AAA #11 Morgantown (8-2) at #6 University (9-1) Sat. 7:30
The playoff rematch will occur a little over two weeks after University beat Morgantown 14-3 in the MoHawk Bowl back on Nov. 1. The Hawks out-gained Morgantown 285-217 in the regular season game as quarterback Travis Renner was very productive. Renner rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also surpassed the 100-yard passing mark for the 7th time in 10 games this season as he was 13-17 for 114 yards through the air.
“He puts a lot of pressure on the defense,” said University coach John Kelley of his senior quarterback. “His ability to run the football opens up the other guys. We did a lot of controlled passing in that game that worked out well.”
The University offensive line has solidified following some injuries. Senior Jeff Headley is back at left tackle and senior Nick Lambert has come back at center for the last few games. Senior Tyler Piktel has filled in, at times, for injured standout Nick Fisher at guard.
“We’ve been healthier,” Kelley said. “They played as well (against Morgantown) as we could have hoped. They certainly held their own against one of the premier defensive lines in the state.”
MHS running back Chazzy Thomas was at less than full strength against UHS the first time around as he has missed time late in the year due to an ankle injury.
“Chazzy was at less than 100-percent,” Kelley acknowledged. “We were able to keep him from breaking a big play. Chazzy normally breaks huge plays. We kept him from getting that 60, 70, 80 yard run that breaks your back.
“And our pass defense was very good,” said Kelley. “Jack Armstrong made a couple of big plays on (MHS tight end) Stone Wolfley.”
Armstrong broke up one sideline pass intended for the big tight end that could have gone for a big play. The UHS safety also made an open field tackle on Wolfley after he made his lone catch of the game.
“We made Morgantown drive the field,” Kelley continued. “Our defense was very aggressive, getting off blocks and making plays. We’ve got to play at that level or higher this time around,” said Kelley. “I’m sure (MHS) will come in at a much higher level having lost the first game.”
Morgantown has gone over six quarters without an offensive touchdown. The injury to Thomas occurred early during a week eight game against Musselman. Thomas missed the week nine victory over John Marshall and then left again in the third quarter of the MoHawk Bowl.
“Chazzy is such a tough kid and such a good kid,” said Morgantown coach John Bowers. “He has worked to get healthy for two weeks. If he can give it run, he’s going to go.
“We preach that it’s not about one player or one person. We have a ‘next man up’ mentality, but the reality is that he has accounted for 30 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards rushing. He is obviously a big part of our offense.
“The kids had a great week of practice without him in there,” Bowers said. “They seem to be re-invigorated a little bit to try and make a run at this thing.”
As for the rematch?
“I think it’s great,” Bowers said. “The coaches are reinvigorated as are the players to see them again.
“No one is going to re-invent themselves at this point,” Bowers continued . “They know what we do and we know what they do. We need to work on our double teams and to get off those linebackers and get to the second level. There are some scheme things to work out, but we are going to do what we do. We’ll come up with a game plan to try and beat them.”
This will be the third playoff meeting between the two rivals since 2002. Morgantown swept two games in 2002 winning 59-13 in the regular season and then 12-7 in the playoffs on the night the lights went out at Pony Lewis Field.
The teams met again in the 2007 playoffs. That was the only season in which the Hawks beat the Mohigans twice. University won the regular season game 35-0 and then won in the playoffs 20-14.
AAA #16 Lewis County (7-3) at #1 Huntington (10-0) Sat. 1:30
Lewis County is in the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons, despite its status as one of the smallest Class-AAA schools in the state. The Minutemen have played on the road against the likes of South Charleston, Martinsburg and George Washington in the post season recently. Last year, Lewis County earned the first playoff win in school history with a victory at University. This year, it’s a first round road trip to face the top seed.
“They are a very good defensive team,” said Lewis County coach Eddie Vincent of the No. 1 ranked Highlanders. “They are similar on offense to us in that they run the Wing-T.”
And the coach believes his team is prepared to compete against the best
“We lost to three teams ranked in the top nine,” Vincent said of regular season losses to University, Point Pleasant and Oak Hill. “We’ve played some good teams.”
Lewis County enters the playoffs with hopes of having a more balanced offense led by senior quarterback Skylar Carlton.
“We work a lot on our passing game,” Vincent said. “Against these better teams you have to be able to throw a little bit in order to keep them honest and keep them off of you. Carlton can throw it some. And we’ve got some good receivers in Brandon Robinson and Brandon Moneypenny.”
The junior Moneypenny has also developed into a standout on defense with eight interceptions on the season. He brought one back 43 yards for a touchdown during last week’s game against Point Pleasant.
AA # 16 Philip Barbour (6-4) at #1 Wayne (10-0) Fri. 7:30
Wayne has won 33 consecutive games and the last two Class-AA state championships.
“We’re well aware of what Wayne is,” said Philip Barbour coach Curtis Bodkins. “We know about the record and we know about the winning streak. We just need to prepare the best we can, make the trip and see what we can do.”
Philip Barbour had last week off to regroup after losing its final two regular season games on the road at Notre Dame and at East Fairmont. The Colts will get standout Al Johnson back for the playoff game after Johnson sat out Philip Barbour’s last game of the regular season.
