— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
No. 5 Spring Valley (5-1) at No. 8 Riverside (3-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley dominated Capital from start to finish as it intercepted Capital five times and had the ball for over 38 minutes in a 41-0 win.
“To be honest, we didn’t see the game getting like that,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “I liked our chances coming in, but I never dreamed it would be liked.”
Quarterback Nate Ellis added three rushing touchdowns in the win for the Timberwolves.
“The best thing about it is we’re getting better every week,” Dingess said.
“That makes you happy as a coach to see your kids are improving every week. You don’t want to get stagnant or lose the passion. The Capital game was the best game we’ve played all year, but we have some mistakes that we can capitalize on.”
Why It’s Important: Since the 28-21 loss to Cabell Midland, Spring Valley has outscored its opponents 115-12 in wins over Capital, George Washington and South Charleston. Now the Timberwolves will take their show on the road for the first time since week two.
Who to Watch Spring Valley: Ellis has been stellar during the three-game win streak for the Timberwolves in an already loaded ground game for Spring Valley that includes Luke Christopher and David Livingston among others.
Who to Watch Riverside: When asked what impressed Dingess about Riverside running back Caden Easterling, he provided this response. “That he’s still there. My goodness he’s been there like six years,” Dingess joked. But in all seriousness, Dingess hold Easterling in high regards.
“He’s an old-school running back,” Dingess said. “He runs the ball hard, but he has good open field speed. He has great vision. They do a lot of things with him. They’ll put him out in the slot some. He’s a weapon.”
No. 7 Huntington (3-2) at Hurricane (2-4)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Huntington was clipped by undefeated Parkersburg South, 30-21, last week at home.
“It was two pretty evenly-matched football teams,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals said.
“We made a couple of mistakes and that was the difference in the ball game. We give up a kick return for a touchdown. We get a field goal blocked and we give up a safety. You look at that, that’s 12 points right there.”
Why It’s Important: The Highlanders still have games to come against Capital and Cabell Midland on the back half of their schedule.
“When you look down the barrel of the MSAC, it looks like everyone is beating each other up,” Seals said.
“It’s one of those years where they are six or seven really good football teams in the MSAC. It’s definitely a big game for both programs. We’d like to get to 4-2 and solidify ourselves a little bit more in getting a playoff bid.”
Who to Watch Huntington: The Highlanders are continuing their offense behind the passing of Tay Blackwell.
“Our passing game on Friday night wasn’t very good due to a culmination of things,” Seals said. “We have to be balanced. I don’t think we can be one-dimensional on offense. We need great quarterback play to be successful on offense. We have to go as Tay Blackwell goes.”
Who to Watch Hurricane: It’s not necessarily one particular player that has Huntington’s attention of this pivotal matchup, but the entire offense.
“They have guys that make plays when they have the football in their hands,” Seals said. “Nathan Barham is really good. The receivers are tall and long. (Austin) Womack is an efficient quarterback. Christian Hill feels like he’s been there for 10 years. Hill runs hard, runs with good pad level, has good vision.
Princeton (1-4) at No. 1 Cabell Midland (6-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Cabell Midland was finally able to coast a win over Riverside, 45-8, after a couple of close calls in the two previous weeks.
Jakob Caudill had 144 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Knights to the win. “The kids had a really good mindset against a much-improved Riverside team,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said. “The kids did a good job of coming out, playing fast and scoring on our first six possessions. Everyone did their part.”
Why It’s Important: In a scheduling oddity, Cabell Midland will play their final regular-season home game this week as it’ll play the final three games of the regular season on the road.
“Our kids are still really hungry which is good,” Salmons said. “It’s our last home game for the regular season.”
Who to Watch Princeton: Freshman quarterback Grant Cochran has thrown for over 1,000 yards in just four starts this season while wide receiver Ethan Parsons is closing in on 500 receiving yards through five games.
“They run the spread and they’ll the throw the ball everywhere,” Salmons said in reference to Princeton’s offensive scheme. “They have good receivers that are athletes.”
Who to Watch Cabell Midland: Quarterback J.J. Roberts along with a large senior class will play their final regular season game and will surely want to send go out on top in hopes of having at least one home playoff game come November.
CLASS AA
Nitro (3-3) at Mingo Central (3-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Mingo Central was off last week after a narrow 21-14 defeat to undefeated Poca two weeks ago on Miner Mountain. It was the first regular season loss at home for Mingo Central since 2013.
Why It’s Important: The Miners start the week three spots outside of a possible playoff spot in Class AA. Mingo Central still has a ranked Winfield team as well as Chapmanville, who is also scrapping for a playoff spot, left on the schedule. In a crowded Class AA field, the Miners need a win to avoid a third loss in six games.
Who to Watch Mingo Central: Daylin Goad and the Mingo Central offense will look to get back on track after being stymied by Poca in the defeat two weeks ago.
Herbert Hoover (2-4) at Wayne (0-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Wayne had a rough outing as it to lost to Scott 27-18 to remain winless this season.
Why It’s Important: Despite the start to the season, the Pioneers will play a special game against Herbert Hoover as they search for their first win of the season. Wayne will honor the late Scott Jarrell—the first head coach in Wayne High history that helped build the Pioneers into the legacy they have built this millennium.
Jarrell led Wayne to an unbeaten regular season in 1968. In 2010, Jarrell was tragically murdered.
Who to Watch Wayne: Jon Chinn needs 149 yards to cross over 500 rushing yards for the season and his next touchdown would be his fifth of the season.
Other games: Linsly at Point Pleasant (1-2); Lincoln County (0-6) at St. Albans (0-6); Scott (1-4) at Logan (0-6); Van (2-3) at Mount View (2-3); Montcalm (0-5) at Hannan (1-4)