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Mid-Ohio Valley Report: Week 13

— By Eric Little

Eight teams remain in each class during West Virginia’s quarterfinal round. For the big schools, just one team carries the banner for the Mid-Ohio Valley this week. At the small school level, three teams remain — with the possibility of a semifinal clash next weekend between two of those three teams.

CLASS AAA

No. 5 Musselman (9-2) at No. 4 Parkersburg South (10-1)

When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Last Week: In a game that went scoreless through the first quarter, Parkersburg South scored 28 second quarter points to run away with a 47-13 win over South Charleston in an opening round matchup. Meanwhile, across the state, Musselman held off a strong effort from South’s crosstown rival in a 48-29 win over Parkersburg. 

Why It’s Important: The season ends for the loser, while the winner heads to a semifinal matchup against either Martinsburg or Spring Mills. For Musselman, that would represent a rematch from the regular season against either the team they defeated in their season opener or the team that handed the Applemen their only regular season loss. 

For South, it would either mean hosting a play-in game to the Super Six or making the trek across the state to take on the prohibitive favorites in a semifinal matchup. 

Who to Watch for Parkersburg South: Last Friday, South was able to practically take up residence in South Charleston’s backfield in their rout of the Black Eagles. Sam Schuler led the Patriots with ten tackles, including a pair of sacks.

All told, South finished with five sacks. Jeff Tucker recorded three of South’s 12 tackles for loss and stripped a fumble lose that he also recovered. 

The pressure on South Charleston’s quarterback paid dividends downfield too, as the Patriots got interception from Brandon Penn and Cyrus Traugh, with the freshman Traugh often holding down the fort on a night where he was targeted often.

Offensively, Penn connected with Levi Rice for an 84-yard touchdown pass play — South’s longest pass play from scrimmage this season. Dylan Day also caught four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, leaving him just 74 receiving yards shy of 1,000 for the season. Penn and Devin Gaines also ran for two scores each against South Charleston. 

All told, South outgained South Charleston by a more than two-to-one margin. The Patriots have outgained each of their 11 opponents this season. 

CLASS A

No. 5 Williamstown (9-2) at No. 4 Greenbrier West (10-1)

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Last Week: Williamstown’s defense pitched their fourth shutout of the year in a 42-0 win over Tug Valley. The Yellowjackets opened things up with a 21-point third quarter, allowing Williamstown to double their halftime lead. Greenbrier West held serve at home against Tygarts Valley in a 52-13 win.

Why It’s Important: For Williamstown, a win could bring a semifinal rematch with Doddridge County — one of two teams to deal the Yellowjackets a setback during the regular season.

Greenbrier West is playing in its first quarterfinal since the Super Six season in 2013 and would love a chance of their own to take a crack at the top-seeded Bulldogs.

Who to Watch for Williamstown: For the first time in a few weeks, Williamstown featured its passing attack … but not before the running game did work in the Yellowjackets’ win over Tug Valley. Ty Moore ran for 151 yards and two scores, while the legs of Brayden Modesitt added a rushing touchdown.

Then, the arm of Modesitt went to work. He connected on 8-of-11 attempts, firing touchdown strikes to Nick Bondi and Eric Brown. The Yellowjackets also got an interception return for a touchdown from Brown.

No. 10 Wheeling Central (7-4) at No. 2 Ritchie County (10-1)

When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Last Week: Ritchie County defeated South Harrison 40-6 to open their 2019 playoff run. It was the second time the Rebels had defeated the Hawks this season, after also doing the same in Week 7. For Ritchie County, it was also their first-ever playoff win at Chuck Schofield Memorial Stadium.

The victory also gave the Rebels their first 10-win season since 1995.

Wheeling Central, in one of the weekend’s most talked about games, scored in the closing seconds against Tolsia to earn a 13-12 win over the Rebels. This answered a Tolsia touchdown — also coming in the final minute — that looked as though it would be the score to send them to the next round.

To the chagrin of the late David Bowie, the Rebel-Rebel matchup didn’t materialize as a result of the Maroon Knights’ rally.

Why It’s Important: They could be 0-10 and granted a special exemption into the postseason, and it would still mean something to beat Wheeling Central in the playoffs. It’s a symbol. A sign that your program has arrived and can play with the state’s upper crust, even if that crust is slightly burnt and broken at the edges after a string of late-season injuries. 

For Ritchie County, a win puts the Rebels into the semifinals for the first time since 1994 — when they lost 21-20 against Sissonville to be denied a trip to the Super Six. But make no mistake, though they’re best known as the favorite, no one enjoys playing spoiler more than Wheeling Central. 

Who to Watch for Ritchie County: Four different Rebels scored in Ritchie’s 40-6 win over South Harrison last week.

Tre Moss led the way with two touchdowns and 163 yards. It provided the perfect scenario for the Rebels to work Garrett Owens into the mix gradually. Owens missed three games following an injury earlier this season against Webster County, but got 13 carries in a successful return last week. 

Quarterback Ethan Haught has gained both success and accuracy as the season has progressed, with Gus Morrison emerging as his top receiving target. Kayden Procacina is also a versatile threat that can hurt defenses in a number of ways. 

No. 6 St. Marys (9-2) at No. 3 Pendleton County (10-1)

When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Last Week: Down 14 points at the half, St. Marys scored 37 unanswered points in a 51-28 win over Cameron. Pendleton County avenged their only loss of the year in a 26-7 win over the same Moorefield team that shut them out 35-0 two weeks prior.

Why It’s Important: The winner gets either Wheeling Central or Ritchie County in a state semifinal. While Wheeling Central has long been the Class A standard bearer, a St. Marys-Ritchie County semifinal matchup could lead to some … interesting situations around the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day, or in the woods on the opening week of hunting season.

Pendleton County is looking to show their shutout loss to Moorefield back in Week 10 was a fluke and that they belong among the state’s Class A favorites this season.

Who to Watch for St. Marys: The Blue Devils continue to feature a plethora of backfield options.

William Steele had the hot hand against Cameron this week, finishing the night with 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Richard Dornan and Cyle West each ran for touchdowns. Brennan Boron also ran for a score and threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Lucas Lipscomb. 

In addition to Dornan’s rushing score, the senior returned an interception 93 yards for the game-sealing score in the fourth quarter. 





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