With 62 football games being played last week you would certainly expect a few surprises. However, it is not often those surprises come near the top.
In Class AAA, Martinsburg opened with a 26-24 loss to Howard D. Woodson from the Washington D.C. area, the same team the Bulldogs defeated last season in the opener 24-7. While losses have been few and far between for the black-and-orange crew from the Eastern Panhandle, the loss might indicate coach Dave Walker’s ballclub is indeed young this year and needs a couple games to get into the swing of things.
The opponent this weekend will certainly be no pushover as Martinsburg travels to Sherando, Va., for a tough encounter with the Warriors, who defeated Louisa County 35-7 last week.
In Class AA last Friday night, the Tolsia Rebels earned a lot of respect by winning 49-34 at Wayne The win marked the first time in nine years the Rebels had defeated the Pioneers. And, while the final score might seem like complete dominance for Tolsia, the Pioneers racked up 406 yards of total offense and ran a mind boggling 82 offensive plays. For Wayne, Logan Queen rushed for 184 yards on 29 carries and scored twice. The Rebels were led by Luke Presley’s 131 yards and three touchdowns on just eight carries. The Rebels welcome No. 3-ranked Mingo Central to town and the Miners are coming off a 59-7 win over Wyoming East. Wayne tries to get on the winning side as they host Sissionville (0-1).
In Class AAA, the big game features No. 1 Capital traveling to No. 2 South Charleston for a rematch of last year’s Class AAA title game. Last year the Cougars controlled the matchups, beating South Charleston 45-21 in the regular season and then 55-15 at Wheeling Island. The last time South Charleston defeated Capital was in 2012, when then-freshman quarterback Kentre Grier rallied his club to a second half comeback, 20-17.
So, this Friday night should be a game you want to put on your schedule! Another game this week that will draw a lot of attention will take place in north central WV as Class AAA No. 3-ranked Wheeling Park visits the top-ranked Bridgeport Indians from Class AA. In 2013, the Patriots defeated Bridgeport by three points and last year by four. The game this Friday night promises to be just as good.
In Class A, get ready for a real battle as the MetroNews Power Rankings get another test with No. 1 Williamstown hosting No. 2 Magnolia. Both teams are 1-0 and were impressive in those opening wins: The Yellow Jackets dominated Tyler Consolidated 38-21 and Magnolia rolled 40-0 over Shadyside, Ohio.
When you look back at the great games played last weekend and the tremendous matchups scheduled for this weekend, there’s truly nothing quite like high school football. I hope you get a chance to catch your favorite team in action this weekend.
After the Friday night games, be sure and tune in to High School Gamenight.” You can catch the show on 45 great radio stations around the state and at WVMetronews.com. Talk to you then.