By Eric Little – Seven Ranges Radio for WVMetroNews.com
This week’s massive industrial fire at the former Ames plant in Parkersburg will have an impact on the Class A playoff picture. Williamstown’s Week 9 matchup with Parkersburg Catholic was postponed Saturday, then again Monday.
It’s unlikely there will be a makeup, meaning a 4-4 Williamstown team will have an unexpected two-week layoff near the end of their regular season. It also means they’ll hope to collect enough points out of a nine-game regular season to make the field of 16.
If the Yellowjackets get in, they’re dangerous. There’s not a top-five team that would desire a first-round matchup with Williamstown. But we’ll wait to see how things play out over the next week and a half.
Once again, St. Marys is involved in this area’s best game, though Parkersburg’s Class AAA teams have some tasty matchups on the docket. All game dates/times listed:
St. Marys (6-1) at Ravenswood (5-3) (Friday 7:30)
If there’s anyone that still doubts Jaiden Smith’s contribution to the St. Marys Blue Devils (which is, admittedly, itself doubtful), one needs look no further than last week’s loss to South Harrison. In the televised matchup with the Hawks, the Blue Devils looked slow and small in a 43-15 loss that ended St. Marys’ 20-game winning streak.
That’s because Smith represents a rarely-seen (in Pleasants County) combination of size and speed. And unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Freddy Canary represents the same thing for South Harrison. Canary’s true skill as a running back is unveiled when he enters the second level of a defense. Because once he gets through the defensive line, Canary’s next destination is likely the end zone.
Canary ran for four touchdowns – two of which were on runs of 30 yards or longer. St. Marys learned that hard way that if tackles are missed at the point of impact, there’s isn’t often a second chance.
So now, the Blue Devils head for Ravenswood and a matchup with a Red Devils team that doesn’t own a win against an opponent that’s currently above .500. The Red Devils were 35-14 winners over Roane County last week, getting most of their 290 total yards on the ground.
Luke Jackson and Jake Greene both topped 100 rushing yards for Ravenswood, combining for four touchdowns. For a St. Marys defense that was gashed by South’s Harrison’s running backs last week, the Blue Devils will need to tackle better to make sure it’s not more of the same this week.
The good news for St. Marys last week? The return of quarterback Eric Illar from an appendectomy that forced him out of the last two games.
The Blue Devils may need to rely on Illar and the passing attack to make the difference against a Ravenswood team that struggled to defend the pass earlier this year against Williamstown. With Smith likely out again, St. Marys will need to find answers in the running game to keep that attack honest.
This game can be heard locally on Lite Rock 93R (93.9 FM) and online at www.literock93r.com.
Riverside (4-5) at Parkersburg (5-3) (Friday 7:30)
**Game to be played at Ripley due to Parkersburg fire
Playing the second in a season-ending stretch of games against teams fighting for some of the same Class AAA playoff spots, Parkersburg took a halftime lead over Hurricane Friday and made it last in a 35-7 win.
The Big Reds racked up nearly 400 total yards of offense with a balanced attack. Tyler Moler’s 81 yards led a 122-yard team rushing effort. Quarterback Kam Mace threw three touchdown passes – one to Brenton Strange and a pair to Nathan Steed. Mace was 21 for 27 throwing the football for 258 yards.
Parkersburg’s defense bounced back from the Cabell Midland loss to put up some big numbers against Hurricane. The Big Reds held the Redskins to fewer than 200 total yards, after the Knights racked up nearly 700 against Parkersburg the week before.
Riverside has lost four of their last six and has struggled to achieve consistency. The Warriors followed up a huge win against Morgantown two weeks ago with a 21-14 setback to George Washington. It was the second time this season Riverside lost by seven points or fewer.
If the Big Reds can dial up that same defense that led to last week’s win, the offense should be there in a Senior Night matchup that Parkersburg needs to have. The Big Reds will likely clinch a playoff berth with a win Friday, business they surely want to take care of before the following week’s matchup with Parkersburg South.
