By Philip See for WVMetroNews.com
Spring Valley (5-2) at Capital (5-2)
After comfortably knocking off Hurricane two weeks ago, Capital kept its momentum rolling with a 55-0 blowout victory over Woodrow Wilson in Week 8 to move to 5-2.
The Cougars now face powerful MSAC opponent Spring Valley. The Timberwolves knocked off Capital twice last season. They claimed a convincing 21-0 victory in the regular season, but when the two squads squared off in the AAA semifinals, it was a bit of a different story. The Cougars gave Spring Valley all it could handle before a late touchdown propelled the Timberwolves a 20-14 victory and a trip to the state championship game.
Though it returns many of its key pieces from a year ago, Spring Valley has not been quite as strong this season, dropping contests to Huntington and Hurricane. Few would be surprised, however, if Spring Valley is able to make a strong late-season push and a deep playoff run. With another tough game looming next week against Cabell Midland, a win against Capital would be of great value to the Timberwolves.
If the Cougars can reverse their fortunes from a year ago and knock off Spring Valley, they would be in great position to secure a home game with a strong chance to move into the top-4 and potentially host two playoff games. Capital has tricky rivalry games with South Charleston and George Washington to close out the season. Those games are never easy victories, but the Cougars will be favored to win both.
Wayne (6-1) at Sissonville (5-2)
After rolling out to a 5-1 record, Sissonville suffered a setback a week ago. The Indians dropped a tough one at Winfield by a final of 46-14.
The second loss gives Sissonville a different perspective on the season. It went from having a good chance of finishing second in the Cardinal and hosting a playoff game to now sitting at No. 15 in the latest AA playoff ratings.
This game, which they had hoped would iron out conference standings and playoff seeding, is now a game the Indians need to secure a spot within the top-16.
After missing the playoffs the last two seasons, Wayne appears to be on its way back to the dominant program that had been in the AA playoff field the 16 seasons prior to that. This young Pioneer squad has arrived a year ahead of schedule, and if they can get past Sissonville, they will have a great chance to finish second in the Cardinal behind Mingo Central and host at least one playoff game.
George Washington (4-3) at Riverside (4-4)
Riverside thrust itself back into the playoff picture with a big win at Morgantown in Week 8. The Warriors took Morgantown to overtime, and after the Mohigans scored on their possession, Riverside answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion to pull out a 28-27 victory.
Quarterback Mark Scites, who ran for two touchdowns in the game and threw for a third, ran the conversion in to secure the victory.
“Our guy is a little shorter, maybe not as fast,” Riverside coach Zach Davis said of his quarterback, “But I’ll take Mark Scites over anybody in this state. He’s a competitor, a two-year starter for us. He’s just a guy that I want the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.”
The win evened Riverside’s record back up at 4-4 and placed the Warriors at No. 16 in the AAA playoff ratings, just inside the current playoff field. The Warriors conclude their season by hosting George Washington this week and traveling to Parkersburg next week. They must win one of those two games to maintain their chance of ending a decade-long playoff drought.
“Obviously the win over Morgantown has given our playoff hopes a boost,” Davis said. “Our kids are excited to play GW. We played them tight last year but couldn’t capitalize on some red zone opportunities to score. I look forward to a great game.”
At 4-3, George Washington enters the contest at No. 10 in the most recent AAA playoff rankings, sitting in a better position than the Warriors. The Patriots have knocked off Riverside nine consecutive times, but if they are not able to do so this week, their road to a playoff berth toughens.
George Washington wraps up its season with difficult games against Hurricane and Capital. A loss to Riverside could put the Patriots in danger of missing the playoffs for just the second time since 2006.
Other Games:
South Charleston (3-4) at Huntington (7-0)
Cabell Midland (4-3) at St. Albans (4-4)
Herbert Hoover (1-6) at Mingo Central (7-0)
Nitro (2-5) at Winfield (5-2)
Scott (2-5) at Poca (2-5)
Buffalo (1-6) at Fayetteville (5-2)
Hurricane (4-3) at Parkersburg (4-3)