— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 12 Hurricane (3-3) at No. 2 Huntington (5-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Huntington got defensive as it scored two defensive touchdowns in a 37-14 win over South Charleston last week. Diallo Mitchell returned an interception for a touchdown and Brocton Blair scooped up a fumble and ran it back for a score. Mitchell was also a force to be reckon with offensively as he went over 100 yards rushing and scored an offensive touchdown.
“We do a great job of getting all three running backs reps in practice,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals said. “When Ty (Wilcoxon) went down early, we have a lot of faith in Diallo and Malik Johnson. He came in and ran the ball well early.”
Why It’s Important: The Redskins and Highlanders played an instant classic in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs last season as Huntington held off Hurricane with a late two-point conversion stop to preserve a 28-27 win.
“That game has definitely gotten the attention of our guys that played in that game,” Seals said. “We know that Hurricane is a team that can beat anyone on any given night. We are definitely focused. We have a lot of respect for those guys.”
Players to Watch Hurricane: “Christian Hill may be as good as anyone in the state of West Virginia at running back,” Seals said. “We need to try to get this one and get to 6-0 before we worry about the next one.”
Players to Watch Huntington: Depending on the status of Wilcoxon for the Hurricane game, Johnson and Mitchell will be called upon to carry the load on the ground for the Highlanders.
“Malik did a nice job of following up the performance of Mitchell late in the game,” Seals said.
No. 14 Cabell Midland (3-3) at Belfry, Kentucky
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: On a sloppy track at Riverside, Cabell Midland had a workman-like performance in a 17-0 shutout win over the Warriors.
“We played a very physical football game. We got back to playing our style of football,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said referring to his team switching back to the wing-T offense.
On defense, the Knights held Riverside to 52 yards of total offense.
Why It’s Important: This will be the last road trip of the season for Cabell Midland as It finishes the season with three straight home games.
“Belfry is the same team that we’ve played the last couple of years,” Salmons said. “They run the same 8-10 plays that they’ve always run.”
Players to Watch Cabell Midland: The Knights received great balance in their running game in the win over Riverside. Ivan Vaughn ran for 153 yards, but Carlito Carter and Jakob Caudill each added 78 yards on the ground while Isaiah Vaughn rushed for 70 yards.
“We have some good backs and we made the change last week to our wing-T offense,” Salmons said. “It’s what I’ve always done here at Cabell Midland.”
Riverside (1-4) at No. 1 Spring Valley (6-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley outlasted Capital, 21-13, in a matchup of the top two teams in Class AAA.
“Our defense played really well,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “To hold those guys to 13 points is really good. A lot of their yards came on broken plays. Anytime you can go on the road and beat the number one team in the state, it’s something big for you.”
Graeson Malashevich and Owen Chafin paced the SVHS offense as both players rushed for over 100 yards against the stingy Capital defense. “Owen is a tank in there,” Dingess said.
“He’s got a big motor. When he gets his shoulders squared, he can run through some tackles because he’s a big, strong kid. Graeson is just a playmaker. You put the ball in that guy’s hand, something positive is going to happen. I think he’s one of the most special players in the state and I think he proved that Friday night.”
Both running backs combined for the three scores for the Timberwolves.
Why It’s Important: Now Spring Valley has the target on its back as the number one team in the state after the win. “Riverside is better than what its record says,” Dingess said. “They have played a really tough schedule.”
Players to Watch Riverside: Caden Easterling carries the torch for the Riverside offense.
“He runs the ball really hard,” Dingess said. And Easterling has a strong line in front of him. “I think Riverside’s line does a good job. They come off the ball well.”
Players to Watch Spring Valley: Spring Valley’s secondary has been one of the more unheralded parts of the Timberwolves’ squad in 2018. Spring Valley held Capital’s Kerry Martin to 99 yards passing after intercepting George Washington’s Grant Wells three times the prior week.
“We’re a different team than we were three years ago,” Dingess said. “We have some athletes in the secondary that allows us to play some man coverage.”
No. 14 Mingo Central (3-2) at Nitro (1-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Mingo Central’s season has been packed with close games, but the Miners ran into a red hot Poca team prior to their bye week as they fell 45-27 to the Dots.
Why It’s Important: This week represents a chance for Mingo Central to regain some momentum after the setback two weeks ago. Each of the next three opponents for the Miners each have just one win, Nitro, Scott and Herbert Hoover. The Miners have faced just one team with a losing record this season — Logan — and they defeated Logan 50-8 in week three of the season.
Players to Watch Mingo Central: Quarterback Daylin Goad continued his impressive run as he passed for 273 yards against Poca.
Wayne (3-2) at Herbert Hoover (1-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Wayne continued its recent success through the air as Gunner Harmon tossed for three touchdowns to go along with 176 passing yards. Mike Bartram added 70 yards rushing and 58 yards receiving in the 49-7 win over Scott.
Why It’s Important: The Pioneers — winners of three straight — will face Chapmanville and Sissonville in back-to-back weeks in what could ultimately decide the postseason fate for Wayne. However, it is important Wayne gets by Herbert Hoover before shifting its attention to the Tigers and Indians.
Players to Watch Wayne: While Harmon has been impressive throwing the ball the last two weeks, his top target Tanner Owens has scored three touchdowns in the last two contests for the Pioneers.
No. 12 Van (4-1) at Tug Valley (3-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Van has quietly been rolling along with its lone loss of the season against Class AA Lincoln County. The Bulldogs picked up a 40-6 win over Hannan last week to move to 4-1 on the season. Van has given up just 14 points in each of its last two wins. Meanwhile, Tug Valley edged out a pesky Buffalo team, 20-15, to lift its record back above .500.
Why It’s Important: In a tightly compacted and highly competitive Class A, this is an important contest for both squads. Tug Valley follows up this contest with a matchup against Mount View in week eight. As for Van, it travels to Madonna next week and still has a game with rival Sherman looming at the end of the season.
Players to Watch Van: The Bulldogs have been paced by an experienced offensive this season.
Players to Watch Tug Valley: Quarterback Tyler Chaffin tossed three touchdowns including the go-ahead score against Buffalo with less than three minutes left in the contest to lift the Panthers last week.
No. 13 Tolsia (4-2) at No. 1 Mount View (5-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: The Rebels have put together three straight wins after downing South Harrison, 32-14. Mount View is coming off a bye week after winning 53-6 over Webster County.
Why It’s Important: Tolsia controls its own destiny towards a playoff spot as it only plays nine games this season, but the Rebels still have tough tests against Tyler Consolidated and a Pikeville, Kentucky team that went to the wire with Point Pleasant two weeks ago.
Players to Watch Tolsia: Devin Crum and Tanner Copley combined for five touchdowns in Tolsia’s 44-36 win over Tug Valley two weeks ago.
Players to Watch Mount View: Elijah Barner has led the upstart Golden Knights. Last season, Barner rushed for 1,000 yards and has already piled up 644 rushing yards through five games this season.
Other Games: Logan (2-4) at Scott (1-4); Man (3-2) at No. 7 Keyser (4-1); Valley (Fayette) (0-6) at Lincoln County (3-2)