By: Eric Little – Seven Ranges Radio
One area team faces an opponent in the midst of a fairy tale season in this quarterfinal round of the playoffs, creating a matchup of unbeatens. The other faces the top-ranked Class A team in the state. The storylines aren’t much better, or easier to understand at this point of the season. Here are this week’s games. Dates/times listed:
Class A No. 7 Gilmer County (11-0) at No. 2 St Marys (11-0) – Friday 7:30
Imagine, for a second, the plight of the Gilmer County Titans. Your perfect record means you’ve literally done everything asked of you this season. But, because your program-best 11 wins have come against opposition that is, well, less than the best, it’s been difficult to earn universal statewide acclaim for the accomplishment.
Until last week’s win over Summers County, the Titans had faced just one other playoff team (Sherman) all season. While the fact remains that the Titans HAVEN’T played the toughest schedule in the state, that doesn’t diminish the effort it’s taken for Gilmer County to reach this previously unprecedented height.
“The core is our senior class. We’ve got eight guys who play ironman football and never come off the field. Those eight guys are the backbone of our football team,” said Gilmer County head coach Steve Shuff of his team’s strength. “It’s so easy for me to turn them loose and let those kids lead. I coach them and get them in the right places, but those kids understand the game of football. They play their tails off.”
Listen: Gilmer County quarterback Trey Shuff on the MetroNews High School Sportsline
Gilmer County couldn’t ask for opportunity to knock louder than it’ll knock Friday when the Titans hit the field at Bill Hanlin Stadium in St. Marys to face the unbeaten Blue Devils. St. Marys routed Buffalo 49-7 in an opening round matchup that was essentially over at halftime.
While Blue Devils’ head coach Jodi Mote was nervous about his team’s opening round matchup coming into last week’s game, his defense put those nerves at ease by setting up shop in the Buffalo backfield early and often. The Blue Devil defense held the Bison to fewer than 200 total yards in a virtuoso performance.
“When you focus on their season and you look at their three losses, they were very close games,” Mote said of first-round opponent Buffalo. “That was a concern going in because they were the #15 seed and you were the No. 2 seed, but that was only because of the tough schedule they’d played. But the kids just came out and played great. I give our kids and our coaches credit.”
St. Marys has 11 wins despite a schedule that’s featured strong competition. Because of that, Mote and his staff feel they’ve instilled the “win or go home” mentality in the Blue Devils.
“With this group, I feel like through the schedule, they really laid it out there during the regular season with Marietta, Ohio; Williamstown; and South Harrison. And I think they did the same thing with Buffalo in the first round,” Mote said. “I believe they know now that you’re in the playoffs and the loser goes home.”
Gilmer County was also aware of the stakes last weekend, playing their first playoff game in school history AND getting to host that game. Shuff said the community made it the big event they’d hoped it might be.
“It was the first playoff appearance in school history, and coupled with the fact that we’re hosting, our community bought in and came out in full force,” Shuff said.
Shuff’s son, quarterback Trey, leads the way for the Titans. Mote and his staff know stopping the younger Shuff will be the first priority on Friday.
“First of all on offense, you’ve got to stop their quarterback. (Trey) Shuff is very, very talented,” Mote said of his opponent’s quarterback. “You’ve gotta find a way to get after him because he throws a nice ball, and he’s athletic enough to break off a big run. He’s gotta be our first target right now to control what he does offensively.”
Last week, the Titans tried to take away the Summers County run game and force them to throw the football.
“We knew they threw the football. So we wanted to make them one-dimensional,” Shuff said of his defensive mentality entering last week. “I understand we gave up 340 yards through the air, but we gave up 25 yards on the ground. We were able to take away their run game and make them one-dimensional. If you can do that, you can do some things.”
Against St. Marys? Well, it often takes a perfect effort in all facets of the game to knock off a team with a perfect record.
“We’re going to have to be just, unbelievable. I think they’re the best football team I’ve seen in the last few years in Single-A,” Shuff said of the Blue Devils. “We’re going to have to be physical and we’re going to have to be disciplined. Anything short of that and we’re in trouble.”
Mote knows regardless of outcome, the matchup alone – coupled with Williamstown’s quarterfinal appearance – speaks well of the Little Kanawha Conference.
“I think it’s great for the Little Kanawha Conference, because you got three teams out of the eight from the conference still alive and that’s really special,” Mote said.
