6:00: Morning News

Mid-Ohio Valley Report: Week 8

— By Eric Little

GAMES TO WATCH

CLASS AAA

No. 3 Parkersburg South (6-0) at Morgantown (1-6)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Parkersburg South comes in off a bye week. In their last contest, the Patriots went on the road and knocked off Huntington, 30-21. Morgantown held a fourth quarter lead on the road last Thursday against Wheeling Park, before falling 34-28. Half of Morgantown’s six losses have come by a touchdown or less.

Why It’s Important: Parkersburg South will be looking to pick up where it left off before the bye week. Morgantown wants a strong finish in what’s been a difficult campaign, and sometimes, a big upset win provides just what the doctor ordered, from a morale standpoint.

Who to Watch for Parkersburg South: Brandon Penn gets it done with both his arm and his legs, but one of his biggest receiving threats had a breakout game two weeks ago against Huntington. Levi Rice caught four passes for 83 yards and a touchdown in South’s 30-21 win over the Highlanders. 

But perhaps his biggest play of the night came on special teams, when he raced downfield to make a touchdown-saving tackle at the Patriot 7-yard-line on a Huntington kickoff return man. The Highlander drive proved fruitless, as a missed field goal kept Huntington off the board and solidified the importance of Rice’s hustle play.

No. 15 Hurricane (3-4) at No. 13 Parkersburg (3-3)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Parkersburg fell in a 21-0 hole through two and a half quarters against George Washington that proved to be too insurmountable in a 34-21 loss. Hurricane picked up a 24-7 win at home against Huntington — its second win in the last three games.

Why It’s Important: Both of these teams have played well enough, at times, to be playoff teams this season. It’s still possible both may go, but the winner of this one will have a better path down the season’s homestretch.

Who to Watch for Parkersburg: The Big Reds proved they could hit on a big special teams play when needed, as Braeden Mason returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. The score came on the kickoff following GW’s early fourth-quarter touchdown and pulled PHS back to within 14. 

The Big Reds would cut the deficit to seven with just over six minutes to play, but got no closer. Mason is a guy PHS can feed through either the running game or the passing game and has the speed to turn a game around in a heartbeat.

No. 8 Greenbrier East (4-2) at No. 14 Ripley (3-3)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Greenbrier East defeated Oak Hill 42-7 — the third win in the last four weeks for the Spartans. Ripley had a bye last week, but won back-to-back contests prior to the off week. Most recently, the Vikings picked up their first shutout of the season in a 42-0 win over St. Albans. 

Why It’s Important: Both teams find themselves in a toss-up game they each need to win. For Ripley, it’s also the penultimate Class AAA contest in the regular season, as the Vikings finish up at Point Pleasant and at home against Ravenswood. Greenbrier East heads to Parkersburg South next Friday, and will need all the momentum they can muster headed into that matchup.

Who to Watch for Ripley: Cameron Ramsey is emerging as a threat in the running game for Ripley. Ramsey scored a pair of first quarter touchdowns to help Ripley build a 35-0 halftime lead in their shutout win against St. Albans. Ramsey picked up 104 yards on just 11 carries for the Vikings. 

CLASS AA

Lincoln (3-3) at Roane County (2-3)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Roane County dropped a 32-30 game to Elkins in which the Raiders scored five touchdowns, but failed on every single PAT try. (two kicks, two passes and a run) Lincoln was off last week, but defeated East Fairmont 35-13 two weeks ago for their third win of the season.

Why It’s Important: Roane County can still attain a winning season, or even a trip to the playoffs. Lincoln has the same goals, also still within reach. 

Who to Watch for Roane County: Shadraq Greathouse ran for two scores and threw for two scores in Roane County’s loss to Elkins. Isaac Ryan hauled in half of Greathouse’s eight completions, including a 55-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter that brought the Raiders to within two points.

CLASS A

No. 4 Williamstown (6-1) at No. 13 Tyler Consolidated (4-2)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Williamstown earned a tough 33-27 win over Warren, Ohio in a game the Yellowjackets trailed after three quarters. Tyler Consolidated picked up its fourth straight win — a 28-14 triumph over Buffalo.

Why It’s Important: Williamstown has won six straight, but has been burdened with injuries during a stretch that doesn’t see the Yellowjackets get their bye week until Week 11. Tyler Consolidated has won four in a row, and is starting to play some defense to go along with their potent offense, but will it be enough for the Silver Knights to pick off Williamstown?

Who to Watch for Williamstown: Playing with a cast over an injured hand, Ty Moore turned in a gritty and prolific performance last week for Williamstown in their five point win over Warren. Moore ran 25 times for 264 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Yellowjackets over the upset-minded Warriors. 

Who to Watch for Tyler Consolidated: Mark Rucker turned in another big effort for Tyler, rushing for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the Silver Knights’ win. 

Want to hear about someone else though? How about Jayden Helmick? He caught two passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo.

