By: Shawn Rine
The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register
Wheeling Park (3-1-1) at Morgantown (5-1)
This is a game that typically goes down to wire each season. And most of the time the home team finds a way to come out on top.
The Patriots enter off a 27-16 victory against St. Albans in a game that was good for little more than the AAA points it provided. Park vaulted to a 27-0 lead nine plays into the game and the starters, including Savion Johnson (130-plus yards, three scores), went to the bench.
The Mohigans rallied last week from an early 16-0 deficit to produce a 29-19 victory against Musselman. Morgantown’s lone loss was a close one to Martinsburg in which QB Zayne Hern went down early with an injury.
Weir (5-1) at Magnolia (6-0)
This is a game that should scare top-ranked Magnolia, which was installed in the preseason as a prohibitive Class A favorite. The Blue Eagles to date have not seen the top-end speed the Red Riders will have on display.
Coach Josh Sim’s Magnolia club is getting it done with a stingy defense that has produced three shutouts in six weeks, including a 23-0 blanking of rival Monroe Central last Friday. But the offense is balanced with Tyler Anderson and Chase Street leading the way on the ground, and QB Nick Priem finding big-play targets Kyle Ritz, Jarod Kacor and Brooks Parsons.
Weir counters with one of the more explosive players in Class AA in the form of running back Kameron Davis. He is a threat running and catching the ball and also in the return game.
Davis is joined by multi-faceted QB Jake Wypasek and bulldozer Cory Enrietti in the backfield.
John Marshall (4-1) at Parkersburg South (3-2)
Easily the biggest test to date for the Monarchs, who have won three in a row. They are fresh off a 63-6 drubbing of Buckeye Local, Ohio, in which they led 44-0 at halftime and ran for 407 yards.
The offense goes through hard-running senior Chase Gump who has nearly 900 yards and nine touchdowns thus far. It generally takes an army to bring this second team all-stater from a season ago down.
Defensively, JM is led by hard-hitting safety Austin Skrzyneki, who was also second team All-West Virginia.
This is almost a must-win for the Monarchs, who finish at South, at Logan, and with three straight home games against Morgantown, Wheeling Park and Brooke.
Other games:
Steubenville, Ohio at Brooke
Paden City at Toronto, Ohio
Shadyside, Ohio at Wheeling Central
Bishop Donahue at Clay-Battelle
Valley-Wetzel at St. John Central, Ohio
Cameron at Conotton Valley, Ohio