WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. — Regardless how much film veteran Williamstown football coach Terry Smith watches this week, he’s not likely to learn much more about Doddridge County than what he already knows.
Smith’s Yellowjackets, the No. 5 seed in Class A, make the near-hour trip to Cline Stansberry Stadium for a showdown with the top seed Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a state semifinal.
Doddridge County (12-0) has lost only once over the last two seasons — to Wheeling Central Catholic in a 2018 semifinal. Otherwise, the Bulldogs are 24-0 the last two years, which includes a pair of regular season wins over Williamstown.
The theme in both Doddridge County victories over the Yellowjackets has been a steady dose of tailback Hunter America and strong defensive play.
“It’s not hard to get ready for Doddridge. They hand it to Hunter America and he runs right at you,” Smith said. “We held him to what, 265 in the last game? Two years ago, it was like 365, so we’re doing better. He’s terrific. You can’t say enough about him, beause he’s really good.”
America actually finished with 40 carries for 245 yards in the Bulldogs’ 20-7 win at Williamstown in Week 10. In the teams’ 2018 meeting, he gained 310 yards on 42 attempts to lead Doddridge to a 14-7 win.
Smith’s numbers were slightly off, but you get the point.
With a total of 555 rushing yards in the last two meetings, along with two rushing touchdowns in both games, America is the focal point of the Williamstown game plan ahead of this week’s postseason clash.
To do a better job holding America in check, the Yellowjackets will need more penetration from their defensive front — something they got during the first half of last week’s 34-22 win at Greenbrier West, before the Cavaliers developed offense rhythm over the final two quarters.
“I don’t know (America), but I’m sure he hands it to the offensive line since they do a heck of a job,” Smith said.
Last year’s winner of the Curt Warner Award as the state’s top tailback, America rushed for 2,829 yards and 40 TDs as a junior. He has 1,986 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns this year, while carrying the ball 16 or fewer times in four of the 11 games he’s played in.
In last week’s 21-6 win over East Hardy, America rushed 31 times for 196 yards and a pair of TDs.
Still, for as much as America’s production on the ground enabled the Bulldogs to beat the Yellowjackets two years in a row, Doddridge’s defensive success has been equally important.
The Bulldogs forced five Williamstown turnovers earlier this year. In last week’s win over the Cougars, DCHS forced eight turnovers, including three interceptions from Hunter Jenkins.
“You can’t win football games with five turnovers,” Smith said.
Jenkins had a pair of picks in the regular season meeting with Williamstown as well.
While the Bulldogs will certainly have their hands full with Yellowjackets’ standout tailback Ty Moore, Doddridge would benefit in a big way from a similiar performance from its pass defense as the program seeks its first trip to a state title game since 1978.
“I’ll be the first one to tell you they are one of the best Single-A programs and they have proven that,” Doddridge head coach Bobby Burnside said. “The kind of effort we gave (in the regular season win against Williamstown) is what we’ll have to give. It’s lose and you’re done.”