Week #1 = Excitement, Close Games & Surprises!

We are constantly saying nothing is more exciting than high school football!  And, if week one is any indication, then we are in for a fun-filled ride in West Virginia this season!

This past weekend, a total of 61 games were played across the state and at every site, the fans went home feeling fulfilled.  High School Football in week #1, definitely delivered!

In Class AAA, 5 of the top 10 teams in the MetroNews Power Rankings lost in their first outing and another team had to storm back from being down by 20 to be victorious.  Certainly #1 Martinsburg expelled the notion they had been listening to all the hype about how good they were as they traveled to Purcerville, Va. and destroyed the Vikings of Loudoun Valley, 42-14.  However, #3 Capital had no luck on the road at Johnson Central, Kentucky as the Cougars went down 31-11 and the 5th ranked Cabell Midland Knights lost at home to Anderson, Ohio by a final of 49 to 41.  Another bright spot for Class AAA, saw the 4th ranked Highlanders of Huntington travel to the Pike County Bowl in Kentucky for a game against Belfry, Ky. that didn’t kick off until 9:55pm.  After trailing 27-7, Head Coach Billy Seals ballclub woke up and found a way to kickstart their high-powered offense and ended up winning the game 45-34.  It marked the first time in over four years, Belfry, Ky. had lost a game at home.  And, it’s only the second time that team had ever lost to a WV football team……Cabell Midland beat Belfry a couple of years ago.  Other teams in the top 10 that won last week included #10 South Charleston taking care of #6 George Washington 13-12 in a game that was played last Thursday night and #7 University prevailing over John Marshall by 26.  Number 8 Wheeling Park disposed of Brooke 24-6, but #9 Morgantown went on the road and lost at North Allegheny, Pa. 45 to 0.  It was a nice win for Buckhannon-Upshur as they defeated Princeton 20-19 in overtime.  Buckhannon stopped the Tigers on a two point conversion on the final offensive play of the game  to preserve that one point victory!

In Class AA, there was not a better game in the state than the one contested at Point Pleasant as the #1 team in class AA and the defending state AA champion, Mingo Central came from behind on the strength and accuracy senior quarterback Jeremy Dillon to win over the Big Blacks 36 to 34.  The game was won on a 35 yard “hail-mary” pass from Dillon to Dawson Elia in the back corner of the end zone.  That pass also ended a 43 game regular season winning streak the Point Pleasant Big Blacks had accumulated over the last 4+ years!  In other exciting Class AA match-ups, in front of a sold out crowd that was estimated at 12,000+, the Bluefield Beavers outlasted the Graham G-Men in a classic, 17-14.  And, the Oak Hill Red Devils defeated the Valley Greyhounds 34-12 to snap a 19 game losing streak!

In Class A, the top teams St. Marys, East Hardy, Williamstown and South Harrison all opened with impressive wins, but #3 Wheeling Central fell to Steubenville Catholic 37 to 7 and Head Coach Sam Alvaro and his Notre Dame Irish upset and outscored #6 Pendleton County 41 to 30.

So, will week #2 be as drama filled and exciting as week #1?  Well, we certainly have some great match-ups as AAA #2 Spring Valley (idle last week) will travel to Huntington to take on the #3 (1-0) Highlanders and #7 Cabell Midland (0-1) will pay a visit to South Charleston to battle the 8th ranked (1-0) Black Eagles.  In Class AA, #1 Mingo Central (1-0) will welcome #10 Wayne (1-0), #5 Point Pleasant will travel to James Monroe to tackle the 4th ranked Mavericks (1-0) and Wheeling Park, (1-0) and #6 in Class AAA will visit Bridgeport, #3 and (1-0) in Class AA.  The Patriots and the Indians always provide an exciting game that is usually decided by fewer than 6 points.

In Class A this week, #3 Williamstown (1-0) will welcome undefeated and 8th ranked Magnolia to town while 4th ranked and undefeated South Harrison will travel the 50 miles to Pine Grove to take on (1-0) Valley Wetzel.

I know after the excitement of week one, I am definitely looking forward to all of the games this weekend.  And, as always, we invite you to listen in to High School GAMENIGHT this Friday night from 9:30 to Midnight on a number of great radio stations around the state and you can also capture the action at wvmetronews.com!  Talk to you Friday night!!