No. 11 Parkersburg Catholic (5-2) vs. No. 1 Pendleton County (6-0) 

(at Fairmont State University)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Parkersburg Catholic rolled to a 45-16 win over Calhoun County. It’s the Crusaders’ fourth straight win. Pendleton County stayed perfect with a 41-6 win over Tygarts Valley. Pendleton County has limited their opponents to single digits in four of their six games this season.

Why It’s Important: This game was a late addition to both schedules because both teams originally had Notre Dame scheduled this season. When Notre Dame cancelled their football season, these two shuffled their schedules to make a game happen. Both schools come in riding a lot of momentum, and this will serve as quality playoff prep. 

Who to Watch for Parkersburg Catholic: Jeb Boice has become the Mid-Ohio Valley’s premier “plug-and-play” talent. Against Calhoun County, Boice ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass and threw for three other scores. No other player in the area is producing as much as Boice by doing all three. He’s one of the few players around that can produce results, regardless of where you put him on offense. 

Head coach Lance Binegar has not been shy about the fact that his primary goal on offense this season has been to feed Boice the football. But some of that attention given to Boice also helped buy Catholic’s other offensive threats a little more time to develop into potent weapons, and now, teams can’t solely focus on Boice when they try to defend the Crusaders. 

Xavier Collie, Jalen Brunny, Ethan Lang and Nick Stricker have also gained the confidence needed to play big roles in the Crusader attack. 

No. 1 Doddridge County (6-0) at Ravenswood (3-3)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Ravenswood rallied for a thrilling 42-35 win on the road against Racine Southern, Ohio. Doddridge County stayed perfect in a 47-0 whitewashing of Gilmer County — the Bulldogs third shutout in their last four games.

Why It’s Important: Ravenswood’s win last week was a nice bounce back from a tough loss the week before against Ritchie County, but it also puts the Red Devils firmly back in playoff contention. An upset at home would all but pave the pathway to the postseason for the Red Devils. 

Doddridge County is now a turf team, so it’ll be an adjustment for them to bring their potent running game to a natural surface. Also, with perfection in sight and a target firmly on their backs, the pressure is on the Bulldogs to make sure they don’t slip up against a stingy conference foe. 

Who to Watch for Ravenswood: Jaycob Creel ran for two touchdowns and 49 yards on just seven carries last week against Southern, but one of his scores came with 5:26 to play and was the eventual game-winner. The Red Devils had two 100+ yard rushers in that game: Chase Hood with 180 yards and two touchdowns, and Jacob Anthony with 170 yards and two rushing scores. Good luck stopping that three-headed monster.

Magnolia (0-6) at No. 11 St. Marys (4-2)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: St. Marys picked up a 26-7 win over Wirt County. The Blue Devils led just 7-0 at the half before pulling away by outscoring the Tigers 19-7 in the second half. Magnolia continued a tough 2019 campaign with their sixth straight loss — a 54-8 setback against Marietta, Ohio.

Why It’s Important: St. Marys needs this one to continue to build playoff momentum, especially with games looming against Ravenswood and Tyler Consolidated.

Who to Watch for St. Marys: William Steele has become a multi-purpose option for the Blue Devil offense, running for a score and receiving touchdown passes from two different quarterbacks.

With regular starting quarterback Brennan Boron back from the injury that kept him out of the Williamstown game, St. Marys wasn’t afraid to also put the ball into the hands of substitute starter Jason Clayton — giving the Blue Devils some new looks in their passing game and some new weapons to defend.

Lucas Lipscomb also had five catches for 148 yards and a touchdown for St. Marys in its win against Wirt County last week.

Webster County (3-4) at No. 3 Ritchie County (5-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Last Week: Ritchie County picked up a solid road win by defeating South Harrison 38-12. Webster County lost 41-16 to Meadow Bridge — the Highlanders’ second straight loss and fourth loss in their last five games.

Why It’s Important: It’s Homecoming in Ellenboro, and with one of their best teams in years, Ritchie County wants to show a big crowd why they should keep their focus firmly attached to these Rebels for the next several weeks. After a 2-0 start, Webster has sputtered in recent weeks, but can re-enter the playoff picture with a win against Ritchie County.

Who to Watch for Ritchie County: Kayden Procacina had perhaps his best game of the season in Ritchie County’s win last week at South Harrison. Procacina caught five passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Tre Moss ran for 162 yards and a touchdown for the Rebels, and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Other games: Hannan (1-5) at Wirt County (2-5); Wahama (2-5) at South Gallia, Ohio (1-6); Gilmer County (2-4) at Calhoun County (1-6)





More High School Sports

High School Sports
Herbert Hoover improves to 10-0 with 2-1 win over Hurricane
The Huskies collected a pair of victories Thursday in the Guard the Capital Invitational in Charleston.
March 29, 2024 - 12:51 am
High School Sports
Independence bests Wahama, 10-2 in the Guard the Capital Tournament
March 28, 2024 - 9:03 pm
High School Sports
Photo gallery: University defeats Bridgeport, 12-3
March 28, 2024 - 6:24 pm
High School Sports
Class AAA Boys Basketball All-State List
State champion Shady Spring lands two on first team, including captain Ammar Maxwell.
March 28, 2024 - 8:42 am