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Class AA playoffs: Poca, Oak Glen meet in only matchup of unbeatens

Oak Glen quarterback Nick Chaney leads a balanced Golden Bears’ offense.

 

POCA, W.Va. — Just days before they meet in a Class AA quarterfinal, Poca and Oak Glen are enjoying two of the better football seasons in school history.

Of the 12 quarterfinal matchups across the Mountain State this week, the Dots’ showdown with the Golden Bears is the only contest between unbeaten teams. It’s also one of just two games pitting teams with at least 10 wins against each other — with the other being Keyser at Bluefield.

No. 3 Poca and No. 6 Oak Glen bother enter unblemished and with matching 11-0 records, and a spot in a Class AA semifinal awaits the winner of Saturday’s matchup at O.O. White Stadium.

“We’ll really have to work our butts off, put together a great game plan and hopefully it’ll be a great game down there,” Oak Glen head coach Ted Arneault said.

Both teams won first-round playoff games last Saturday to advance to this point. The Dots topped No. 14 North Marion, 42-27, while the Golden Bears took care of No. 11 Wyoming East, 55-13.

Oak Glen’s performance against the Warriors, which included four passing touchdowns from quarterback Nick Chaney and a pair of defensive scores, has the full attention of Dots’ head coach Seth Ramsey.

“They create a ton of turnovers and score off those turnovers,” Ramsey said. “Ball security is a big thing and we have to make sure we make our possessions count. When we get a big play or chunk play, we have to score from within the red zone. They don’t give up a lot of big plays either. 

“They fly to the football. I don’t know if we’ve seen a team that gets to the football as well as they do.”

Oak Glen will have to get plenty of defenders to the ball to slow Dots’ tailback Ethan Payne, a Kennedy Award candidate who has scored a state-leading 51 touchdowns this season.

Payne rushed for 294 yards and five TDs against the Huskies, while also coming up with an interception.

Payne’s younger brother, Toby Payne, also recorded an interception in the win over North Marion and plays a pivotal role as a wideout. Quarterback Jay Cook threw for 140 yards and rushed for a score, meaning Oak Glen’s defense will have a lot to prepare for.

The Golden Bears are also plenty balanced, relying heavily on Chaney behind center. He spreads the wealth and often looks the way of Hunter Patterson or Gage Patterson.

Hunter Patterson and 235-pound bruising back Paxton Shuman key the rushing attack.

“It makes it really tough to prepare for,” Ramsey said. “Most teams in high school football are good at inside runs, outside runs or passing. These guys are good at everything. 

“(Hunter Patterson) can make you miss in a phone booth. He’s very shifty. They run many multiple sets with motions and shifts. You have to make sure your eyes are in the right spot and you’re staying disciplined.”

While the Golden Bears’ plethora of skill players have been critical to the team’s stellar play, Arneault says those paving the way for the success shouldn’t go unnoticed.

“We feel like with our offense, it’s pick your poison,” Arneault said. “You want to take the outside perimeter away and stack the Pattersons, we have a big boy in the middle (Shuman) that can wear you down. Our offensive line is outsized every week, but they tend to outperform every week. Those offensive linemen are awesome.”





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