The 2016 high school football season kicked off last week with 63 games being played around the state and out of those 63, we found a few surprises along the way!
Starting in the big schools division the Spring Valley Timberwolves surprised the Knights of Cabell Midland by putting 55 points on the scoreboard while holding the home standing team to just 26. Everyone knew the Timberwolves were going to be pretty good this year so winning the game was not the surprise….winning by 29 points was! Another surprise occurred in Raleigh County as the Riverside Warriors broke a 24 game losing streak as they traveled to Beckley and knocked off the Flying Eagles 19-14. It was the first game for Flying Eagles’ new head coach Street Sarrett and even though they lost, the talk in Beckley is the young new coach is the right man for the job and he will get things heading in the right direction.
In Class AA, the three teams at the top in the MetroNews Power rankings all won and they all won big. Bridgeport defeated Lewis County by 24…..Point Pleasant rolled over Lincoln County by 38 and #3 Fairmont Senior surprisingly had no problem with #7 Robert C. Byrd as they defeated the Flying Eagles by 37! In fact, the top six teams outscored their opponents 296 to 122 with the only casualty being Bluefield as the Beavers dropped a 56-34 decision to rival Graham, Virginia in front of 12,000 football fans at Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield.
In Class A, reigning state champion Magnolia went on the road to take on Shadyside in Ohio and the return trip had to be a quiet one as the Blue Eagles really took it on the chin by a final score of 41-14. In all honesty, I don’t know a lot about Shadyside and I do know the Blue Eagles lost a lot of talent to graduation, however you know they wanted a better start to this season. Also in Class A, new additionTolsia, disposed of Class AA foe Wayne 26-8 as the Rebels let everyone in the small schools division know they plan on being a “player” this season after finishing as runners-up last year in Class AA.
So, what can we look forward to in week 2? Starting in Class AAA, we find Class AA #1 Bridgeport making the trip to the Northern Panhandle to take on Class AAA #2 Wheeling Park. It is two state champions from last year matching up once again in what is always a very close exciting game, usually decided by a field goal! Also in the big schools division, #3 Spring Valley will host #5 Huntington and in this battle of two early season undefeated teams we will find size, speed and veterans on both sides of the ball. Last year, the Highlanders proved victorious 38-0! Look for Huntington senior Billy Ross and Spring Valley senior Riley Locklear to garner a lot of attention in this battle. Both big men have committed to D-1 schools.
In Class AA this weekend, two big games will feature schools from other classes. First up we find Class A #3 Tolsia traveling to Matewan to take on Class AA #4 Mingo Central. Not only is this a battle between two very talented teams, it is also a big rival game between a couple of teams that desperately want bragging rights over the other. Last season, when both were AA teams, the Miners traveled to Tolsia and lost to the Rebels by 3 points, 44-41! Also in Class AA this weekend, undefeated Class AAA Princeton will make the short trip to Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield to take on the #8 and 0-1 Beavers. Last week, Princeton opened the season with a road trip to Shady Spring and came back home after a 46-21 victory.
In Class A this week, look for excitement in Wetzel County as #5 Williamstown travels to #8 Magnolia. The two teams met twice last season with Magnolia winning in the regular season 21-14 and then again in the playoffs as they bounced the Yellow Jackets out in round two by a final score of 14-13! Also in Class A this Friday night, excitement should abound in Hardy County when undefeated #10 Pocahontas County travels to Moorefield to battle the 6th ranked and undefeated Yellow Jackets.
Remember, you can follow the scores of the games listed above as well as all the other games that will take place around the state this Labor Day weekend and don’t forget to check out week number two of High School GAMENIGHT this Friday night beginning at 9:30 or shortly after your local high school game airs on your favorite radio station. You can all check it out at wvmetronews.com.
Talk to you Friday night!