MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Nine more quarterfinal spots were secured on Saturday afternoon. Here’s a look at first-round playoff action across the Mountin State to close the weekend.
Martinsburg scores 84 points in first half of win
The top seed in Class AAA set a single-game postseason points record and needed only one half to do.
Class AAA No. 1 Martinsburg defeated No. 16 Preston, 84-0, and all of the Bulldogs’ points came over the first two quarters.
With the win, MHS (11-0) has now won 53 straight contests.
Anthony Smith returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and the Bulldogs soon after added two scores via blocked punts.
Elijah Banks threw a touchdown pass to Smith, before Naieem Kearney reached end zone on a 4-yard run.
Jarod Bowie took a punt 58 yards for a TD and Kearney added another rushing touchdown from 29 yards. The Bulldogs’ final first-quarter touchdown came on Braxton Todd’s interception return, leaving Martinsburg with a 56-0 advantage through one quarter of play.
The Knights finished 4-7.
Cabell Midland stops Riverside to stay unbeaten
J.J. Roberts and Hayden Hass rushed for first-quarter touchdowns and Class AAA No. 2 Cabell Midland improved to 11-0 with a 42-6 win over No. 15 Riverside.
The Knights got a 33-yard fumble return for a TD from Cooper Hardman in the second quarter, while an 8-yard run from Jakob Caudill allowed them to lead 28-0 later in the period.
Roberts’ 58-yard TD pass to Hass allowed Cabell Midland to take a 35-0 lead into halftime.
Riverside (4-7) got its only score on a Caden Easterling 2-yard run.
Strong second half sends Spring Valley past Hurricane
Whatever was said at halftime or during the first timeout of the second half, the Spring Valley football team got the message.
Two turnovers in the red zone, combined with a gutsy effort by underdog Hurricane, saw the Redskins take a 6-0 halftime lead over the Timberwolves at the Wolves Den.
Coach Brad Dingess and his staff got their message across as Spring Valley, the No. 3 seed in Class AAA, dominated the second half and prevailed, 34-6.
No. 14 Hurricane (4-7) took the lead on a 13-yard pass from Austin Womack to Ryan Moses. The drive was made possible by an interception by Brogan Brown inside the Redskins 20.
Spring Valley’s Luke Christopher lost a fumble just across midfield to stall a first-period drive.
Spring Valley (10-1) got the ball on the first possession of the second half and the key play on that game-changing drive was a 48-yard run by David Livingston to the Redskins 11. Two plays later, quarterback Nate Ellis went over from a yard out and Zane Porter’s extra point put the home team ahead to stay.
Spring Valley’s Brody Brumfield scored on a 5-yard run and the second third-period score came on a 21-yard keeper by Ellis.
In the fourth period, Clayton Sharp picked off a Womack pass and Luke Christopher would later score on a 32-yard run. The final scoring play was a 9-yard pass from Ellis to Corbin Page.
Poca stays perfect, eliminates North Marion
Ethan Payne rushed for 294 yards and five touchdowns to lift Class AA No. 3 Poca over No. 14 North Marion, 42-27.
The Dots (11-0) got two rushing TDs from Payne from short distance to build a 14-0 lead.
The Kennedy Award candidate went on to add rushing touchdowns of 76, 42 and 63 yards, helping Poca overcome a strong effort from Huskies’ quarterback Gunner Murphy.
In defeat, the North Marion (7-4) signal-caller was 25-of-34 for 272 yards and three touchdowns. Murphy was intercepted three times, but also added a rushing score.
Payne and his younger brother, Toby Payne, each had an interception, as did Ethan Miller in the win.
Doddridge County closes with 43 unanswered points against Madonna
Although the Class A No. 1 Bulldogs were without standout tailback Hunter America in the second half, they had little difficulty advancing in a 57-7 win over No. 16 Madonna.
Reece Burnside rushed for 123 yards in the win and scored on runs of 48 and 5 yards, respectively, on his first two touches.
Santino Arlia’s 8-yard TD pass to Anthony Sessi allowed the Dons (6-4-1) to close to within 14-7, but it was all Doddridge from there.
Noah Bumgardner threw a 65-yard TD pass to Dylan Knight, before Bumgardner scored on a 3-yard run.
Simon James’ 2-yard touchdown run allowed Doddridge to take a 34-7 lead into halftime.
With a comfortable lead, the Bulldogs elected to let America sit out the second half with a minor injury.
Greenbrier West eases by Tygarts Valley
The Class A No. 4 Cavaliers moved to 10-1 and recorded their first playoff win since 2013 by handling No. 13 Tygarts Valley, 52-13.
Greenbrier West (10-1) led 38-6 at halftime thanks in large part to two first-quarter rushing TDs from Noah Brown and two second-quarter passing scores from Kaiden Pack to Lawson Vaughn.
Pack also had a rushing touchdown in both the second and third quarters.
Brown rushed for 133 yards, while Cole McClung added 131 yards and a score on the ground.
The Bulldogs finished 7-4 following a 5-0 start.
Defending champion Maroon Knights win on late touchdown
Jalen Creighton hauled in a 70-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Rine with 9 seconds remaining to lift No. 10 Wheeling Central to an improbable 13-12 win at No. 7 Tolsia.
The Rebels (7-4) had gone ahead with just 39 seconds left on Jesse Muncy’s 6-yard pass to Tanner Copley, which finished off a 90-yard drive.
Gavin Meadows’ 56-yard interception return gave Tolsia the initial lead in the third quarter, before Rine threw a 17-yard TD pass to Creighton early in the fourth quarter.
Wheeling Central improved to 7-4.
East Hardy holds off Midland Trail
Christian Dove threw two touchdown passes for the Cougars, but it was his defense that made all the difference in East Hardy’s 12-7 win over Midland Trail.
Dove forced a fumble on a late 61-yard run by the Patriots’ Cody Harrell, and East Hardy’s Dawson Price came up with the recovery in the end zone to preserve the win.
The No. 8 Cougars improved to 8-3, while the No. 9 Patriots finished their season 6-5.