By: Fred Persinger II
Bluefield (1-0) at Princeton (1-0)
It is the battle of Mercer County this Friday Night as the Bluefield Beavers travel to Princeton to take on the Tigers. Bluefield is coming off of a hard fought, 28-21 win over Graham in front of over 10,000 people at Mitchell Stadium.
In that game, Bluefield rushed for 278 yards, led by Carlos Reed who rushed for 147 yards on just 10 carries. Sophomore Mookie Collier added 104 yards on 21 carries. The Bluefield defense played well, holding Graham to just 160 yards rushing.
For Princeton, the Wes Eddy era began with a impressive 48-0 win over Shady Spring. The Tigers got off to a quick start, leading 35-0 at the break. Running back Jordan Jones rushed for 114 yards and three scores, while Kevin Phillips added for 94 yards on just four carries. Princeton outgained Shady Spring 450-181 in total yards.
This will be the second of three straight home games to start the season for Princeton. The Tigers will play host to Martinsburg next week. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Greenbrier East (0-1) at Woodrow Wilson (0-0)
Two rivals are set to battle in week two of the season as Greenbrier East travels across I-64 to battle Woodrow Wilson, which had a bye last week. Coming into the 2015 season, the Flying Eagles have some major holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Offensively, leading passer and rusher Brent Osborne is gone after walking-on at WVU. Defensively, leading tackler Troy Lilly is gone (WVU walk-on) an defensive end Noah Hancock (Concord signee) must be replaced as well.
Beckley will be young at the skill positions on offense, but have some talent. Sophomore Sutton Radford will take over at quarterback for the Flying Eagles. Sutton did get some snaps on the varsity level last year at quarterback and will run the spread formation offense. There is some depth at running back as junior Meeko Harris will be joined in the backfield by seniors Devonte Hoover and Trey Cole.
The offensive line returns some experience as well with center Kyle Ayers and Tyler Sheets both back. Hunter Foster and Raymont Thompson will lead the receiving core. Defensively, Justin Ward returns to anchor the line, while Trey Cole and Jordan Hancock will take over at the linebacker. Freshmen Logan Cook and Micah Hancock could also see some playing time.
Greenbrier East last week lost to James Monroe 42-38 after leading 20-14 at the break. The Spartans racked up over 500 yards of offense, Zayvion Lawson’s 325 yards and four touchdowns. His 325 rushing yards set a school record that had stood since the 1996 season. James Monroe’s Evan Beasley rushed for 220 yards and three scores in the win, while Grant Mohler added 167 yards and three scores as well.
It was the first win for James Monroe over Greenbrier East since 2009.
This will be the 42nd meeting between Woodrow Wilson and Greenbrier East as the Flying Eagles own a 25-15 advantage. Woodrow has won the last four meetings, including a 49-18 final from last season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Van Meter Stadium in Beckley. The game can be heard on The Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS and on the iheart radio app.
Summers County (1-0) at Liberty Raleigh (1-0)
Liberty came into the game last week against Westside with very high expectations in the 2015 season. The Raiders struggled in the first half, trailing trailed 6-0 at the break. In the second half, Liberty got the offense rolling, scoring 33 unanswered points in route to a 33-6 win.
Liberty finished with just 39 yards rushing, but quarterback Hunter Wright added 195 yards and three touchdowns through the air on 16 of 28 passing.
For Summers County, the Bobcats started the season with a 28-14 win over Pikeview at home. Summers County was led by senior Matt Ryan who rushed for 178 yards and two scores, while also throwing for 76 yards and another touchdown. Pikeview was led on the ground by Joey Jennings who rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and you can listen to the game on 56WJLS or online at wjlsam.com.
Other Games:
Oak Hill(1-0) at Musselman(0-1)
Logan(0-1) at Shady Spring(0-1)
Nicholas County(1-0) at Poca(0-1)
Independence(1-0) at Pikeview(0-1)
Westside(0-1) at Wyoming East(0-1)
Meadow Bridge(0-1) at Tug Valley(1-0)
Clay-Battelle(1-0) at Midland Trail(0-1)
Man(1-0) at Mount View(1-0)
Valley Fayette(0-1) at Fayetteville(1-0)
Twin Valley, Va. at Montcalm(1-0)
Greenbrier West(0-1) at Richwood(1-0)
James Monroe(1-0)-Idle