By Sean McNamara – Times West Virginian for WVMetroNews.com
Eastern Panhandle teams roll into Week 9 of the West Virginia high school football season with many sitting in a good spot as the postseason approaches.
Martinsburg and East Hardy are two of the 10 teams in West Virginia yet to suffer a loss this year, and each hold a No. 2 spot in the WVSSAC playoff ratings.
If the playoffs were to start today, the Bulldogs and Cougars would be joined in the postseason by Musselman, Hedgesville, Spring Mills and Keyser.
This week’s matchups are highlighted by a clash between the Keyser Golden Tornado and the Bridgeport Indians. These two played an exciting game a year ago, and as two of AA’s best this season, are poised to do the same Friday at Wayne Jamison Field in Bridgeport.
Keyser (5-2) at Bridgeport (7-1), Friday
Competition in the Eastern Panhandle will be highlighted by one of the top games statewide in Class AA when the 5-2 Keyser Golden Tornado travel to Bridgeport to take on the 7-1 Indians.
The Golden Tornado are yet to lose to a team in the Mountain State this season as Keyser’s two losses have each come to out-of-state opponents, most recently losing last week, 49-21, to Allegany, Maryland, after losing earlier in the season to Fort Hill, Maryland.
In last week’s loss, Keyser and Allegany opened with a 21-all tie, before the Golden Tornado surrendered four unanswered touchdowns en route to the defeat. Keyser quarterback Brady Ours accounted for 236 of his team’s 344 rushing yards. Ours also passed for 47 yards and accounted for two total touchdowns.
All season, Ours has served as the veteran leader of a Golden Tornado team that came into the season with several holes to fill following last year’s run to the postseason that ended with a second-round playoff loss to Mingo Central.
“We didn’t really have an identity,” Keyser coach Sean Biser said. “I really wasn’t sure what we were going to be able to do. We lost some good kids in the skill positions, and we lost a couple key starters up front, and we just really didn’t have an identity.”
Ours has not been alone, however, with key players stepping up at the skill positions around him as time has gone on.
“I think as the years went on, we knew everybody was going to key on Brady Ours,” Biser said. “We know that going in. But our ball-carriers — our wing back Brandon Clay and Christian Ravenscroft being able to come up and make some plays, and then now we have a really good deep-ball threat and a good receiver in Reggie Redmon. He’s a big-time player just waiting to get that exposure.
“Just being able to spread the ball around has opened Brady Ours up for some more plays.”
With last week’s loss, Keyser dropped to ninth in the WVSSAC Class AA playoff ratings, and will have a chance to gain valuable points against a one-loss Bridgeport team. For coach Biser’s young squad, this win could be a marquee victory heading toward the postseason.
“We’re very young still,” Biser said. “We start five sophomores and we’re spot playing freshmen in a couple different positions.”
The Indians are coming off a hard-fought, 21-3, win over Elkins, the team’s fourth straight after losing in Week 4 to Fairmont Senior.
Bridgeport, currently ranked fifth in the Class AA playoff ratings, runs a ground-oriented offense with just 21 passing attempts so far this season.
Running back Jake Bowen leads the Indians with 107 carries for 874 yards and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback John Merica has proven to be a big-play threat all season with 580 yards on 65 carries (8.9 yards per carry) to go along with 11 touchdowns.
In a loaded Class AA field, no team with three losses currently sits in a playoff spot, so this week’s game not only gives Keyser a chance to gain valuable playoff points, but a loss could drop them on the edge of playoff positioning.
Bridgeport won last year’s matchup, 24-13.
Jefferson (0-7) at Martinsburg (8-0), Friday
Led by Tyson Bagent’s six first-half touchdowns, the Martinsburg Bulldogs routed Eastern Panhandle foe Hedgesville, 83-7, last week to pick up their 22nd straight win.
Bagent threw for 304 yards and five touchdowns while adding another score on a 7-yard run. In all, Martinsburg had 611 yards of offense. Jardon Bowie, Dewayne Grantham, Grant Hartman and Mikey Jackson all had two touchdowns.
The Bulldogs, ranked second in this week’s WVSSAC Class AAA playoff ratings, are one of three teams in Class AAA and one of 10 in West Virginia yet to suffer a loss.
This week’s opponent is the Jefferson Cougars, the lone team in Class AAA without a victory this season.
The Cougars fell, 49-6, in Week 8 to Loudoun Valley out of Virginia.
Martinsburg emerged victorious last season over Jefferson, 42-6.
Hampshire (2-5) at Hedgesville (5-3), Friday
On the heels of an 83-7 loss at the hand of Martinsburg in which the Eagles had less than 100 yards of offense, Hedgesville will look to bounce back this week at home against Hampshire.
The Eagles’ lone score came on a second-quarter touchdown pass from Jason Plotner to N’yjere Smith from 20 yards out.
The loss dropped Hedgesville to No. 11 in the playoff rankings, and with only the season finale against Spring Mills left following a bye next week, a win could be crucial if the Eagles hope to sneak into the eighth spot and host a playoff game. That position is currently occupied by Cabell Midland, a three-loss team with games against undefeated Huntington, two-loss Spring Valley and 4-4 St. Albans left.
The Eagles take on Trojans this week, who lost in Week 8, 41-10, at the hands of the Musselman Applemen.
After opening the season 2-1, Hampshire has dropped four straight. With winnable games to close out the season against Washington and Frankfort, a win against the Eagles would do wonders for Hampshire’s playoff chances.
Musselman (6-1) at Washington (1-6), Friday
The Musselman Applemen won their second straight game in Week 8, defeating Hampshire, 41-10.
In the win, Chris Fox threw two touchdown passes while Blake Hartman ran for two and Jacob Northcraft and Tyler Sine each ran for one.
With the win, Musselman maintained its No. 4 spot in the playoff rankings.
This week’s opponent is Washington, which is coming off a bye week. Prior to the bye, Washington picked up its first win of the season with a 60-47 victory over Frankfort. The victory was their first since Week 1 of the 2015 season.
Spring Mills (4-3) at Mountain Ridge, Maryland, Friday
The Spring Mills Cardinals are back in action after a bye in Week 8. Prior to the bye, the Cardinals earned their fourth win of the season with a 25-8 victory over Jefferson.
Spring Mills currently sits at No. 13 in the WVSSAC Class AAA playoff ratings, and takes on Mountain Ridge, Maryland, this week.
The Miners of Mountain Ridge are 3-4 this season, with a 2-2 record against West Virginia opponents, defeating Hampshire and Frankfort while losing to Hedgesville and John Marshall.
Other games:
Green Street Academy at Berkeley Springs (3-4), Saturday
Moorefiled (0-7) at Petersburg (3-4), Friday