By: Jack Withrow, WVMetroNews.com
A No. 15 Williamstown (4-2) at A No. 4 Buffalo (5-0) – Friday, 7:30
Buffalo passed on what several called their first test of the season as the Bison defeated visiting Tug Valley 35-12 last Friday night. This week, Buffalo will play host to another big test as the Williamstown Yellowjackets travel to Putnam County.
Dylan Lucas once again came up with a big game in last week’s win over Tug Valley with 197 yards rushing and three scores. The senior running back has now rushed for 1,255 yards on just 76 carries and 20 touchdowns.
“A lot of people from afar think that we’re a one man team, but we’ve got a lot of other weapons,” said Bison head coach Mike Sawyer. “We haven’t used them as much just because we haven’t had to.”
One of those weapons is junior Ethan Burgess who has been solid at the quarterback position again this year. Burgess, in his third year as the starting quarterback, has completed 18-of-30 passes for 458 yards and 10 touchdowns. Junior Owen Tillis has eight catches for 258 yards and five scores.
Williamstown (4-2) suffered its second loss of the season last week, 21-7 to No. 1 ranked St. Marys. Heavy rainstorms turned the field into a muddy mess as both teams struggled to hold onto the ball. Yellowjackets senior quarterback Trenton Tallman paced the Williamstown offense with 137 yards on 20 carries including a 54-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Williamstown is averaging 32.2 points per game as their other loss came at Marietta, OH earlier in September.
This is a top 10 matchup out of the MetroNews football poll as Buffalo comes in at No. 5 and Williamstown at No. 6.
Buffalo and Williamstown have only met twice on the gridiron with the Yellowjackets winning both times. Kickoff is set for 7:30 at Bison Stadium.
AAA No. 7 Hurricane (4-1) at AAA No. 2 Capital (4-1) – Friday, 7:00
Hurricane, which endured its first loss of the season last week at Spring Valley, will travel to Laidley Field on Friday night to face No. 2 Capital. The Cougars were off last week after defeating Huntington 35-18 in week 5.
Ranked No. 7 in this week’s WVSSAC Playoff Ratings, Hurricane had a rough time getting any offensive production against a stout Timberwolves’ defense last Friday night. During the third quarter, the Redskins ran only two offensive plays – both resulting in interceptions – as Spring Valley held Hurricane to just 47 total yards.
After a week off, Capital (4-1) will be well rested and ready to get back out on the field Friday night. In their victory over Huntington, Cougars quarterback Kerry Martin, Jr. looked more and more comfortable under center for head coach Jon Carpenter’s offense. Martin connected on 9-of-14 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 104 yards on 12 carries and another score against a very good Highlanders defense.
Silas Nazario and Anthony Pittman have been Martin’s favorite targets so far as Nazario has 16 receptions for 288 yards and four touchdowns. Pittman has totaled 262 yards on nine catches and four scores.
Capital downed Hurricane 42-28 last year at Laidley Field.
AA No. 7 Sissonville (4-1) at AA No. 10 Herbert Hoover (4-1) – Friday, 7:30
It’s another big matchup in the Cardinal Conference as Sissonville travels to Falling Rock to battle Herbert Hoover on Friday night.
Sissonville (4-1) is coming off a hard-fought victory over Winfield that saw the Indians come back from a 20-6 deficit in the first half to defeat the Generals 28-26. Quarterback Chance Brown had a game-high 124 yards rushing on 15 carries and threw for 125 yards on 11-of-27 completions. Twice, Brown found Austin Cook for key two-point conversions that helped seal the road victory.
Herbert Hoover cruised to a 48-0 victory over Poca last Friday as Brody Thomas totaled 88 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Colten Rollyson added 57 yards on 6 carries and two more scores for the Huskies.
A win for either team will go a long way in securing a playoff spot. Hoover still has a couple of tough road trips left as they travel to Roane County (4-1) and Mingo Central (5-0).
This will be the 37th time the two teams will meet as Herbert Hoover defeated Sissonville 37-20 in last year’s contest.
Ripley (2-4) at AAA No. 14 South Charleston (2-3) – Friday, 7:00
Two teams in desperate need for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive as Ripley travels to South Charleston on Friday night.
Last Friday, Ripley quarterback Brayden Campbell completed 16-of-22 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns but the Vikings fell short at No. 3 Huntington, 49-24. Tight end Anthony Jarvis had a team-high seven catches for 143 yards and score.
South Charleston is coming off an open week as it fell to Spring Valley 29-15 two weeks ago. Quarterback Trae Murphy threw for a touchdown and rushed for another in the loss to the Timberwolves. On the season, Murphy has completed 29-of-54 passes for 485 yards and three scores while receiver Curon Cordon has 13 receptions for 227 yards and two scores.
South Charleston owns a 14-4-1 record against Ripley. The Black Eagles defeated the Vikings 57-14 in last year’s meeting.
AAA No. 9 Riverside (4-2) at AAA No. 4 Spring Valley (5-1) – Friday, 7:00
Riverside, coming off a victory over Class AA Liberty-Raleigh, will make the trip to Wayne County to face a tough Spring Valley squad in a Mountain State Athletic Conference contest.
Riverside quarterback Mark Scites had a team-high 145 yards rushing and three touchdowns as two other Warriors eclipsed the century mark against the Raiders. Freshman Caden Easterling carried the ball 20 times for 116 yards and a score while Gage Lanham added 108 yards and a touchdown.
Spring Valley is coming off a dominating performance last week as they blanked Hurricane 36-0. Leading 10-0 after the first half, the Timberwolves switched to an I-formation that featured running back Owen Porter. Porter, listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, rushed for 128 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns in the second half. Many of those runs coming behind the blocking of Riley Locklear (6-6, 295) and Doug Nestor (6-6, 285).
Spring Valley defeated Riverside 36-18 last year in Quincy.
Other Friday night matchups in the Kanawha Valley:
AAA No. 13 George Washington (3-3) at St. Albans (1-5) – Friday, 7:00
Poca (0-6) at AA No. 4 Mingo Central (5-0) – Friday, 7:30
Winfield (3-2) at Nitro (1-4) – Friday, 7:00