One thing Mote must be ready for at all costs – an opponent that will enter St. Marys ready to give their best and an opponent that won’t back down.
“We have a loosey-goosey bunch of kids that believe in themselves. They respect everyone we play, but they fear no one,” Shuff said of his unbeaten Titans. “We could go play the Steelers and they’re not going to fear them. They may beat us, but we’re not going to go in and shy away from anyone. And I think that’s the leadership side that those kids have bought into during the course of the year.”
This game will air locally on Lite Rock 93R (93.9 FM) and online at www.literock93r.com.
Class A No. 8 Williamstown (9-2) at No. 1 East Hardy (11-0) – Friday 7:30
One team has built a strong small school program over the past 20 years or so along the Ohio River. The other is working to build a program of similar stature in the Eastern Panhandle at the same level. But make no mistake, East Hardy has arrived as a force to be reckoned with in Class A football. And two years removed from a matchup against Williamstown in the state playoffs, the Cougars are ready to stand as the current top-ranked team in the state and take their shot against the traditional favorite.
“They replaced Dakota Watson with Trenton Tallman, but they’re still doing a lot of the same stuff, I’m sure,” East Hardy head coach Chad Williams said of Williamstown. “And a lot of the same kids are there. We were both playing a lot of sophomores back then when we played two years ago.”
One of those sophomores in that prior matchup is East Hardy’s quarterback, Corey McDonald. Williams said McDonald has grown up a lot since then and is much more comfortable leading his offense these days.
“He’s matured a heck of a lot. It’s asking a lot of a sophomore to come out and try to run our offense,” Williams said of McDonald. “He’s worked really hard to get where he is now and I think he’s a lot better player than he was at that point in time.”
Williamstown advanced to the quarterfinals with a 55-27 win over South Harrison. Yellowjackets head coach Terry Smith said his team’s tackling was an early takeaway from their performance last week.
“I think we tackled well,” Smith said. “That’s just what stands out to me.”
Defense aside, 55 points aren’t what you’d expect to see in a matchup between an eight-seed and a nine-seed. Smith acknowledged South Harrison’s mistakes didn’t help the Hawks.
“I was very surprised, but the thing that gets you is the turnovers. Turnovers kill you,” Smith said of his reaction to 55 points. “But I think (South Harrison) moved the ball well. Big, strong guys, but they didn’t hold on to the ball a couple times and that hurt them.”
For the Yellowjackets, the toughest task this week may be dealing with the contrast in styles between run-heavy South Harrison and pass-happy East Hardy.
“It’s night and day for sure. They throw the ball most of the time whereas South Harrison runs the ball,” Smith said of the difference in last week’s opponent and this week’s. “We played (East Hardy) two years ago. They were beating us and moved the ball pretty well until our kids kind of figured it out.”
The Cougars also won last week because they were able to force turnovers – six of them – in an opening round win against Tyler Consolidated.
“I thought we played real well defensively. We forced some key turnovers in some key situations,” Williams said of the Cougars effort last Friday. “Forcing six turnovers – it’s hard to win when you turn the ball over like that. That credit goes all to our defense.”
Williams doesn’t expect to be the beneficiary of so many opportunities this week.
“I expect Williamstown to be very sound in their fundamentals and be where they’re supposed to be,” Williams said of what he can take from last week’s preparation and bring to this week. “We can probably take a little bit of what we did defensively and apply it this week, but offensively, I’d say everything will change this week.”
The key for Williamstown’s defense will be to limit what East Hardy can do through the air.
“Hopefully when the ball’s in the air, everybody goes to get it. And hopefully we tackle well,” Smith said, speaking of what the Yellowjackets will need to do to defend the pass. “A team that throws the ball all the time, they’ll probably complete some passes. That’s just what they do. But you have to tackle and prevent yards after catch. They’ll complete passes, but hopefully not too many.”
Smith knows it won’t take much to motivate the Yellowjackets for the opportunity ahead of them this week.
“You play the No. 1 team in the state you don’t need to talk about paying attention and hustling in practice,” Smith said. “I don’t think there’s much motivation going on.”
Williams knows that even though this game is being played before Thanksgiving, it has a certain December feel.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it. This could be a Wheeling Island matchup,” said Williams. “Williamstown’s a great team, great program year in and year out. But we were going to have to play them at some point, so you might as well get it out of the way now.”