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Southwestern high school football playoff report: Week 12

— By Wes McKinney

CLASS AAA

No. 10 Cabell Midland (6-4) at No. 7 Huntington (7-3) 

When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Cabell Midland eased it way to a 41-7 win over South Charleston to run its winning streak to three while allowing just 14 total points during the win streak.

“Every week it seems like we’re getting on both side of the ball,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said. “Kids are really hungry heading into the playoffs.”

Huntington had a 28-16 setback versus Spring Valley in its final regular season game.

“We had a strip sack in the second quarter and then we throw a pick six in the second half,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals said. “If we don’t do those two things, we are right in that game. But, I liked the way we continued to fight.”

Why It’s Important: This will be the second time in three weeks Cabell Midland and Huntington get together after the Knights won 21-7 in week 10 of the regular season at home. This time the teams will flip venues to Huntington’s Bob Sang Stadium. 

“It something that needs to be addressed,” Seals said. “The three games we played in the playoffs last year were three teams we played in the regular season. Here we are again, whoever wins Friday night has a potential rematch game (against Spring Valley.)” 

Salmons wishes he saw another opponent in the first round of the playoffs, but his team is thankful for the opportunity. 

“I don’t think the kids really care who we play in the playoffs, we’re just happy to be there,” Salmons said. “I think they will embrace this matchup.”

Players to Watch Cabell Midland: The Knights gave up just one touchdown in its first game against Huntington this season which was a main factor in the win, but Cabell Midland’s ability to control the contest with its running game and stable of running backs was also a key reason for the victory. 

“Everything that they do starts with Ivan Vaughn,” Seals said. “I would say he’s the best back that’s been there since I’ve been at Huntington. He’s a tough, hard runner. Jakob Caudill can get the tough yards then you throw in Griffin Adkins, Isaiah Vaughn and the quarterback Jayce Gould has played well as of late. They have a lot of weapon on offense, but I don’t think their defense gets enough credit. The defense has been really good this year.”

Players to Watch Huntington: Seals wants to see energy for each player on his team after back-to-back tough losses versus Capital and Cabell Midland in which he wasn’t happy with the effort. 

“We have to do a better job of playing with more effort and enthusiasm — act like we want to be there,” Seals said. “That’s a heart issue, hopefully we have that fixed.” When Seals challenged his team earlier this season, the Highlanders came up with a 27-21 win against Parkersburg. 

No. 15 Spring Mills (5-5) at No. 2 Spring Valley (10-0)

When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Spring Valley finished off its first ever undefeated regular season with a 28-16 victory over rival Huntington. The win also meant home field advantage throughout the playoffs for Timberwolves. 

“The defense played well and had two touchdowns, but we also had a couple of goal line stands too,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said “It was pretty awesome. Graeson Malashevich made some plays on offense. He scored a receiving touchdown and had over 100 yards receiving. I thought we threw the ball pretty well and did some stuff we don’t normally do — that was good to see.” 

Dating back to last season, Spring Valley has now won 15 straight regular season games and 18 of its last 19 overall. 

Spring Mills snuck into the playoffs under first–year head coach Chad Williams with a 7-0 victory over Hedgesville in week 11 of the regular season. 

Why It’s Important: This will be the first meeting between the programs that are separated by 353 miles. And Dingess likes the challenge of seeing a new opponent in the postseason after the Timberwolves faced three fellow MSAC teams before the state championship game versus Martinsburg in 2017. 

“I’m glad we’re not playing someone we’ve already played in the regular season,” Dingess said. “We don’t know really what to expect. We’ve tried to look at some stuff he did at East Hardy in the past, but we don’t really have a whole lot of film or a lot of experience playing them,” Dingess explained eluding to Williams’ successful tenure as the coach at East Hardy. 

Players to Watch Spring Mills: Williams has done a nice job of developing a formidable offense in his first season at Spring Mills. 

“They have a really athletic quarterback with playmakers on the edge,”Dingess said. “It has taken them a while to get his system going, but they are playing their best football right now.”

Players to Watch Spring Valley: Malashevich capped his regular season in style with not only a receiving touchdown versus Huntington, but also a pick six and fumble return for a touchdown. While there’s still a lot of football to be played in 2018, the whispers for Malashevich in relation to the Kennedy Award are becoming real. 

The versatile playmaker is the leading receiver for the Timberwolves, second-leading rusher, plays three different offensive positions, has made five interceptions on defense and plays on each special team unit as a returner, long snapper and holder.

“That award is given to the best football in the player in the state,” Dingess said. “There’s not a kid in the state that does more for a team than he does for us.”

CLASS AA

No. 9 Mingo Central (8-2) at No. 8 Point Pleasant (8-1)

When: Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Last Week: Mingo Central scored its second-most points of the season as it won a shootout over Winfield, 59-40, in the final week of the regular season. Meanwhile, Point Pleasant gave up the first six points of the game to James Monroe and then didn’t allow the Mavericks to score again in the game as it won 47-6 to wrap up home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. 

“I think our kids got used to that power offense they were running,” Point Pleasant head coach David Darst said. “We did a nice job of filling the gaps and getting our run fits after that first drive. I thought James Monroe was very scrappy defensively, they made us throw the ball a little bit more than we normally do.”

