By: Michael Minnich
Exponent Telegram
Class AAA No. 1 St. Marys (7-0) at Class AAA No. 3 South Harrison (7-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
It’s been circled on the calendars in Lost Creek and St. Marys for several weeks, and now the day has come: two undefeated Class A state title contenders meet on Friday.
Cam Barnette rushed 28 times for 248 yards and six touchdowns for South Harrison last week to preserve perfection in a 57-39 win over Tyler Consolidated as the Hawks extended a 28-27 halftime lead.
St. Marys crushed Magnolia 49-7 last week with Magnolia losing a staggering 101 yards on the ground.
Jaiden Smith rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
South Harrison is third in the SSAC rankings, while St. Marys is fifth.
South Harrison won in the regular season last year, 20-13, but St. Marys avenged that defeat in the playoffs with a 37-0 quarterfinal blanking.
Class AA No. 1 Bridgeport (8-0) at Class AA No. 7 Keyser (5-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Bridgeport took care of North Marion, 35-7, last week, and is first in the SSAC rankings.
The Indians’ attack was typically balanced, with Chapin Murphy leading the way with 15 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown, J.T. Harris carrying 13 times for 62 yards and two scores, and Mackenzie Holmes accounting for 11 rushes, 38 yards, and a TD.
Koby Kiefer also made field goals from 37 and 45 yards.
Keyser, now 10th in the SSAC rankings, was dominant at RCB last week, scoring on every offensive drive but one of a 50-7 win.
Brady Ours threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, while Camden White caught a TD pass and intercepted two passes.
Keyser is the only Class AA team to beat Bridgeport since they moved down in 2012, doing it twice that year, but the Tribe rolled over a depleted Tornado team last year, 38-0.
Preston (1-6) at Class AAA No. 6 University (7-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
University, now fifth in Class AAA, had a tougher time than many likely expected against Buckhannon-Upshur, but did tuck one in the win column, 34-21.
Owen Zeiders clinched things with an interception return for a touchdown and also caught a 28-yard TD.
After opening with a win over Hampshire, Preston’s dropped six in a row, including a 35-14 decision to East Fairmont last week.
University won last year’s game, 32-13.
John Marshall (2-6) at Class AAA No. 7 Morgantown (6-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Morgantown, also seventh in the SSAC rankings, won at Riverside last week, 32-14.
Logan Holgorsen completed 13 of 21 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns for the Mohigans, finding Camron Henderson four times for 105 yards, including a 52-yard TD, and Alajuan Robinson five times for 83 yards and a 61-yard score.
John Marshall had a two-game winning streak snapped at Brooke, 50-31, last week.
Morgantown won last year, 48-28.
Class A No. 7 Tolsia (6-1) at Braxton County (3-4), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Heath Cottrill passed for 198 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score as Braxton County built a 20-0 halftime lead against Grafton and hung on for a 30-13 victory, ending a four-game losing streak.
Tolsia, fourth in Class A, defeated Scott last week, 28-8, holding the Skyhawks to 67 yards of offense.
Logan Presley rushed for two touchdowns.
The two schools did not meet last year.
Class AA RV Lincoln (5-2) at Grafton (3-4), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Three rushing touchdowns for Hunter Moore lifted Lincoln, now 11th in Class AA, past Roane County, 30-13, last week.
Kobie Carpenter passed for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while Moore finished with 18 carries for 109 yards.
Grafton lost to Braxton County last week, 30-13, despite 161 passing yards for Garrett Wellman and 92 receiving yards for Cole Collins.
Wellman rushed for a touchdown and passed to Collins for the other.
Lincoln won last year’s game, 30-17.
Class A RV Clay-Battelle (6-1) at Salineville Southern, Oh. (3-5), Friday, 7 p.m.
The Cee-Bees will try to rebound from a 48-19 loss to Cameron last week and hang on to a playoff spot, entering the week in 16th.
Tanner Burnette passed for 184 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted three times.
Travis Dille led C-B in rushing with 13 carries for 52 yards.
Salineville found the solution to a 5-game skid last week, edging Leetonia (Oh.), 24-21.
The two schools did not meet last year.
Robert C. Byrd (3-5) at Class AA RV North Marion (5-2), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Both teams struggled last week against good Class AA teams: RCB lost at home to Keyser, 50-7, while North Marion, now ninth in Class AA, fell at Bridgeport, 35-7.
And both got their late scores through the air: North Marion on a 33-yard pass from Kyle Elliott to Zach McIntire and RCB on an 18-yard strike from Tre Junkins to Brice Roseborough.
RCB were 56-26 victors last year.
Ritchie County (0-8) at Liberty Harrison (5-3), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Liberty, 15th in Class AA, will certainly have momentum after a thrilling 35-34 win over Lewis County last week.
Chandler Taylor’s interception on fourth down sealed the victory after Broderick Lantz had rushed 23 times for 188 yards and three touchdowns while also catching three balls for 67 yards.
Dalton Westfall rushed 34 times for 167 yards.
Ritchie lost to Webster County last week, 43-6.
Liberty took last year’s contest, 52-14.
OTHER GAMES:
Tucker County (2-5) at Class A RV Pendleton County (5-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Brooke (1-7) at Buckhannon-Upshur (2-4), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Doddridge County (4-4) at Valley Wetzel (1-6), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
East Fairmont (2-5) at Philip Barbour (0-7), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Lewis County (4-4) at Elkins (3-4), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
BYE: Class AA No. 4 Fairmont Senior (6-1), Notre Dame (3-5), Tygarts Valley (1-7)