By: Fred Persinger II
No. 6 (A) Fayetteville (6-0) at No. 4 (AA) Nicholas County (5-0)
A matchup between two top 10 teams in their respective classes will take place on Friday night in Summersville. The Fayetteville Pirates will have the short drive north to take on the Nicholas County Grizzlies. Nicholas County is coming off a very impressive 25-9 road win over James Monroe last week. It was the first time this year that Nicholas County has given up any points, but the Grizzlies defense was still outstanding, holding the Mavericks well below their average, holding the to under 200 yards of total offense.
Nicholas County was led offensively by quarterback Tate Mayes who rushed for 81 yards on 11 carries and threw for over 200 yards on 10 of 16 passing. Carter Sebert-Sweeney had 150 yards receiving in the win for Nicholas County as well.
Fayetteville, meanwhile, is coming off a 48-7 win over Pikeview. The Pirates have outscored their opponents 282-21 so far on the season. Offensively, quarterback Will Fenton has been one of the standouts throughout the year.
“We are throwing the ball probably a little bit more than what we normally would be, simply because we have that ability,” said Fayetteville coach David Moneypenny. “It’s all about the pass protection and I’ve been talking double-time about it to make sure that Will (Fenton) is protected – you have to protect first before you can launch it down the field. But we will still run it and I think the balance is there, we have the ability to do both.”
But this will be the toughest test to this point for the Pirates, as the combined record of their opponents so far is just 2-31.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm. on Friday night.
No. 7 (A) Summers County (4-1) at No. 11 (AA) Independence (5-1)
Summers County bounced back from its first loss of the season against Greenbrier West with an impressive 41-6 win over Webster County. Nathan Grimmett got the passing game going with 235 yards on 19 of 30. Grimmett was also involved in three of the six scores for the Bobcats, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. The Summers County defense only gave up 59 yards of total offense in the game.
The Independence Patriots are coming off of a 42-14 win over Clay County last week. The Patriots have won three games in a row after suffering their only loss of the season to James Monroe.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.
Parkersburg (1-4) at Woodrow Wilson (1-4)
Two tradition-rich programs will battle Friday night at Van Meter Stadium as Parkersburg travels to Beckley. The Flying Eagles are coming off another tough MSAC matchup against George Washington where Beckley only managed 159 yards offensively. Injuries have continued to mount for Woodrow Wilson as the Flying Eagles had six starters who didn’t play last week with two more leaving the game with injuries.
Parkersburg is coming off their bye week and sitting at 1-4. The Big Reds’ four losses have been against teams that are a combined 17-5 on the season. Parkersburg has become more of a passing team this season as the Big Reds have thrown for over 900 yards, led by senior Ethan Airhart who has completed 69 percent of his passes. Parkersburg also averages over 100 yards rushing per game, led be Easton Martin.
Parkersburg leads the overall series against Beckley 29-13-1 going back to 1938. The Big Reds have won the last two meetings — both at home. The last two meetings in Beckley (2012, 2013) both resulted in Woodrow Wilson victories. It will be homecoming for Beckley on Friday night and the game will start at 7 p.m.
The game will air on The Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS, wjls.com and on the iheart radio app.
Other Games:
Oak Hill (0-5) at #8 (AAA) Princeton (4-1)
Bluefield (2-4) at #3 (AA) Point Pleasant (6-0)
Westside (2-3) at #6 (AA) James Monroe (4-1)
Midland Trail (3-3) at Liberty Raleigh (3-2)
Shady Spring (2-4) at Lincoln County (0-5)
Wyoming East (1-5) at Pikeview (0-6)
#8 (A) Tolsia (3-1) at #16 (A) Mount View (3-2)
#13 (A) Van (5-1) at #11 (A) Sherman (5-1)
Riverview (1-4) at Montcalm (1-5)
Greenbrier West (1-4) at Pocahontas County (3-3)
Tug Valley (3-3) at Valley Fayette (0-5)
Meadow Bridge (1-5) at Webster County (2-3)