— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
No. 9 Capital (3-2) at No. 7 Spring Valley (4-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley wore on George Washington with a work men-like 41-6 win at home last week. The Timberwolves grinded out long first quarter scoring drives to go up 14-0 on the Patriots.
“George Washington played a couple yards off the ball and stood everyone up,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess explained. “It caused us to be patient and drive the ball at them. We were able to do that and cause a couple of turnovers before long we jumped up on them. I was proud of our kids. Anytime you play a game and the opponent gives you a different look, kids tend to panic. But we didn’t.”
And another recipe for Spring Valley’s success was a defensive touchdown on a Corbin Paige fumble recovery for a touchdown.
“If you get a defensive or special teams touchdown, it gives you a better chance of winning that ball game,” Dingess said. “We practice stripping the ball and scooping and scoring.”
Why It’s Important: Spring Valley has had Capital’s number in recent years. The Timberwolves defeated Capital twice last season including a dominant 56-14 win in the Class AAA Semifinals. Spring Valley also owns a 2016 Class AAA Semifinal victory over the Cougars to make the first of their three straight trips to Wheeling Island.
While both teams have lost familiar names in this budding rivalry, the athleticism for Capital has remained, Dingess says.
“They still have a lot of those same names they’ve had over the last couple of years. I know they have two losses, but you look at their losses — Johnson Central and Cabell Midland.”
Who to Watch for Capital: Josh Martinez and Logan Spurlock each recovered a fumble in the Cougars’ 26-21 loss at Cabell Midland, but Dingess sees the hallmark of a good defense for head coach Jon Carpenter.
“I think they are really good on defense,” he said. “They swarm to the football and are physical.”
Who to Watch for Spring Valley: The Timberwolves got offensive touchdowns from four different players in Luke Christopher, Cole Diamond, Paige and Zane Porter.
“We feel like we have some kids that can carry the football,” Dingess said. “We’re going to give them all a shot. We may not have a guy that can carry the ball 25 times a game, but we’ll have four guys that carry it 5-8 times a game.”
No. 3 Parkersburg South (5-0) at No. 6 Huntington (3-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Huntington overcame a two-touchdown deficit in the second half as Highlanders’ quarterback Tay Blackwell found the end zone with eight seconds left to lift Huntington to a wild 52-50 win over South Charleston.
“I’m really proud of our kids,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals said. “It would have been real easy to quit because we were down two scores at the half. Our kids just kept battling. They have a lot of toughness, integrity and perseverance in them. They did a tremendous job in fighting back and getting that win.”
Why It’s Important: Parkersburg South has been rolling by teams as it has scored at least 40 points in all five games to this point in the season while defeating each opponent by at least three touchdowns in each instance.
After giving up 50 points, Huntington’s defense will be tested against one of Class AAA’s best in Brandon Penn and the high-octane Parkersburg South offense.
“They’ve pretty much handled everyone they’ve played up to this point, and handled them pretty easily,” Seals said referencing the Patriots. “I think we had our hiccup on defense Friday night. That’s not the way we play football We can all be better. I’m not sure I was real good (coaching) on Friday night. We have a really good football team coming in.”
Who to Watch for Parkersburg South: Penn has accounted for 21 touchdowns in five games while amassing over 1,500 yards of offense, but his running back Devon Gaines has also caught the attention of Seals.
“Play with 15 guys, I don’t know,” Seals joked in relation to stopping Penn and the Parkersburg South offense. “He’s really, really good. Our kids got a lot of respect for them after film study. He’s as good as anyone in the state. He’s done a tremendous job. You look at the number he’s putting up. I think their two offensive guards are good. I think Devon Gaines is really good at running back.”
Who to Watch for Huntington: After Blackwell’s performance of 216 passing yards and four total touchdowns in the win over South Charleston, this week could be a battle of the quarterbacks.
“He had his best game as a Highlander Friday night,” Seals said. “He played like a senior quarterback and a guy that’s taken a lot of snaps. He did a really nice job on the fourth-and-nine to get us to the one-yard line.
“He stood right in there and took a big hit, but delivered the ball to Eli Archer to the one, then scored,” Seals said. “Anytime we can be two dimensional on offense—throw the ball well on o and continue to run it—we’re going to be a better football team.”
