By Philip See for WVMetroNews.com
Capital (3-1) at Huntington (4-0)
Capital came up with a huge play with no time left on the clock to escape with a huge 55-49 victory at Cabell Midland in Week 4.
The Cougars built a 49-28 lead in the second half before Midland came storming back to tie the game at 49. The Knights missed a field goal to take the lead and surrendered the ball back to Capital with just seconds remaining on the clock.
After a pass interference penalty gave Capital the ball on its own 35, the Cougars had only one untimed down remaining. Quarterback Kerry Martin, Jr. launched the ball as far as he could, and receiver Deshawn Harper was able to get his hand on it and tip the ball to teammate Anthony Pittman. Pittman raced the rest of the way into the end zone to give Capital the thrilling victory.
The Cougars now look to ride the momentum from that win back into Cabell County to take on the undefeated Huntington Highlanders. The Highlanders ran their record to 4-0 with a 35-21 victory over Parkersburg.
While the season is still young, Huntington is the only remaining undefeated team in the MSAC. Capital is still undefeated in conference play, with its lone loss coming to an out-of-state team. While both have tough games remaining on the schedule in the second half of the season, the winner will become the frontrunner to claim the MSAC championship.
South Charleston (2-2) at Spring Valley (2-1)
After a difficult stretch to start the season, South Charleston was firing on all cylinders in Week 4 as the Black Eagles rolled in the second half to a 41-20 victory over Riverside.
In particular, it was the Black Eagle rushing attack that dominated. Quarterback Trae Murphy surpassed the 150-yard mark and scored three touchdowns on the ground as South Charleston approached 500 rushing yards for the game.
The Black Eagles now look to piece together consecutive wins to start a march toward the playoffs. They will get another tough test this week, though, as they travel to face defending state runner-up Spring Valley. South Charleston’s offense will need to stay hot against the Timberwolves’ defense, which has only given up 28 total points in three contests.
Poca (2-2) at Mingo Central (4-0)
Poca entered the 2017 football season with a well-publicized losing streak that dated back to September of 2013. The Dots lost their first two games of this season to run the streak up to 39 games before finally breaking through with a convincing 30-0 victory over Buffalo.
The Dots followed that victory up with a second one, knocking off Logan 30-20 a week ago. After the losing streak that lasted a few days shy of four full calendar years, Poca suddenly finds itself on a winning streak.
Unfortunately for the Dots, their opponent this week enters the game on quite a winning streak of its own. Mingo Central has now run off 18 straight victories, starting this season 4-0 after finishing a perfect 14-0 and winning the state championship in 2016.
While Poca is not likely to knock off the defending state champs that have the reigning winner of the Kennedy and MetroNews Player of the Year Awards in Jeremy Dillon, the back-to-back wins have breathed new life and enthusiasm into a program that has not had much hope in recent years. Led by a pair of freshmen in running back Ethan Payne and quarterback Jay Cook, the Dots are unquestionably headed in a positive direction.
Other Games:
St. Albans (2-2) at Riverside (2-2)
Ripley (2-2) at George Washington (1-3)
Herbert Hoover (1-3) at Sissonville (3-1)
Winfield (2-2) at Logan (1-3)
Nitro (1-3) at Wayne (2-1)
Bye:
Hurricane (3-1)
Buffalo (1-3)