By: Fred Persinger II
No. 2 (A) Fayetteville (8-0) at No. 10 (A) Buffalo (6-1)
Another big matchup awaits second ranked Fayetteville. The Pirates have picked up impressive wins over the last two weeks, taking down previously undefeated Nicholas County two weeks ago 44-42 and then drubbing rival Midland Trail 51-31.
“Our guys had high expectations this year coming off of last year,” said Fayetteville quarterback Will Fenton. “We went out and finished the game like we had to do (against Nicholas County). That’s one of the greatest games we’ll probably see for a while around here, us being the underdogs and those guys coming in off of such a big win (over James Monroe) with high expectations – but we were able to squeak one out against them.”
Fenton on the season has thrown for 1,292 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Pirates overall have scored 377 points, the second most in the entire state, only behind Class AAA No. 1 Martinsburg.
In the win last week over Midland Trail, Fayetteville rushed for over 300 yards, led by Jordan Dempsey who carried the ball 13 times for 154 yards and four touchdowns. The Pirates held a 43-12 lead, but saw Midland Trail cut its deficit to 43-31 with about five minutes to go behind Thomas Ferris who finished with 199 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The Pirates responded with a late touchdown secure its eighth win of the season.
Fayetteville and Buffalo have met 17 times since 1998 as the Bison hold a 9-8 advantage in the series, winning last year’s contest 60-27.
“Buffalo has some big guys up front and some really great skill players – it’s going to come down to who can execute the most and do the little things better,” Fenton said. “We’re getting a lot of support from the community and we have a pep bus coming. When we show up to these opposing team’s fields and we have all of our fans in the stands, it’s a big confidence booster and it’s almost like we are playing at home.
“Buffalo is no joke, they’re the real deal,” he continued. “They’ve lost one game, and that’s to a team that we believe can compete for a state title (Williamstown).”
Fayetteville will try to even up the series and, in turn, keep its perfect season going. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson (1-6) at No. 8 (AAA) Hurricane (4-3)
Two teams who desperately need a win, for different reasons, will battle on Friday night as Beckley travels to take on Hurricane. For Beckley, its young team needs a win to gain some confidence and to start working on building for next year as the playoffs are out of the equation for this season.
The Flying Eagles have struggled offensively over the past couple of weeks. Last week, against Capital, Beckley only gained 54 yards of total offense, picking up just four yards in the second half. Defensively, there were some bright spots. Senior linebacker Jordy Hancock continues his outstanding season, picking up another 13 tackles to put him at 79 for the season, an average of 11 per game. Junior defensive back Peyton Thomas, meanwhile, picked up his third interception of the season. And continued solid play from sophomores Nick Wickline defensively — and Micah Hancock and Logan Cook on both sides of the ball — shows that the future will be bright for the Flying Eagles.
Hurricane, on the other hand, is looking to snap a three game losing skid after starting the season with a 4-0 record. All three of those losses came to teams currently ranked in the top six of Class AAA — Spring Valley, Capital and Huntington.
Last week, it was a 24-13 loss for the Redskins to Huntington. Hurricane fell behind 14-0 early, but eventually cut its deficit to 17-13 in the fourth quarter. A Hurricane fumble on a punt return, however, resulted in a scoop and score for the Highlanders to put the game away.
This will be the first time since 2012 that these two teams will play and only the fifth time in school history. Hurricane has won three of the previous four meetings, but Beckley won the last matchup back in 2012,35-14. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. with the game airing on the Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS, at WJLS.com and on the iheart radio app.
Pocahontas County (5-3) at No. 12 (A) Summers County (5-2)
A good matchup with playoff implications on the line will take place Friday night in Hinton as Pocahontas County travels to take on Summers County. The Bobcats are coming off a 53-0 win over Meadow Bridge. Quarterback Nathan Grimmett led the way for Summers County in the win, throwing for 274 yards and two scores. The Bobcat defense also stepped up, holding Meadow Bridge to just 74 yards of offense in the game.
For Pocahontas County, the Warriors are coming off an impressive 64-24 win over Tygerts Valley. Pocahontas County did its damage on the ground, rushing for over 500 yards behind Wyatt Workman, who finished with 206 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries. Michael Morrison also rushed for 164 yards on just eight carries, while Morgan Mason added 83 yards on nine carries.
The Warriors have turned their season around after a 1-3 start with four straight wins. A win Friday over Summers County would put them right back in the potential playoff mix.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Other Games:
#11 (AAA )Princeton (5-2) at #14 (AAA) Wheeling Park (4-3)
Parkersburg South (3-4) at Greenbrier East (3-4)
#5 (AA) James Monroe (6-1) at Liberty-Raleigh (3-4)
Oak Hill (0-7) at Bluefield (3-5)
Mount View (3-4) at PikeView (2-6)
Westside (2-5) at River View (2-5)
Clay County (2-5) at Shady Spring (2-6)
#7 (AA) Nicholas County (6-1) at Midland Trail (4-4)
#13 (A) Sherman (6-2) at Greenbrier West (2-5)
Montcalm (1-6) at Tug Valley (5-3)
Richwood (0-7) at Valley (Fayette) (0-7)
Independence – Idle this week
Meadow Bridge – Idle this week