By: Fred Persinger II
Bluefield (4-5) at No. 6 (AA) James Monroe (7-1)
The Bluefield Beavers inched closer to .500 last week with a 53-0 win over Oak Hill. Bluefield scored five times in the first quarter, led by Mookie Collier, who tallied three touchdowns on his first three carries to set the tone for Bluefield. The Beavers also forced four Oak Hill turnovers to secure the shutout.
For James Monroe, the Mavericks are safely in the playoffs, but are trying to move up and secure more than one home playoff game. James Monroe is coming off a 34-6 win over Liberty-Raleigh last week. The Mavericks rushed for 180 yards in the game, led by Devin Johnson who rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries. Because of the wet field conditions, neither team could get the passing game going as James Monroe attempted just one pass while Liberty threw just three times in the game.
When these two teams meet, it almost always has playoff implications on the line. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Woodrow Wilson (1-7) at No. 6 (AAA) Huntington (6-3)
Last Friday night was a long night for Woodrow Wilson in a lot of ways. The Flying Eagles left Beckley at around 4 pm with what they thought would be a 70 minute bus ride to Hurricane to take on the Redskins. But a couple of wrecks on I-64 turned that 70 minute drive to a four hour bus ride. The game was delayed for two and half hours, kicking off at 9:30 p.m.
When the game finally got underway, Beckley kept it close in the first quarter as neither team scored. Hurricane took control in the second quarter, though, with 34 points. The Redskins tallied a couple of scores within 18 seconds of one another. With that first half cushion, Hurricane rolled to a 41-0 win. It was the second straight game Beckley’s offense was held without a point. Overall, the Flying Eagles have been outscored 254-21 in their last five contests.
This week, Woodrow Wilson will travel once again on I-64, this time to Huntington to take on the Highlanders. Huntington is coming off a 34-23 loss to South Charleston. In that game, Huntington was without two of its starters in QB Luke Zban and WR Mikal Dawson. Huntington was only able to gain 190 yards of total offense in the game, led by running back Jadon Hayes who rushed for 140 yards on a school record 38 carries.
This will be the 18th meeting between the two schools. Huntington holds a 9-8 advantage and has won five in a row. The last win for Beckley came back in 2010 when the Flying Eagles won 24-20. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be heard on the Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS, online at wjls.com and on the iheart radio app.
Greenbrier East (3-5) at No. 13 (AAA) Princeton (5-3)
The Princeton Tigers will try to take another step in getting back to the Class AAA playoffs on Friday night as the Greenbrier East Spartans come to town. Princeton is coming off a 28-14 loss to Wheeling Park. In the game, Princeton standout running back Zack Standifur led the way with 19 carries for 147 yards and two scores, which gives him 20 touchdowns this season. Standifur accounted for 147 of the 159 yards of total offense for Princeton.
For Greenbrier East, the Spartans playoff chances took a shot last week, falling to Parkersburg South 30-16. The Patriots gained 348 yards offensively, while holding Greenbrier East to just 134 yards — only 29 of those came on the ground. The loss for Greenbrier East snapped a five game home winning streak.
This is a must win for both teams as Princeton will take on Class AA power Point Pleasant while Greenbrier East will take on AAA power Spring Valley next week. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Other Games:
#3 (AA) Point Pleasant (8-0) at Westside (3-5)
Pikeview (2-7) at #7 (AA) Nicholas County (7-1)
#8 (AA) Independence at Wyoming East (2-6)
Logan (3-5) at Oak Hill (0-8)
Liberty-Raleigh (3-5) at Shady Spring (2-7)
Greenbrier West (2-6) at #3 (A) Fayetteville (9-0)
Richwood (0-8) at #8 (A) Summers County (6-2)
River View (2-6) at #12 (A) Sherman (7-2)
Montcalm (1-7) at Hundred (0-7)
Meadow Bridge (1-7) at Mount View (4-4)
Midland Trail (4-5) at Valley-Fayette (1-7)
Pocahontas County – Idle this week