“We saw what happened when we didn’t have Al in there for the East Fairmont game,” said Bodkins of the 49-25 loss. “He is Mr. Intensity. He does everything for us; returning kicks, catches passes and plays free safety. He is definitely our biggest weapon.”
AA #15 Roane County (7-3) at #2 Bridgeport (9-1) Fri. 7:30
The Indians roll into the playoffs having won eight in a row. The Bridgeport defense has allowed just two touchdowns and a total of 14 points over the last four games.
“We’ll be prepared and ready to play,” said Bridgeport coach Josh Nicewarner. “It’s the playoffs. Your playing for tomorrow. If you take a team for granted right now, you’ve got an awful lot of time to regret it.
“Our philosophy all year has been to worry about ourselves. We need to play good defense and take care of the football. The score will take care of itself.”
“Coming into the season we knew we had a lot back on offense,” Nicewarner continued. “Defensively, we knew our defense had to grow and gain experience. We’ve done that. Week to week, we’ve grown tremendously.”
AA #13 Robert C. Byrd (7-3) at #4 Frankfort (8-2) Fri. 7:30
RCB rallied with four consecutive victories to grab a playoff spot for the fourth consecutive season.
“We’re just growing,” stated Eagles coach Bruce Carey. “We’re a young team and we lost our best player the first game of year.”
Top running Ben D’Annunzio returned from a broken collarbone late in the regular season. The Eagles have used him as a wide receiver since his return in order to minimize the number of hits he takes on that shoulder. D’Annunzio could return to the running back position this week.
“We went to more of a power offense while Ben was out,” Carey said. “Our mentality had to change as well as to who was going to lead and carry the team. That all helped us grow. When you get injuries, you can build some depth which is what we did at tailback.”
Overall, Carey was pleased with how the season came together .
“We had to do a lot of teaching of the basics as coaches this year,” Carey said. “You hate to be happy with a 7-3 record, but it could have been a lot worse.”
As for Friday’s opponent?
“We scrimmaged Frankfort in the preseason,” Carey said. “We know them a little bit. We’ll see how much we have improved.
“We know they run the Wing-T,” Carey continued. “They are about our size. We need to be disciplined to handle all of the misdirection. Hopefully, we can give them a good game.”
AA #10 Keyser (7-3) at #7 Fairmont Senior (8-2) Fri. 7:30
Fairmont Senior is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2010, this time at the Class AA level. The Polar Bears started the season with four straight wins. There were road losses to Bridgeport and Frankfort back to back, but the Polar Bears managed to win four straight heading into the post season.
“The kids are playing well right now on both sides of the ball,” said Fairmont coach J. L. Abbott.
Abbott likes the potential of this veteran team with 14 seniors.
“They’ve taken ownership,” Abbott said of his experienced players. “Each of those 14 guys have contributed in a major way this season. They are very excited about where they are at and what lies ahead.”
Fairmont Senior and Keyser had two common opponents during the regular season. Fairmont Senior lost to both Bridgeport and Frankfort. Keyser split with those teams, losing to Bridgeport, but beating Frankfort 42-3.
Fairmont Senior has averaged 47 points per game in its last four games. The Polar Bears passing game is in high gear.
“But we’ve got to run the football some,” Abbott says. “When you get into the playoffs you don’t want to be one dimensional. Run the ball and stop the run. That’s the formula, especially against this team.”
A #10 Notre Dame (7-3) at #7 Greenbrier West (9-1) Fri. 7:30
Junior tailback Santino Cava rushed for 320 yards and four touchdowns last week in a win over Tucker County. It was a victory that put the Irish back into the playoffs. The Irish defense forced six turnovers in that game.
Notre Dame is in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Irish last won a playoff game in 2006 when they knocked off Wahama on the road. The following week, Notre Dame lost at Greenbrier West.
#9 Clay-Battelle (8-1) vs. #8 Wahama (9-1) at Point Pleasant, Sat. 7:30
Clay-Battelle is in the playoffs for the third consecutive season and for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
“The way some of the young kids have grown up and contributed to this team has been gratifying,” said Cee-Bees coach Ryan Wilson. “We had a few question marks at the beginning of the season and some of these younger players have stepped in there.
“As a team, we are communicating better,” Wilson said. “These guys want to win. They’ve had a big hand in the establishment of this program and they want to keep it going.”
The Cee-Bees face another very difficult challenge as they are on the road in the first round against the defending state champions. Clay-Battelle closed the regular season by facing the current No. 1 team in the state in Madonna.
Clay-Battelle features a 1,000 yard passer in senior Tristan Haught. Haught has thrown 17 touchdown passes. The duo of senior Trenton Dille and junior Jacoby Steele has combined to rush for over 1,300 yards on the season. The Cee-Bees start three seniors on the interior of the offensive line with center Ben Shumiloff and guards Hunter Six and Logan Hamilton.
“We’ll put a game plan in and give it our best shot,” Wilson said. “We’ve got a lot of weapons and we’ll just try to find something that is working.”
The Clay-Battelle defense will have the challenge of stopping Wahama’s all-time leading rusher. Kane Rouse, this season, has 1,355 yards on the ground with 19 touchdowns.