No. 8 Riverside (3-1) at No. 1 Cabell Midland (5-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: In what been a season of unsung heroes making big plays for Cabell Midland, Jackson Fetty’s 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter kept the Knights perfect as they outlasted Capital 26-21.
“He’s been a huge asset for us,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said of Fetty. “He’s playing a lot of different positions. He stepped in and made a good run. The offensive line created a hole and we executed.”
Why It’s Important: This week’s matchup for Cabell Midland will be the third game in a stretch of four consecutive home dates for the Knights. But the upstart Warriors will look to ruin the perfect run for Cabell Midland to this point.
“We know Riverside is well-coached and they play hard,” Salmons said. “We know Riverside is going to come in ready to play and we have to match the intensity.”
Who to Watch for Riverside: Caden Easterling ran for over 300 yards last week and two scores, but quarterback Javante Elzy broke off two of his touchdown runs in the 50-12 victory over St. Albans.
“We know the Easterling kid is good and the quarterback is good,” Salmons said. “But it’s not about one or two kids, it’s about all 11 on the field.”
Who to Watch for Cabell Midland: While Fetty and Jakob Caudill have scored late touchdowns for the Knights each of the last two weeks, Salmons credits his entire squad for not panicking when they’ve had to rally against Capital and Hurricane.
“The kids continue to play four quarters,” Salmons said “We don’t stand on the sidelines and think about we have to score on a certain possession. They don’t panic and continue to play. We have a desire to win no matter what the score is.”
CLASS AA
No. 9 Bluefield (3-1) at Point Pleasant (1-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Point Pleasant’s game with Bishop Sycamore (Ohio) was cancelled last week due to WVSSAC’s regulations. To find the last Big Blacks game, one must go back to a 36-0 shutout win of Lincoln County in week four of the season.
“I like the way our defense played,” Point Pleasant head coach David Darst said. “We seem to be gelling on that side of the ball.”
Why It’s Important: In what has been a bizarre start to the season for the Big Blacks, Point Pleasant will play its first home game of the season, and just its third overall. “We’re tired of practice. We’re ready to play a game,” Darst said. “We all signed up to play football, so we’re going to get to do that for the next six weeks.”
And over the next five weeks, Point Pleasant will see some very talent teams come to Mason County starting with Bluefield this week.
Who to Watch for Bluefield: The Beavers boast five players that have either committed to Division I schools or are garnering offers from Division I schools.
“(Running back and Toledo commit) JJ Davis is a game changer,” Darst said.
“We’re trying to figure out if anyone can block Sean Martin. He does an outstanding job. On top of all of that, you’re talking about one of the premier coaching staffs in the state. Those guys know to how to coach. They get their athletes ready to play each week.”
Who to Watch for Point Pleasant: After two games, Darst is pleased with the way Hunter Bush is rounding into form for the Big Blacks at quarterback as Bush replaces Cason Payne.
“I think my quarterback is getting better,” he said. “I like what I saw from him in the Lincoln County game.”
CLASS A
East Carter, Ky. (5-1) at No. 3 Tolsia (4-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Tolsia held off a fourth-quarter rally from Tug Valley to pick up a marquee 44-36 win over the Panthers and improve to 4-1 on the season.
Why It’s Important: The Rebels are in a rugged stretch of games as they face five-win East Carter before finishing this run of games with another home contest against Buffalo. If Tolsia were to get through this gauntlet unscathed, lesser tests against Mount View, Phelps, Kentucky
and Hannan await at the end of the season.
Who to Watch for Tolsia: Tanner Copley and John Wilson combined for 242 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the win against Tug Valley.
Pike Central (4-1) at Tug Valley (3-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Tug Valley scored the game’s final 28 points, but could not overcome an early hole as TVHS fell to Tolsia, 44-36.
Why It’s Important: Much like Tolsia, the Panthers are in the middle of a tough run of games. After the contest with Pike Central, Tug Valley faces currently unbeaten Man in week seven of the season. And each game does carry a bit more weight for Panthers who will only play nine games this season.
Who to Watch for Tug Valley: Quarterback Ethan Varney tossed for five touchdowns while adding 280 yards through the air. Varney also toted the ball for 80 yards on the ground.
Other games: Lincoln County (0-5) at Class AA No. 5 Man (5-0); Logan (0-5) at Nitro (2-3); Wayne (0-4) at Scott (0-4); Chapmanville (2-3) at Herbert Hoover (2-3); Sherman (0-5) at East Hardy (2-2)