VIENNA, W.Va — The No. 8 vs. 9 matchup in Class A pits a team from the Virginia border and a team from the Ohio border that both enter the playoffs riding waves of momentum.
Pendleton County has won five consecutive games after a 3-2 start and they will be hosting a postseason game in Franklin for the first time in school history.
“It is just a great feeling,” said Pendleton County head coach Zach Smith. “The fans and everybody are excited. It is going to be a good week and a good Friday night game for us,” Smith said.
Pendleton’s season turned when the Wildcats shutout Tucker County in week six. The Mountain Lions were 5-0 and ranked second in the state before a 16-0 loss.
“I think that was a good win for us in the mud and the field conditions. That was a big turning point for us. I think after the Southern Garrett game as well, we ended up losing that game but we stuck together and found a way to beat Tucker County the next week,” Smith said.
And in the second half of the season, Pendleton’s defense has allowed just 29 points. “We gave up over three hundred points last season. It was really a focus to get better defensively. We have kids that have really bought in to what we tried to teach them,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, ninth-seeded Magnolia is coming off a 21-12 over defending state champion Wheeling Central Catholic. The Blue Eagles broke the Maroon Knights 16-game win streak.
“We have been playing pretty good as of late,” said Magnolia head coach Dave Chapman. “That’s six of the last seven we have won. I know it is ‘coachspeak’ but the kids have continued to get better each and every week. Friday was not surprising but with the number one team in the state coming in undefeated, you get excited to play a game like that,” Chapman said.
Led by senior quarterback Pat Mirandy, the Blue Eagles have gone 7-3 against a difficult schedule. Mirandy has 24 total touchdowns and has accounted for 1,774 yards of total offense. “He really understands the game,” Chapman said. “We ask him to do a lot. There’s a lot of things we do offensively with him and he runs a pretty good show for us.”
“But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some other guys: (Sebastian) Stickler, that offensive line, (Jason) Beisel and (Greg) Adams. They have all come together as a unit and we are pretty happy with where we are at right now,” Chapman said.