Brooke (9-0) at Musselman (4-5) – The Musselman Applemen knew that their backs were against the wall last week facing Martinsburg. Musselman came out fighting and played well, especially defensively, but could not pull off the upset and lost to the Bulldogs 28-14. With the loss, the playoff chances for Musselman were lost as well. Musselman's defense held Martinsburg's quarterback Kam Puller to minus 20 yards rushing on 12 carries and just vie yards passing. Backup quarterback Alex Schonhans replaced Puller and threw for 140 yards, and his main target, David Hammond, caught eight passes for 124 yards. Musselman's defense held Martinsburg to 232 yards of total offense, but the Bulldogs did a great job on defense as well, holding Musselman to just 112 yards of offense in the game. Musselman was led by Jesse Hanes, who rushed for 69 yards. Both defenses scored a touchdown, as Vicente Hernandez returned a interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter for Musselman, Then Brandon Bishop returned an interception for 75 yards in the fourth quarter to seal the victory for Martinsburg. The Applemen face another tough test this, as the Brooke Bruins make the long trip to the Eastern Panhandle. The No. 1 ranked Bruins continued their impressive season last Friday night with a 34-21 victory over John Marshall to move to 9-0 on the season. Brooke has been dominating teams this year, outscoring their opponents 318-135. Brooke is led by quarterback Cotey Wallace, who threw three touchdowns last week. The Bruins will be making the four+ hour bus drive to Inwood looking to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1991 and secure home field advantage throughout the Class AAA playoffs. For Musselman, it has been eliminated from the playoff picture, but there is still a lot to play for – a chance for a .500 season, a chance to send the seniors out with a win and a chance to play spoiler to the Brooke’s dream season. Game time is 7 o’clock Friday night.

Jefferson (2-7) at Washington (1-8) – The final week of the regular season will feature a battle for bragging rites in Jefferson County, as the Washington Patriots welcome the Jefferson Cougars to Charles Town. Both teams have struggled this year with tough schedules, lots of injuries and young ball clubs. Washington is coming off a tough 39-31 loss to Hampshire last week. Washington jumped out to a 13-0 lead after the first quarter and led 19-6 at the half. But Washington was outscored by Hampshire 33-12 in the second half. Washington was able to move the ball rushing for 313 yards in the game, led by quarterback Bradley Jackso,n who rushed for 175 yards. Dylan Nickalso rushed for 132 yards. Hampshire was led by Brent Walter, who rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns. For Jefferson, it is coming off a bye week. The Cougars are led by sophomore running back Garrett Grantham and quarterback Allan Millbourne. Jefferson won the first-ever meeting between these two schools last year by a score of 42-7. Washington will try to return the favor Friday night at 7 o’clock.

Hedgesville (1-8) at Berkeley Springs (2-7) – Hedgesville and Berkeley Springs are both coming off bye weeks and will close out their seasons on Friday. Berkeley Springs have been up-and-down all year, losing its first four games, but then winning two in a row, including a victory over (6-3) Moorefield. But since that win, Berkeley Springs has lost its last three games, including a 16-7 loss to previously winless Washington. For Hedgesvile, the season started off well with a 26-20 overtime victory over Washington. But since that game, Hedgesville has struggled, losing eight games in a row. It has only scored 41 points in those eight games. Hedgesville has been hit hard with injuries, as Coach Plott says that he has not used the same starting lineup in any two consecutive games this season. There have been a couple of bright spots for Hedgesville, though, in quarterback Zach Layhew and sophomore Seth Vanorsdale, who have played well this season. Both teams will finish their season on Friday night at 7 o’clock.

Martinsburg (8-2), Regular Season Is Over – The Martinsburg Bulldogs finished their regular season last week with a hard-fought, 28-14 victory over Musselman. Running back David Gladden did rush for over 100 yards in the game and scored three touchdowns. Martinsburg is at 8-2 on the season and is waiting to see who it will play in the first round of the playoffs. Martinsburg will be the only Class AAA team from the Eastern Panhandle to get into the 16-team field this season.

Other games in the area:
Hampshire (5-4) at Frankfort (8-1)
Mountain Ridge, Md. at Keyser (6-3)
East Hardy (3-6) at Petersburg (1-8)
Tygarts Valley (1-8) at Moorefield (6-3)