By Michael Minnich – Clarksburg Exponent Telegram for WVMetroNews.com
AAA No. 6 Wheeling Park (1-0) at AA No. 3 Bridgeport (1-0), 7 p.m.
Bridgeport has lost all of two regular season games (and tied one) since 2013. All of those blemishes came against Wheeling Park. The Indians’ regular season unbeaten streak dates back to Sept. 5, 2014, a 14-10 loss on the Island to the Patriots.
The Indians dominated as a team in a 33-6 win at Lewis County in the opener, needing only 32 plays, all runs, to rack up 227 yards, led by Brice Haines’ 97.
Jake Bowen (60) and John Merica (54) also broke 50.
Wheeling Park pulled away from Brooke in the fourth quarter to win its opener, 24-6.
Nate Phillips caught the ball on both ends, picking off two passes on defense and snaring nine balls for 136 yards and two TD’s on offense.
Rennie Clark rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots.
Bridgeport won on the road in this series, 24-13, last year.
Parkersburg South (0-1) at AAA No. 5 University (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
University cruised to a 34-8 win over John Marshall last week, using a fake punt to sustain a 15-play drive to open the game.
Clay Bailey passed for 175 yards and two scores, connecting with six different receivers for the Hawks, and rushed for 79 more yards.
The Patriots will be hoping to rebound from last week’s loss at Ripley, where they were out-scored 21-0 in the second half after taking a 12-7 lead to the locker room.
Parkersburg South forced six fumbles and Nick Yoho rushed for two short touchdowns and 64 yards.
This game will stream at the MetroNews Channel of WVMetroNews.com.
University won last year’s meeting, 16-9.
Lewis County (0-1) at AAA No. 2 Fairmont Senior (1-0), Fairmont State University, 7 p.m.
Much like his predecessor, Jake Abbott, Connor Neal made a splash in his first career start at quarterback.
The Fairmont Senior signal-caller hit on 14-of-20 throws for 234 yards and three TD’s and rushed for another score from 16 yards away as the Polar Bears pulled away from Robert C. Byrd, 35-14.
Lewis County was never really in its 33-6 loss to Bridgeport, falling behind 27-0 at the half.
Jacob White picked up the Minutemen’s lone score, a 12-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
The two schools did not meet last year; Fairmont Senior captured a 27-13 decision in 2015.
Lincoln (1-0) at Robert C. Byrd (0-1), 7 p.m.
Lincoln did it on defense, holding Braxton County to negative-10 yards rushing and recording eight sacks, and in the passing game, as Kobie Carpenter threw for 318 yards and four scores in the Cougars’ 35-14 win over the Eagles last week.
Now, another set of Eagles: RCB was close for a half at Fairmont Senior before the Polar Bears pulled away
Still, Ghovan Davidson was excellent, rushing 24 times for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Lincoln won, 49-21, last year in RCB’s final regular season game.
A No. 4 South Harrison (1-0) at Valley Wetzel (1-0), 7 p.m.
Freddy Canary scored two touchdowns in the first half— and set up a third with a long kickoff return — as the Hawks picked up a 28-12 win at Doddridge County last week.
Quarterback Nathanial Wright passed for the other two scores for SH.
Speaking of passing, expect plenty of that from Valley Wetzel.
Levi Streets threw for 214 yards and three scores as Valley Wetzel won at Tygarts Valley last week, 28-12.
South Harrison cruised in last year’s contest, 41-6.
A No. 9 Notre Dame (1-0) at Liberty (0-0), 7 p.m.
This early-season Harrison County match-up certainly gained some luster with what Notre Dame was able to do in Week 1.
Ryan LaAsmar had 279 total yards and three touchdowns as the Irish knocked off Pendleton County, a Class A semifinalist last year, by a 41-30 final.
ND led 21-0 at the half, but PC got within five points twice at 27-22 and 35-30, but a recovered onside kick, a 28-yard pass to Hunter Emerson on third down, and a LaAsmar sneak for a touchdown sealed it.
Liberty, a playoff team in Class AA last year, was off last week and won last year’s game in this series, 42-12.
Steubenville, Oh. (1-0) at Morgantown (0-1), 7 p.m.
Morgantown lost its opener at North Allegheny (Pa.), 45-0, last week, managing 83 yards on offense and failing to convert on any of its 10 third downs.
Steubenville thumped Upper St. Clair, 37-7, last week behind three passing touchdowns fro Javon Davis.
The two teams meet for the first time in five years, with Steubenville 3-0 in the series.
Buckhannon-Upshur (1-0) at Ripley (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Bucs began 2017 with a bang, stopping Princeton on a two-point conversion in overtime to win, 20-19.
B-U trailed 13-7 at the half, but evened the score on Casey Hamner’s 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Strader then scored on a 6-yard run in overtime, and Alek Seech’s extra point proved decisive.
Ripley scored three second-half touchdowns to overturn a 12-7 halftime deficit to win, 28-12, against Parkersburg South last week.
Robert Evans rushed for 108 yards, including the go-ahead, 22-yard score with 4:59 left.
The two schools did not meet last year.
Preston (0-1) at North Marion (1-0), 7 p.m.
Dual-threat Dalton Malcolmb passed for 154 yards and rushed for 87 more in the Huskies’ 27-14 opening win over East Fairmont. He threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Haydn Anderson to tie the game at 14 and scored the eventual winning TD on a 3-yard rush.
North Marion would start 2-0 for the first time in 20 years with a win.
Preston, meanwhile, has lost 10 straight overall after four turnovers handed Hampshire 21 points in a 27-12 Trojans victory in Week 1.
Dakota Holt ran for both Knights TD’s from 3 yards and 17 yards, respectively.
North Marion pitched a 41-0 shutout in this series last year.
Elkins (0-0) at Philip Barbour (1-0), 7 p.m.
Philip Barbour’s first win since 2014 was the Chase Collier Show.
Collier blocked a punt and rushed for 191 yards on 18 carries, including scores of 81 and 23 yards, as the Colts won at border rival Grafton, 27-7.
Elkins opens its season after a bye week and were 41-20 winners against PB last year.
Grafton (0-1) at East Fairmont (0-1), 7 p.m.
Always interesting how the same result — a loss — can be taken in two very different ways.
East Fairmont has to be feeling pretty good after leading at the half in a 27-14 loss against North Marion, a playoff team last year.
Jaden Kuroski rushed for 57 yards and also had 42 receiving stripes, including a 24-yard TD reception, and returned an interception 100 yards for the other Bees TD.
Grafton, meanwhile, lost by a 27-7 final on its home field to Philip Barbour, only managing 47 yards rushing.
Caleb Bish accounted for the touchdown on a 5-yard run after Noah Hodges’ interception.
Grafton captured a 16-3 win in this series last year.
Other games:
Braxton County (0-1) at Clay County (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Tygarts Valley (0-1) at Tucker County (0-1), 7 p.m.
Richwood (0-1) at Gilmer County (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
Doddridge County (0-1) at A RV Tyler Consolidated (0-1), 7 p.m.
A RV Clay-Battelle (1-0) at Beallsville, Oh. (0-1), 7 p.m.