Parkersburg South (3-5) at Wheeling Park (4-4) (Friday 7:00)
For the first time this season, Parkersburg South has won two straight games. The Patriots defense didn’t allow a point in a 29-12 win over Greenbrier East – South’s first home win this season.
Unfortunately, those 12 points came from somewhere – and that would be special teams. Greenbrier East’s Colby Piner returned both a kickoff and a punt for a score against a South return unit that’s typically been a team strength.
South wasn’t without their own special teams highlights. Tyee Gibson blocked two Greenbrier East punts. One resulted in a safety while the other fueled South’s running game. Nick Yoho’s two-touchdown, 164-yard effort led the Patriots on the ground. Yoho became the first Patriot to run for more than 100 yards in a game this season. Hunter Shank ran for two more South touchdowns.
The Patriots hit the road for the final time in the 2017 regular season to face Wheeling Park. Wheeling Park picked up a huge 32-0 shutout win on the road over Princeton to snap back-to-back losses. The first of those came to South’s crosstown rival – PHS – after Wheeling Park blew two separate two-touchdown leads.
Wheeling Park is led by their quarterback – Division 1 commit Cross Wilkinson. He’ll represent the toughest test South’s passing defense has seen to date this season. Their best defense will be to limit his opportunities through prolonged offensive drives.
That doesn’t necessarily mean South will have to play ball control, but it means they’ll be best served to finish their drives with scores. Parkersburg South will also need another strong effort from their run game.
This game can be heard locally on V96.9 FM and online at www.v969radio.net.
Tyler Consolidated (4-4) at Valley Wetzel (5-3) (Friday 7:00)
Tyler Consolidated stumbled in a 43-21 loss to Magnolia. The Silver Knights led 21-6 after the first quarter, but allowed the game’s final 37 points. Griffin Phillips connected with Mark Rucker on a pair of touchdown strikes while Hunter Forrester scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery for the second straight week.
The loss casts a serious shadow on Tyler Consolidated’s postseason hopes, meaning the Silver Knights will likely need to win out to get into the field of 16. That includes a Week 11 matchup with St. Marys. First things first, a trip this week to face the Valley Lumberjacks.
Valley became the latest team to run into the emerging buzzsaw that is the Doddridge County Bulldogs. The Lumberjacks were limited to just seven points against one of Class A’s hottest defenses over the last several weeks.
For Tyler Consolidated, they’ll have to work quickly to shore up the things that went awry over the final three quarters. Magnolia racked up more than 500 total yards against the Silver Knights last week. This week, Valley will be just as eager to shake off last week’s loss.
Offensively, the Silver Knights will have to find a way to score in the second half. Tyler went quiet after the first quarter and was outscored 23-0 in the second half. Answers will need to come quickly in the first of two must-win matchups for the Silver Knights. This game can be heard locally on WXCR-FM (92.3 FM) and online at www.wxcr.com.
Tygarts Valley (2-6) at Wirt County (4-4) (Friday 7:00)
Wirt County’s three-game losing streak as the result of a 40-12 win over Ritchie County last week. Casey Stanley ran for two touchdowns and threw for another for the Tigers, completing half his 24 passes.
Tygarts Valley ended a losing streak of their own last week – four games – in a 51-8 win over Hundred. With a game remaining against Sherman, the Tigers need to collect a pair of wins to crack the top-16 and will have a good chance to get the first of those this Friday, especially if the offense looks as diverse as it did last week and in Wirt County’s 3-1 start to the season.
Other Games:
Clay County (5-3) at Calhoun County (0-9) (Friday 7:00)
Paden City (2-6) at Beallsville, Ohio (3-6) (Friday 7:00)
Ritchie County (2-7) at Berkeley Springs (4-4) (Friday 7:00)
Ripley (2-6) at Roane County (0-8) (Friday 7:30)
Gilmer County (2-6) at Parkersburg Catholic (0-6) (Saturday 1:30)
Bye:
Wahama (4-5)
Williamstown (4-4)