Why It’s Important: This will be the second time Mingo Central and Point Pleasant lock horns this season after the Big Blacks won at MCHS 42-35 in the opening week of the season on a late drive engineered by Point Pleasant quarterback Cason Payne.

Saturday afternoon will also be the third meeting between the teams in the last two seasons after they opened up the 2017 season against each other. Mingo Central prevailed 36-34 on a Hail Mary touchdown by Jeremy Dillon. 

“I’m sure Mingo Central would like to play someone different just like we would too,” Darst said. “We’re kind of familiar with each other — this will be the third time we’ve played each other in the last two years. We have a little bit of an idea of what they like to do and they know what we like to do.”

Players to Watch Mingo Central: Along with quarterback Daylin Goad, the Miners possess some of the best skill players in all of high school football, not just Class AA. 

“They have some playmakers that we better know where they are at, at all times,” Darst said in reference to wide receivers Devin and Drew Hatfield along with running back Dougie Dillon. “Daylin Goad seems to get better and better each week.”

Players to Watch Point Pleasant: After sitting out a large portion of the second half against Spring Valley, Payne returned to action last week. He has been right in the middle of the action offensively for the Big Blacks in the last two regular season meetings versus the Miners, but was also a key figure defensively when Point Pleasant hung on for the 42-35 win versus MCHS this season. 

No. 10 Wayne (8-2) at No. 7 Keyser (8-2) 

When: Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Last Week: Even though Wayne ended Poca’s undefeated run with a 23-0 win in the final week of the regular season, the Pioneers will still take to the road for the first round of the playoffs with a trip to Keyser. 

“We knew going in we were probably going to be on the road.” Wayne head coach Tom Harmon said. “We’re happy to be in and happy to have a chance.” 

Why It’s Important: The opening round date at Keyser will be the first time the Pioneers start a postseason on the road since 2003 when they began those playoffs with a 20-19 win at Scott. 

However, Wayne is accustomed to facing tough situations as the Pioneers couldn’t afford too many slip ups down the stretch of the season after an 0-2 start. 

“We knew when we were 0-2 that we couldn’t have more than one mess up if we wanted to make the playoffs,” Harmon said. “We’ve had to play with our backs against the wall for eight straight weeks. We knew what was at stake. Sometimes when you have that mentality, you tend to sure things up a little faster.”

Players to Watch Wayne: And that Pioneers’ defense has been stout in recent games. Wayne has not allowed more an opponent to record more than 160 yards of offense over the last four games.

Players to Watch Keyser: When turning on the tape of Keyser, the first thing that sticks out to Harmon is the offensive line play. 

“They still take care of one of the lost arts in blocking,” he said. “They aren’t all about out-running or out-scheming you all the time. They know how to win and they know how to win against good competition.”

CLASS A

No. 10 Parkersburg Catholic (9-1) at No. 7 Sherman (9-1)

When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Sherman ran its winning streak to nine straight games with its fourth shutout of the season, a 30-0 win over Van. The victory allowed the Tide to claim home field advantage for its first-round matchup against Parkersburg Catholic. 

The Crusaders closed out their regular season two weeks ago with a 43-0 blanking of Hannan. The win represented a bounce back victory for Parkersburg Catholic who had previously lost to Williamstown. 

Why It’s Important: Friday night will be the first home playoff game for Sherman since hosting Chapmanville as a member of Class AA in 2009. However, this particular group of Tide players are no stranger to playoff success. 

Last season, Sherman went on the road and defeated Madonna in the 8-9 matchup before falling to East Hardy in the Class A quarterfinals. Dating back to last season, the Tide is 12-3 in their last 15 games.

Parkersburg Catholic has been one of the feel-good stories across all of high school football as it made the postseason one year after a winless campaign. The Crusaders last played a playoff game in 2011. 

Players to Watch Parkersburg Catholic: Running back Ty Sturm has been one of the best rushers in all of Class A this season, and helped engineer the 9-1 season by the Crusaders. 

Players to Watch Sherman: With their performances last week versus Van, quarterback J.T. Hensley and running back Timmy Harper have now combined for nearly 2,500 yards on the ground this season. 

No. 12 Van (8-2) at No. 5 Cameron (10-0)

When: Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

Last Week: Van suffered a tough loss over county rival Sherman as the Bulldogs could not find the end zone in a 30-0 loss. Cameron wrapped up a perfect regular season two weeks ago with a 52-0 win over Bridgeport, Ohio. 

Why It’s Important: After making the playoffs in 2016, Van narrowly missed the postseason last year with a couple of late losses in 2017. The Bulldogs will be seeking to make up for their tough 28-0 defeat against Fayetteville in the postseason two seasons ago. 

But Van has a tall task ahead of it with a date against a Cameron team on the rise. The winner of this contest matches up against either Doddridge County or Webster County in the quarterfinals.

Players to Watch Van: The Bulldogs’ defense has been impressive throughout its eight-win regular season campaign, allowing two touchdowns or less in six games. 

Players to Watch Cameron: The Dragons’ defense has been stingy all season as well as they have not given up more than two touchdowns in any contest in 2018. Cameron has pitched four shutouts this season, and it has only played two games that have been decided by 25 or less points. 





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