After a very exciting weekend of football last week in the quarter-final round, only twelve teams remain with their dream still alive of being on the Island in Wheeling the first weekend in December and playing for a state championship. And, with the semi-finals this weekend, only six of those remaining twelve will still be standing after the games conclude this Saturday afternoon.
In Class AAA, one of the semi-final matchups will feature two teams very familiar with each other. The Huntington Highlanders will bring their 9-3 record and #7 seeding into Black Eagle Stadium to battle the 10-2, 6th seeded South Charleston Black Eagles. During the regular season these two ballclubs met on that same field and in a game played on Halloween night, the Highlanders threw up a tremendous defense and walked away with a 20-16 victory. Since that game, South Charleston has averaged almost 40 points per game in playoff wins over Spring Valley and University. Head Coach Billy Seals of Huntington knows grabbing a win over the Black Eagles this time around won’t be easy, however his defense has continued to play well since that Halloween victory and in three games, the Highlanders are averaging giving up just 11 points per game. The Huntington-South Charleston game will kick off at 1:30 Saturday afternoon. In the other Class AAA semi-final, it’s THE game everyone has been anticipating since the playoff brackets were released. The Martinsburg Bulldogs will go on the road for the first time in a long time in the playoffs this Saturday as they bring their 11-1 record and #4 seeding into University of Charleston Stadium to take on the top ranked and undefeated Cougars of Capital High. The last time Capital lost was on this very same weekend last year when the Cougars made the long trip to Martinsburg for a semi-final matchup with the Bulldogs and the boys from the capital city left the Eastern Panhandle with a 35-21 defeat. Once again, both teams are very talented and both are looking for that trip to the Northern Panhandle next weekend. It has been 18 years since the Capital Cougars played in the title game and 19 years since they last won the championship. For Martinsburg, if they win the game this Saturday, they will be looking to make history on the Island next weekend as the Bulldogs will be going for a 5th straight state title….something that’s never been done in any class! Only three teams in the state have ever won four state titles in a row….Martinsburg…..Wheeling Central and Moorefield!
In Class AA, the semi-final round is about as good as it can get. In one semi-final game Saturday afternoon, we will have a repeat of last year’s AA title game as #5 Wayne pays a visit to top ranked Bridgeport. In last year’s championship game, the Bridgeport Indians defeated the Pioneers 14-13 in one of the very best games ever played in Wheeling. Look for that same kind of action Saturday afternoon in Bridgeport. In the other AA game, #6 Westside will make the 281 mile trip to Short Gap, WV to take on the undefeated and 2nd seeded Falcons of Frankfort. Both teams have outstanding quarterbacks and both teams love to score so this game could take a while!
In Class A, the question remains…..how good is St. Marys? So far, everyone they’ve played will tell you they are very good!! Last weekend, the Blue Devils shutout a very talented group of Yellow Jackets from Moorefield 36-0 and during the course of their current 12-0 season, they have outscored their opponents 460 to 105. That’s a per game average of winning 38 to 8!! Their opponent will be the 4th seeded Cee-Bees of Clay-Battelle and Ryan Wilson and the boys from Blacksville, WV are in the semi-finals for the first time in school history and they know they have a tough task on hand if they want to get to Wheeling. But, don’t count out the Cee-Bees…..with quarterback Jarrett Hockenberry back from an injury that kept him out for three games, the Cee-Bees are playing some of their best football of the season and look forward to the challenge of playing what many consider to be the very best in their class. The second semi-final game will take place at a rare time for playoff football in WV this year……FRIDAY NIGHT AT -7:30! Head Coach Terry Smith of Williamstown chose that time to travel to Delbarton, WV to take on the 2nd seeded Panthers of Tug Valley. The Yellow Jackets are very familiar with the playoff scene in WV high school football having played in the championship game seven times. For Tug Valley, they are making their first ever semi-final round appearance. It should be a great atmosphere when the two teams hit the artificial surface at James “Buck” Harless Field in Delbarton Friday night!
Just a reminder, with five of the six playoff games this weekend being played on Saturday afternoon, once again we have moved HIGH SCHOOL GAMENIGHT to Saturday. This week, and by the way, the final week for GAMENIGHT, the show will be heard Saturday night from 7p-9p! Talk to you then!!