By: Jack Withrow, WVMetroNews.com
A couple of top 10 matchups in the Kanawha Valley as the No.1 Huntington Highlanders travel to Laidley Field on Friday night to face No. 6 Capital and No. 8 Spring Valley will take on No. 10 South Charleston.
In Class AA, No. 15 Winfield, coming off a 51-48 victory last week at No. 9 Herbert Hoover, will try to keep things rolling as they host the Wayne Pioneers. No. 5 Mingo Central was off last week but will bring its high scoring offense to Underwood Field on Friday to face the Nitro Wildcats.
AAA No. 1 Huntington (4-0) at AAA No. 6 Capital (3-1), Friday – 7:00
For the second week in a row, Capital will host a Cabell County team at Laidley Field as the Cougars defeated Cabell Midland last Friday night.
Capital running back Silas Nazario carried the ball seven times for 151 yards and two 2nd half scores as the Cougars turned a four-point halftime deficit into a 42-23 victory over the Knights.
“Sometimes we don’t have the right mindset or intensity to play our best,” said Cougars Coach Jon Carpenter on his team’s slow start against Midland. “They got the message and did a real good job the second half.”
Nazario was also on the receiving end of a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kerry Martin, Jr. in the first quarter. Martin has completed 40-of-70 passes for 775 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.
One of the bigger concerns for Carpenter this week is quarterback protection against the Highlanders’ defensive front.
“Their defensive line is always good,” added Carpenter. “They’ll be in (Martin’s) face a lot faster than most teams we’ve played so far.”
Huntington also found itself in a tight game at halftime last week at Parkersburg. The top-ranked Highlanders scored three 2nd half touchdowns to pull away for a 28-6 victory over the Big Reds.
Running back Jadon Hayes rushed for a game-high 232 yards on 28 attempts and two scores. Coach Billy Seals’ defense is holding teams to just over 10 points per game in the first four weeks.
Capital defeated Huntington 51-14 in last year’s meeting as the Cougars hold a 14-6 overall record against the Highlanders.
AAA No. 8 Spring Valley (3-1) at AAA No. 10 South Charleston (2-2), Friday – 7:00
South Charleston evened its record to 2-2 last week, defeating visiting Riverside 48-7 at Black Eagle Stadium.
The Black Eagles’ offense struggled in their first three games, but rolled up 489 total yards against the Warriors on Friday night, highlighted by a Trae Murphy to Derrek Pitts pass and catch for a 71-yard touchdown. South Charleston rushed for 277 yards as D.Q. Watkins had a game-high 103 yards on 7 carries. Running back Lawrence Cunningham added 65 yards on 13 attempts and two scores.
Spring Valley is coming off another impressive offensive performance in last week’s 54-21 win at George Washington. Behind a big offensive line, which includes 6-foot-6, 295 pound Riley Locklear, a Tennessee commit, the Timberwolves racked up over 600 yards rushing against the Patriots.
Quarterback Derek Johnson led all rushers with 15 carries for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Isaac Johnson added 112 yards on 15 attempts while Mason Brubeck contributed 12 carries for 111 yards.
“Everybody knows who they are,” said South Charleston head coach Donnie Mays. “They’re big, they’re strong, they’re powerful and it will be a task for us to slow them down.”
The overall series between South Charleston and Spring Valley is even as both teams have won eight games apiece. The Timberwolves upset the Black Eagles 22-14 in last year’s regular season meeting.
Wayne (1-2) at AA No. 15 Winfield (2-1), Friday – 7:30
Two consecutive come-from-behind victories for Winfield as the Generals defeated Herbert Hoover 51-48 in Falling Rock on Friday night.
The Generals battled back from 24 points down in the third quarter, but needed a late touchdown to secure the victory over the Huskies. Junior quarterback Andrew Huff bought himself just enough time to find receiver Nick Vance in the back of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with 17 seconds on the clock. Vance finished with seven catches for 149 yards and three touchdowns.
Behind an experienced offensive line, Huff has become one of the top quarterbacks in the Cardinal Conference. He has completed 43-of-83 passes for 553 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 308 yards on 64 attempts and nine scores.
Winfield returns home this Friday as the Generals host the Wayne Pioneers.
Wayne picked up their first win of the season with a dominating 58-21 victory over visiting Oak Hill last Friday night. The Pioneers accumulated 599 yards of total offense as quarterback Jeremiah Milum accounted for four touchdowns. Milum threw for 200 yards and three scores.
George Washington (1-3) at AAA No. 14 Ripley (2-2), Friday – 7:00
George Washington finds itself at 1-3 on the season after a 54-21 home loss to Spring Valley. Patriots’ coach Steve Edwards, Jr. remains optimistic, but admitted that his team needs a victory this week in order to have a shot at postseason play.
“We need a win really bad and they’re harder and harder to come by.” said Edwards. “Hopefully something good will happen for us and we might be able to get us a win pretty soon.”
Sophomore Grant Wells is the top passing quarterback in the Mountain State Athletic Conference, throwing for 800 yards on 65 completions and seven touchdowns. Wells’ favorite target has been Darnell Brooks who has 21 catches for 378 yards and five scores.
Ripley coach Eddie Smolder has his Vikings at 2-2 on the season and No. 14 in this week’s WVSSAC playoff ratings. Ripley defeated St. Albans 50-13 last week in Death Valley as the Vikings totaled 563 yards of offense including 361 yards on the ground. Running back R.J. Evans carried the ball 19 times for 166 yards and touchdown.
George Washington defeated Ripley 41-14 in their last meeting in 2014.
Other Friday night matchups in the Kanawha Valley:
AAA No. 10 Riverside (2-2) at St. Albans (1-3), Friday – 7:00
Scott (0-4) at Poca (0-4), Friday – 7:00
AA No. 5 Mingo Central (3-0) at Nitro (1-2), Friday – 7:00
AAA No. 4 Hurricane OPEN
AA No. 9 Herbert Hoover OPEN
A No. 6 Buffalo OPEN
AA No. 9 Sissonville OPEN