MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — After 16 first-round playoff games were completed Friday, eight were left to be played Saturday. A closer look at Saturday’s playoff action.
Class AAA
Martinsburg blanks Hurricane
The No. 1 Bulldogs improved to 11-0 with a 35-0 victory against No. 16 Hurricane.
Martinsburg got a pair of first-quarter touchdown runs from Grant Harman from 3 yards and 1 yard, respectively, to build a 14-0 lead en route to its 39th straight victory.
Harman then threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jarod Bowie to push the Bulldogs’ lead out to 21-0.
The scored stayed that way until the third quarter, when Harman scored on a 2-yard run.
Ty Lucas recovered a fumble in the end zone for the game’s final score.
Martinsburg will welcome No. 9 Parkersburg for a quarterfinal next week.
Hurricane’s season ended at 5-6.
Hedgesville pulls off thrilling win at Parkersburg South
Niyjere Smith returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown with 9 seconds to play, lifting No. 11 Hedgesville to an improbably 35-29 first-round win at No. 6 Parkersburg South.
The Patriots (7-4) built a 21-0 halftime lead as Eagles’ quarterback Hunter Coe struggled throughout the first half of his first start behind center.
But Coe was a different signal caller after halftime and finished the contest throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
Hedgesville (7-4) reeled off 28 unanswered points and held a seven-point lead late, before Parkersburg South scored with 19 seconds left to cut its deficit to one. The Patriots elected to go for two and what they figured was the win and converted on a Brayden Mooney run.
But Smith ran the ensuing kickoff back to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, allowing Hedgesville to advance to face Capital in a quarterfinal next week.
Malakai Brown scored three touchdowns in the win, while the Patriots’ Nick Yoho had four touchdowns and more than 180 rushing yards in defeat.
Class AA
No letdown for Fairmont Senior in win against Lewis County
The top-ranked Polar Bears scored 22 first-quarter points and 28 more in the second quarter to take a 50-0 lead into halftime in a 56-6 victory over No. 16 Lewis County.
Rhett Heston got the scoring started for the Polar Bears (11-0) with a 14-yard touchdown run. Connor Neal threw a pass to Jake Pitman for the two-point conversion to give FSHS an 8-0 lead less than 3 minutes into the game.
Breeden Gilbert’s 2-yard TD run made it 15-0, before Neal connected with Pitman on a 31-yard touchdown pass that made it 22-0 in the first quarter.
Neal found Pitman for a 4-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, before Caleb Walker scored on a 3-yard run to up the lead to 36-0.
Neal’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Gage Michael gave him a third passing TD and he added one with his legs on a 5-yard run to send the Polar Bears into halftime with a 50-0 lead.
Lewis County finished 6-5 one year after going 1-9.
Weir ends Poca’s season on sour note
Behind a dominant first half, the Class AA No. 12 Red Riders ended the Dots’ season with a 41-14 road victory.
Weir (9-2) held a 20-0 lead at halftime after three touchdowns from three different players in the first two quarters.
Tyler Komorowski threw a 35-yard pass to Sebastian Spencer for the Red Riders’ first score, and Weir doubled its lead on Donavan Kirby’s 11-yard run.
Komorowski ran in a 1-yard touchdown to send his team into halftime with a commanding 20-point advantage.
Komorowski found Spencer for a 40-yard TD pass to start the second-half scoring, before Poca (9-2) got a 60-yard touchdown run from Jay Cook to get on the scoreboard.
But Spencer broke off a 50-yard TD run to move the Weir lead to 33-7 and the Red Riders were never threatened the rest of the way.
After winning its first nine games to start the season, Poca lost its last two.
Weir will travel to unbeaten Nicholas County for a quarterfinal matchup next week.
Point Pleasant outlasts Mingo Central
The Class AA No. 8 Big Blacks separated themselves from the No. 9 Miners in the second half of a 65-36 opening-round win.
The teams went to halftime tied at 29, but Point Pleasant (9-1) outscored Mingo Central (8-3) 29-7 over the third quarter to seize control.
Point Pleasant quarterback Cason Payne had a memorable performance and his sixth rushing touchdown of the game gave the Big Blacks a 58-36 lead with 2:16 on the third quarter clock.
Payne rushed for 256 yards in the victory, helping the Big Blacks overcome another strong performance by Miners’ quarterback Daylin Goad.
Point Pleasant will play at Fairmont Senior in a quarterfinal next week.
Class A
Williamstown moves past Summers County
The No. 6 Yellowjackets held the No. 11 Bobcats scoreless in the second half to pull away for a 27-12 win.
Leading 13-12 at halftime, Williamstown (9-2) created some separation with 2:06 left in the third quarter when Carter Haynes threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Nick Bondi.
Donathan Taylor’s 3-yard TD run with 6:37 to play helped seal the verdict that’ll send Williamstown to face No. 3 Mount View in next week’s quarterfinal at Princeton High School.
Summers County ended its season 7-4.
Perfection in Progress
Unbeaten teams remaining (by class):
AAA: Martinsburg, Spring Valley
AA: Fairmont Senior, Nicholas County
A: Cameron, Doddridge County, Midland Trail
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