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Week #5 Already…..C’MON MAN!!!!

How is it possible?  The 2019 high school football season is entering week #5 which, for several teams, means after this weekend, the regular season will be half-over!!  C’MON MAN….we just started!

Now, in all fairness….the sky is not really falling.  When you look at the numbers, only 10% of the 114 high school football teams in the state will have completed 50% of their regular season schedule when play ends this weekend!  And, I don’t know about you, but honestly for me, it seems as if the high school football season passes far more quickly with each passing year!  And, just for the sake of “delving”, while we are looking at percentages and numbers, let’s delve into this season just a little further.

As we enter week #5 of the 2019 season, of the 29 teams that play Class AAA high school football, there are only three teams, or 10.3%, sporting an unblemished record….Cabell Midland (4-0), Martinsburg (4-0) and Parkersburg South (4-0).  On the other side of that spectrum, in Class AAA we currently have four teams, or 13.7%, still searching for win #1…..Hampshire, Hedgesville, Jefferson and St. Albans.  In Class AA, the numbers are similar.  Of the 44 Class AA football teams in the state, we currently have seven still riding an unbeaten streak…….Fairmont Senior (4-0), Keyser (4-0), Liberty (Raleigh) (3-0), Man (4-0), Oak Glen (4-0), Poca (4-0) and Wyoming East (3-0).  That number translates to 15.9%!  The number of Class AA teams still looking for that first win of the 2019 season currently stands at ten, or 22.7%!  Those teams include Braxton County, Elkins, Lincoln County, Logan, Oak Hill, Philip Barbour, Pikeview, Scott, Wayne and Westside.  In Class A, of the 41 teams that are currently playing high school football, we have three that have yet to taste defeat.  They include, Doddridge County, Pendleton County and Ritchie County.  Obviously having the word “County” as part of your team name doesn’t hurt!!  That number figures to 7.3%.  The number of Class A schools still on the winless side this season is six and they include Hannan, Magnolia, Montcalm, Sherman, Tucker County and Valley (Wetzel).  Percentage wise the number of winless teams in Class A is 14.6%.

Another number that is particularly telling as we approach the midway point of the season is the number of teams that have suffered at least three losses.  There are 10 teams in Class AAA, 13 in Class AA and 12 in Class A!  That totals up to 35 teams with at least three losses or, 31%!  I mention that because with still more than half of the season left for around 90% of the teams, getting into the playoffs with 3 or four losses can be difficult!

So, as we head into week #5 of the season there are some outstanding games to look forward to this weekend.  Beginning in Class AAA, the Capital Cougars (3-1) have won three in a row and they will travel to Ona, WV this Friday night for a matchup against undefeated Cabell Midland (4-0)!  This is always a great game when these two teams hook up and this Friday night should be no different!  Also in Class AAA, the University Hawks will try and bounce back from a loss on the road last Friday night at Wheeling Park when they host the undefeated Class AA #1 Polar Bears of Fairmont Senior!  In addition to that game involving a Class AA team, the Poca Dots (4-0) put their winless season on the line as they travel to Miner Mountain to face the (3-1) Miners of Mingo Central.  And, another great game in Class AA this weekend will find the unbeaten Golden Tornado of Keyser (4-0) on the road to Memorial Stadium in Summersville to battle the once beaten Grizzlies of Nicholas County (3-1).  In Class A the  action begins this Thursday night as undefeated Ritchie County (3-0) travels to West Union to battle the undefeated (3-0) Bulldogs of Doddridge County.  Just a note, that game can be viewed on the MetroNews Channel at wvmetronews.com with a kickoff set for 7pm.  A couple of other games to check out this weekend in Class A finds Tug Valley (3-1) at Tolsia (3-1), Buffalo (3-1) at Williamstown (3-1), Western Reserve from Berlin Center, Ohio (3-1) at Wheeling Central (3-1), and Clay-Battelle (2-1) at Tygarts Valley (3-0)!

As always, don’t forget to join Dave Jecklin and me this Friday night for GAMENIGHT from 9:30 to Midnight on great radio stations all across this great state and @wvmetronews.com!

 

 





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