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Southwestern Report: Week 4

Mingo Central quarterback Daylin Goad leads the Miners against Sissonville in a matchup of high-scoring offenses.

 

By Wes McKinney — For WVMetroNews.com

A Class AA showdown featuring a pair of high-scoring offenses highlights Week 4 action in the Southwestern region.

GAMES TO WATCH

Class AA

No. 16 Mingo Central (2-1) at No. 5 Sissonville (3-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Mingo Central picked up a 50-8 win over Logan after jumping out on the Wildcats, 43-8 at halftime. Quarterback Daylin Goad tossed six touchdown passes in the contest with three going to Drew Hatfield. Meanwhile, the Miners defense essentially shutout Logan as the only score for LHS was a fumble return late in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Sissonville continued its hot start to the season with another marquee win, this time 41-7 over Scott. The Indians have scored at least 40 points in each of their three games this season. 

Why It’s Important: Mingo Central has a chance to notch two important wins — Wayne and Sissonville — in the last three weeks if it were to go on the road and slow down the Indians’ attack, spearheaded by quarterback Will Hackney. After giving up 42 points to Point Pleasant in the opening week of the season, the Miners’ defense has stiffened the last two weeks against the Pioneers and Logan. 

Who to watch for Mingo Central: After leading a late game-winning drive for a road win over Wayne, Goad picked up right where he left off versus Logan. Doug Dillon has also become a nice compliment to Mingo Central’s passing game and has three rushing touchdowns in the last two games. 

Who to watch for Sissonville: Hackney continues to lead the Indians, who are the sixth-highest scoring offense in Class AA at 43.3 points per game. 

Winfield (1-2) at Wayne (0-2)

When: Thursday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Wayne is coming off its bye week after falling late to Mingo Central, 29-24, in week 2.

“The game was little bit longer than we would have liked,” Wayne head coach Tom Harmon said. “Unfortunately, Mingo Central had the ball last and we came up a little bit short. But, we also have stuff we need to clean up.”

Meanwhile, Winfield fell at home to Chapmanville, 21-12.

Why It’s Important: After a pair of tough losses to Spring Valley and Mingo Central to open the season, the Pioneers come out of the bye week seeking an important win and their first win period.

“Every week is an urgent matter when you get into the regular season,” Harmon said. “You want to win enough games to get your team in the playoffs. Both teams are in a similar situation.”

Who to watch for Winfield: The skill players for Winfield are the ones that concern Harmon.

“It’s a typical Winfield team that we’ve seen in the past, just different players,” Harmon said. “They are very sound schematically.”

Who to watch for Wayne: Gunnar Harmon threw a late touchdown and converted a two-point conversion to give the Pioneers a late 24-22 lead before the game-winning drive by Mingo Central.

Herbert Hoover (1-2) at No. 8 Point Pleasant (3-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Point Pleasant pitched its second straight shutout with a 61-0 drubbing of Warren Local, Ohio in the home opener last week.

“We’re really starting to grow on the defensive side of the ball,” Point Pleasant head coach David Darst said. “They are starting to see different formations and doing a good job of making adjustments.”

The Big Blacks start just two seniors on defense.

Why It’s Important: The Big Blacks host a second consecutive home game this week in search of a win against a Herbert Hoover team that took a loss against Nitro last week.

“I was kind of surprised by the score on Friday night,” Darst said. “I thought they would be 2-1 or possibly 3-0 when they came to play this year. I don’t think their record indicates what kind of team they really are.”

Who to watch for Herbert Hoover: Head coach Tim Meyer has installed veer principles into the Huskies offense.

“They do a nice job with the veer option and the quarterback (Rhett White) does a really good job of knowing where to go with the football,” Darst said.

Who to watch for Point Pleasant: While the Big Blacks’ defense has posted back-to-back shutouts, Point Pleasant is the second-highest scoring offense in all classes, trailing just Doddridge County. Point Pleasant is averaging 53.6 points per game.

