opener. A young team that lost much of a playoff team to graduation a year ago, University will be hard-pressed to find answers to slow the elusive Gilkeson’s feet and arm. This game can be heard locally on V96.9FM and online at www.v969radio.net.
A No. 4 St. Marys (1-0) at Wirt County (1-0) (7:00 Friday)
The St. Marys Blue Devils began their march back to the Super Six with a convincing 55-8 win over next-door neighbor Ritchie County. Braden Barnhart ran for 54 yards, with three of his eight carries going for St. Marys touchdowns. Bret Fetty also picked up where he left off last season, running for a touchdown and catching another. New quarterback Will Billeter announced his presence with authority, going 8 of 12 through the air for 150 yards and three touchdowns.
This week, the Blue Devils continue their back-to-back set of road games over a surprise winner from a week ago – Wirt County. The Tigers stepped up and knocked off the Class AA Roane County Raiders 44-36. Cam Nelson carried the load for the Tigers, running for four touchdowns and 237 yards. Nelson’s only catch went for a 42-yard touchdown play.
The Tigers put up 411 yards of total offense against the Raiders, but they’ll be hard-pressed to duplicate the effort for a second straight week. Wirt County will find themselves in for a stiffer test this week, in a game that will really tell us a lot more about both the Tigers and the Blue Devils.
This game can be heard locally on Lite Rock 93R and online at www.literock93r.com.
Ripley (0-1) at AAA No. 5 Point Pleasant (1-0)
Despite being shut out 28-0 in Eddie Smolder’s Ripley head coaching debut, there were a number of positives for the first-year Vikings mentor to build on. His ball-control, run-first offense penetrated Parkersburg South territory on a few of their drives and only turned the ball over twice.
But there was a lot of offensive confusion that led to a number of busted plays. That will need ironed out for the future, but first things first, the Vikings have a gargantuan task at hand this week against Point Pleasant. The Big Blacks throttled Lincoln County 62-7 to pick up where they left off last season. Point Pleasant could threaten to equal or top that point total this week.
Roane County (0-1) at Ritchie County (0-1)
It’s not often in West Virginia high school football that 364 total yards of offense doesn’t equal a win, but the Roane County Raiders found themselves in that predicament in their opening week loss to Wirt County. The Raiders got four rushing touchdowns from Tyler May and a defensive score.
May ran for 271 yards to pace the Raiders, who allowed more than 411 yards to a young Wirt County team. That will need to tighten up against an even more inexperienced Ritchie County team, who returns a quarterback in Cory Farley, but not too many others with experience on offense.
This game will especially give Ritchie County – a team rebuilding a program with first-year head coach Kaleb Lawrence – a strong indicator of the work that’s left to do.
Calhoun County (1-0) at Sherman (0-1)
Calhoun County’s defense pitched a shutout and held Gilmer County to just 143 yards of total offense in a 13-0 opening week win. Seth Moore ran for both Red Devil scores. This week, they’ll face a Sherman team that ran into highly-touted Tug Valley in a lopsided opening week loss.
Doddridge County (0-1) at Tyler Consolidated (0-1) (7:00 Friday)
Playing without standout Jace Reed, Tyler Consolidated held serve with the defending Class A state champions for about a half before falling 38-21 to Williamstown. Reed is expected to miss until at least the end of September with a leg injury. Tyler Anderson helped pick up the slack with 56 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Jordan Baker added another rushing touchdown for the Silver Knights.
Their opponent this week is a Doddridge County team that suffered heavy graduation losses and fell in their opener last week by a 35-7 score to South Harrison. Playing in front of their home crowd for the first time all season, the Silver Knights look to stand a solid chance to get back to .500 on the season.
This game can be heard locally on WXCR-FM (92.3 FM) and online at www.wxcr.com.
Paden City (1-0) at Bishop Donahue (1-0) (7:00 Friday)
Brent Croasmun’s Paden City Wildcats got a late touchdown in a 20-19 win over Southern, Ohio in Week One. They continue their season-opening road swing with a trip to Bishop Donahue, a 22-7 winner over Weirton Madonna in Week One.
Parkersburg Catholic (0-1) at Notre Dame (0-1)
Parkersburg Catholic struggled in Curt Shriver’s Crusader head coaching debut. The Crusaders were throttled 53-20 by Buffalo at Stadium Field on Saturday night. This week, Parkersburg Catholic has a short week – playing Clarksburg Notre Dame on the road this Friday. Notre Dame dropped their opener 26-14 to Bellaire St. Johns, Ohio.
Waterford, OH (0-1) at Wahama (1-0)
The Wahama White Falcons earned a 42-0 shutout win – and some Class AA bonus points – in their opener against Ravenswood last week. This week, Wahama opens its Tri-Valley Conference schedule against Waterford, Ohio. The Wildcats dropped a 21-19 contest to Miller, Ohio in a game where Waterford lost a 19-14 lead midway through the third quarter only to have Miller’s defense hold in the final stanza.
Other Games:
Webster County (0-1) at Ravenswood (0-1)