— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
No. 11 Capital (6-5) at No. 3 Spring Valley (10-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley had to overcome a slow start against Hurricane, but rallied to score all 34 points in the second half on its way to a 34-6 first round win over the Redskins.
“We just kept turning the ball over and having penalties in the first half,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess explained. “You get in the playoffs and you do that, you’re going to dig yourself a hole. I was proud of our kids they came back and responded real well, didn’t panic and took care of business in the second half.
“I thought we were able to move the ball pretty successfully in the first half, but we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot,” he continued.
Capital surprised Wheeling Park on the Island and picked up a 45-21 win over the Patriots to move on in the postseason.
Why It’s Important: This will be the fourth straight season Spring Valley and Capital meet in the Class AAA Playoffs with the Timberwolves winning all three on their way to the Class AAA Championship Game, and all three prior meetings have also been at Spring Valley.
“Our place has become a tough place to play, especially late in the year,” Dingess said. “We’ve been able to take advantage of it in the playoffs.”
Who to Watch for Capital: Dingess not only pointed out that the Cougars have improved tremendously on the offensive line since a 41-0 shutout win for Spring Valley over Capital on October 4, but the insertion of Chance Knox into the backfield for Capital has made a big difference.
“When we played them earlier in the year, they were kind of green on the offensive line,” Dingess said. “They’ve done a good job of getting better on both sides of the line. They are running the ball more effectively now than they did at the beginning of the year. If you can run the ball in the playoffs, you’re going to be hard to beat.”
And Knox has been a big reason why the rushing game has seen an uptick in production.
“Anytime you get in the playoffs, the first thing you want to do to try to stop the other team from running the ball,” Dingess said. “They are putting Knox in the backfield. They’ve been able to put up some points because of that.”
Who to Watch for Spring Valley: Nate Ellis showed off his arm and legs to kick start the Spring Valley comeback in the third quarter against Hurricane as he accounted for two third-quarter touchdowns after Hurricane shutout the Timberwolves in the first half.
No. 7 George Washington (8-3) at No. 2 Cabell Midland (11-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: George Washington held off Huntington, 24-14, to advance into the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, Cabell Midland started fast and eased by Riverside, 42-6.
“I think you need a game like that to start in the playoffs, so it’s not so emotional every week,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said. “Our kids weren’t real emotional and it wasn’t one of those where you have to spend everything on. Our attention turned to GW real quick after the game was over.”
Why It’s Important: Despite being in the same league, George Washington and Cabell Midland avoided each other on the regular-season schedule this season. The Knights will be looking for their first trip to the Class AAA Semifinals since 2015—also their last undefeated regular season and 11-0 start.
Who to Watch for George Washington: The Patriots’ offensive attacks starts with quarterback R.T. Alexander.
“They have a real good quarterback,” Salmons said.
“He can run it some, but he throws the ball extremely well. They have good receivers and they can make plays. They are what you expect a playoff team this deep in the postseason to be. They draw up plays to put their best players in position to make plays.”
Who to Watch Cabell Midland: J.J. Roberts got the scoring started for Cabell Midland with a rushing touchdown in the first quarter while also throwing for a touchdown in the third quarter.
CLASS AA
No. 10 Mingo Central (9-2) at No. 2 Bridgeport (10-1)
When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Last Week: It was Daylin Goad’s legs, not his arm, that pushed Mingo Central into the second round of the playoffs as he scored both touchdowns on the ground as the Miners got past Shady Spring, 13-7, as they were the only road team to advance in Class AA.
Bridgeport gained nearly 500 yards of offense as it rolled past Lewis County, 56-15, to advance to the quarterfinal round for a 13th consecutive year.
Why It’s Important: Mingo Central Shady Spring’s best defensive punch last week, and the Miners will go see another gritty defense this week that features a powerful running game. In two of the last three years, a north central West Virginia team has knocked Mingo Central out of the playoffs with Fairmont Senior eliminating the Miners in the Class AA Semifinals in 2017.
Who to Watch for Mingo Central: Goad will be asked to put his dual-threat ability on the line again this week with the Indians possessing a defense that only allowed 20 points once this season — Oct. 4 against North Marion.
Meanwhile, the Miners will be looking to get the Hatfield brothers involved in the passing game once again.
Who to Watch for Bridgeport: The physical Bridgeport ground attack is spearheaded by running back Carson Winkie and quarterback Devin Vandergrift, who also plays on the back end of the Indians’ defense.