Class AAA

No. 8 Woodrow Wilson (2-1) at No. 6 Huntington (3-0)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Woodrow Wilson was dealt its first loss of the year at home against Parkersburg, 35-7. For the second straight year, Huntington got a big performance from its running back versus George Washington in a 42-21 win. Last year, Jadon Hayes carved up the Patriots, and last Friday night Ty Wilcoxon ran for 250 yards and a second-quarter touchdown.

“It all starts up front,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals said of Wilcoxon’s performance. “You could put Walter Payton back there, but if you don’t have guys that can engage and finish blocks, it doesn’t matter.”

Why It’s Important: After a pair of close games to open the season, Huntington cruised to its win over George Washington.

“We played our brand of football,” Seals said. “We were solid on special teams. We did a really nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage on offense. Defensively, we did a nice job of putting pressure on (George Washington quarterback) Grant Wells and made him uncomfortable.”

And the Highlanders can go into their bye week with a 4-0 record with a win over the upstart Flying Eagles.

Who to watch for Woodrow Wilson: Seals has been impressed with the Woodrow Wilson skill players led by Micah Hancock. “They’ve made big strides,” Seals said. “This is a game where if we get a win, we’re going to get some good quality points from them.”

Who to watch for Huntington: The Highlanders’ offensive line, led by Darnell Wright, allowed the team to pile up 522 yards of offense with 467 coming on the ground versus George Washington. 

No. 5 Spring Valley (3-0) at South Charleston (0-3)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Owen Chafin and Graeson Malashevich both ran for 100 yards and the Spring Valley defense stymied the high-flying Cabell Midland offense on its way to a 35-7 win.

“To hold Cabell Midland to seven points and Ivan Vaughn to 40 yards, that’s really good,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “When your defense is playing that well, you don’t have to take as many chances offensively, either.” 

South Charleston suffered a setback against Johnson Central, Kentucky, 43-13. 

Why It’s Important: Spring Valley goes on the road for a second straight week against a South Charleston team that is better than its 0-3 record would suggest.

“You could take 80 or 90 percent of the teams in the state and make them play the same schedule, I bet they’d be 0-3 as well,” Dingess said.

The Black Eagles have faced a gauntlet to start the season as they have played George Washington, Capital and Johnson Central. This week won’t get easier for South Charleston when it welcomes the Timberwolves.

Who to watch for Spring Valley: The Timberwolves’ offense has stolen the headlines early in the season, but Spring Valley’s defense will go for its fourth straight game of holding the opponent under 10 points this week. 

Who to watch for South Charleston: “Athletes all over the place.” That’s how Brad Dingess summed up the Black Eagles when asked what he saw on tape from South Charleston.

“They do a good job of spreading teams out and getting their guys in space,” Dingess added. 

No. 8 Cabell Midland (2-1) at Hurricane (1-2)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Cabell Midland dropped a 35-7 decision at home to Spring Valley as Ivan Vaughn was quieted by the Timberwolves’ defense.

Despite not allowing a first-half offensive touchdown to Capital, Hurricane took a second straight loss with a 49-10 defeat at the hands of the Cougars. 

Why It’s Important: This is an underrated rivalry in the state as just 12 miles separate the two schools. Cabell Midland has won six of the last seven regular season meetings between the two schools, but Hurricane did pull out a 34-31 win when the two teams got together at Redskin Stadium two seasons ago. 

Who to watch for Cabell Midland: After rushing for nearly 400 yards in the first two weeks of the season, Vaughn will look to get back on track versus Hurricane. Last season, Vaughn rushed for 278 yards and three touchdowns against the Redskins. 

Who to watch for Hurricane: Quarterback Nathan Roy and running back Christian Hill seek to balance out the Hurricane offense after the team has scored just 13 points in its last two games. 

Other Games: Phelps, Kentucky (3-0) at Tug Valley (1-1); Tolsia (1-2) at Westside (1-2); Nitro (1-2) at Chapmanville (1-2); Class AA No. 8 Poca (3-0) at Logan (1-2); Class A No. 14 Sherman (2-1) at Buffalo (0-3); Lincoln County (2-1) at Class A No. 8 Van (2-0); Hundred (0-3) at Hannan (0-3)





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