Philip See for WVMetroNews.com
Class AAA No. 6 George Washington (0-0) at No. 10 South Charleston (0-0)
The opening Thursday night contest between George Washington and South Charleston has become an annual tradition in the Mountain State. This year marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the two rivals have kicked off the season with a Week 1 Thursday contest.
Beyond the rivalry, the matchup on the field rarely disappoints. The Patriots and Black Eagles are both regulars in the AAA playoff picture and are frequently capable of making a deep run. Both squads advanced to the quarterfinals a year ago before losing to the eventual champion and runner-up in that round.
The path to another playoff berth, or good playoff seeding, could start with a big win on opening night.
Senior quarterback Trae Murphy will be one of the keys for South Charleston. After a slow start to the season in which Murphy passed for just 71 yards in the team’s first three games, he finished strong, racking up 1,876 passing yards and throwing for 16 touchdowns while adding more than 500 yards and five more scores on the ground.
“He got a grasp of the offense,” South Charleston coach Donnie Mays said of Murphy’s emergence. “He understands that I let the quarterback make a lot of decisions out there for us…We teach them what decisions they need to make, and he did a good job just growing into the offense that way.”
George Washington’s offense will be centered around its own standout quarterback in junior Grant Wells.
After seeing a good amount of game action as a freshman, Wells dazzled a year ago in his first season as the full time QB, throwing for more than 2,000 yards, rushing for more than 500, and accounting for 35 touchdowns.
As usual, an electric crowd is expected at South Charleston when the two teams square off on Thursday night.
“I’m sure it will be a festive atmosphere,” Mays said. “We’ve got a lot of people in South Charleston that are just fired up about it, and the student body is pretty amped up about it. It’s football season again.”
Class AA No. 7 Winfield (0-0) at Hurricane (0-0)
A big rivalry game also kicks off the season in Putnam County as Winfield makes the short trip to take on Hurricane. This rivalry, which is often played on Week 1, has been dominated by Hurricane since it resumed in 2005. Winfield has won just once in those 12 years and enters Friday night having lost seven consecutive times to its cross-county rival.
The Generals enter this season with high hopes, both of knocking off Hurricane and making a deep playoff run.
Winfield finished the 2016 regular season, its first after dropping back down to AA, at 7-3 and fell to semifinalist James Monroe in the opening round of the playoffs.
Quarterback Andrew Huff and running back Zach Bratton are two key returners for Winfield, which is looking to make a run at the Cardinal Conference championship and another trip to the playoffs.
Coming off a berth in the AAA quarterfinals last year, Hurricane looks to again show its strength against its rival. After losing most of its offense from a year ago, the addition of Curon Cordon, an all-state receiver at South Charleston last year who moved to Hurricane, will provide the team with a major lift.
Class AAA No. 3 Capital at Johnson Central (KY) (0-0)
Capital enters the 2017 season looking to make its fifth consecutive trip to the AAA semifinals and make a run at dethroning defending Mountain State Athletic Conference champion Spring Valley and defending state champion Martinsburg
The Cougars return many weapons from their high-powered offense, including junior dual-threat quarterback Kerry Martin Jr. Senior linebacker Chase Goldsmith, the team’s leading returning tackler, will be the anchor of a talented defense.
Capital will get one of its biggest tests of the season in its first game when the Cougars travel to Paintsville, Ky. to take on Johnson Central. The Golden Eagles knocked off Capital 23-6 in last year’s opener and rolled to a 14-1 record and a 4A state championship, beating their five playoff opponents by a combined score of 259-15.
Chapmanville (0-0) at Sissonville (0-0)
Sissonville lost many of its important pieces from last year’s squad that finished the regular season 9-1 before losing a tough game in the first round of the playoffs – and the Indians are looking to rebuild for another playoff berth. An opening win against a quality conference opponent could be very valuable for Sissonville’s playoff hopes.
Chapmanville finished last season with a 5-5 record, narrowly missing the playoff field. The Tigers return their potent offensive duo of quarterback Adam Vance and receiver Dylan Smith and are looking to be among this year’s playoff teams.
Vance went down with a leg injury in the team’s final scrimmage against Mingo Central, however, and if he misses significant time, that could greatly affect both the outcome of this game and Chapmanville’s outlook on the season.
Other Games:
Buffalo at Dawson-Bryant (OH)
Herbert Hoover at Scott
Woodrow Wilson at Riverside
St. Albans at Parkersburg
Poca at Nitro