By Sean McNamara – Times West Virginian for WVMetroNews.com
Week 3 in the Eastern Panhandle features several key matchups as well as some intriguing out-of-state contests.
The Eastern Panhandle currently has four teams in the MetroNews Power Rankings with Martinsburg (1) and Musselman (10) in AAA, Keyser (6) in AA and East Hardy (2) in Class A.
Headlining the local games is matchups between Musselman and Jefferson, two teams heading in opposite directions to start the season.
Martinsburg, East Hardy, Hedgesville, Hampshire, Musselman, Jefferson, Spring Mills and Berkeley Springs all remain home in the Eastern Panhandle in Week 3 while Keyser, Frankfort, Petersburg, Moorefield, Pendleton County and Washington all head out on the road.
Liberty Christian, Va. (0-1), at Martinsburg (2-0), 7 p.m., Friday
The top-ranked Martinsburg Bulldogs will look to move to 3-0 this week as they match up with their third out-of-state opponent in as many weeks.
Martinsburg (2-0) easily disposed of Eastern, D.C., in Week 2, 70-6, and will host Liberty Christian Academy in Martinsburg in Week 3, the first of four consecutive home games for the Bulldogs.
In the Bulldogs’ rout of Eastern, D.C., Tyson Bagent had 137 yards passing with Mikey Jackson and Trey Sine rushing for 102 and 91 yards, respectively.
The Martinsburg defense recorded six sacks in the game and did not allow Eastern, D.C., to get into any sort of flow offensively.
The win was Martinsburg’s 16th consecutive victory.
Liberty Christian out of Lynchburg, Virginia, lost to Virginia’s George Washington High School, 49-42, Aug. 25, and had a bye in Week 2.
Liberty relied on its passing game in Week 1, completing 14-of-22 attempts for 329 yards, three scores and an interception.
The two teams played Oct. 7 of last season, with Martinsburg earning a 45-13 win in Lynchburg.
Wheeling Central (0-1) at East Hardy (2-0), 7 p.m., Friday
One of the state’s biggest matchups in Week 3 will take place in the Eastern Panhandle as the No. 2 East Hardy Cougars host the No. 6 Wheeling Central Catholic Knights.
The second-ranked East Hardy Cougars (2-0) earned a big win over Class AA Frankfort in Week 2, defeating the Falcons 38-13. The Cougars picked up 434 total yards of offense, led by Clay Skovron, who threw for four touchdowns, all going to receiver Brett Tharp.
Philip Mullin, who also had a touchdown through the air, ran the ball 11 times for 89 yards and a touchdown, his long run coming on a 77-yard scamper.
Wheeling Central had a bye week in Week 2, and will look to get back on track following a Week 1 loss to Catholic Central out of Steubenville, Ohio.
The Knights opened the season ranked third in the WVMetroNews Class A power rankings and have fallen to No. 6 through the first two weeks.
The two teams last met in the second round of the 2015 Class A playoffs, with the Cougars winning, 16-14.
Jefferson (0-2) at Musselman (2-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Two Eastern Panhandle opponents will face off in a 2016 Class AAA playoff rematch this week as the Musselman Applemen host the Jefferson Cougars.
Jefferson routed Musselman in the opening round of the playoffs last season, 36-0, but the matchup this time around looks much different.
As one of six undefeated teams left in Class AAA, the Musselman Applemen moved into the WVMetroNews Class AAA Power Rankings this week, earning the No. 10 spot.
Musselman improved to 2-0 in Week 2 with a 35-23 win over Chestnut Ridge, Pa. In the win, the Applemen moved at a blistering pace, running 76 plays and gaining 401 yards.
Leading the charge for Musselman was Jacob Northcraft, who carried the ball 35 times and gained 181 yards. Freshman Blake Hartman had a big game, as well, picking off his third pass of the year on defense and scoring two touchdowns offensively in the win.
The Jefferson Cougars faced another setback in Week 2, falling at home to Sherando, Va., 48-12.
Jefferson, which has scored a total of 25 points in two games this season, passed for 135 yards and ran for 77 yards in the Week 2 loss. The Cougars, who committed three turnovers in the loss, fell behind 48-0 before scoring two second-half touchdowns.
While it’s early in the season, this matchup of teams heading in opposite directions could prove crucial moving forward as Musselman looks to stay undefeated and Jefferson looks to put a notch in the win column.
Keyser (1-0) at Fort Hill, Md., 7 p.m., Friday
The No. 6 Keyser Golden Tornado opened their 2017 season in a big way last week with a 49-0 victory over Berkeley Springs.
In a game that was 35-0 at the half, 2016 first-team all-state performer Brady Ours had 130 yards passing and two touchdowns to go along with 74 rushing yards through two quarters.
Keyser’s opponent this week is Fort Hill, Maryland, the four-time Maryland Class 1A defending state champions.
Fort Hill won its opening matchup against USO, 75-8, on Saturday.
Keyser and Fort Hill met Sept. 9 of last season, with the Sentinels winning, 41-0.
Frankfort (1-1) at Robert C. Byrd (1-1), 7 p.m., Friday
In a Class AA clash, the Frankfort Falcons will travel to Clarksburg to take on the Robert C. Byrd Eagles.
In Week 2, Frankfort fell to Class A No. 2 East Hardy, 38-13, while the RCB Eagles earned a win over a Harrison County rival Lincoln.
After falling behind 35-0 at halftime, Frankfort got second-half scores from Dalton Pollock and Nick Marley to narrow the final score to 38-13.
The Eagles, who fell to Fairmont Senior in Week 1, earned an impressive win in Week 2 over Lincoln, a playoff team from a year ago. In the win, running back Ghovan Davidson rushed for five touchdowns, bringing his season total to six through two weeks.
Petersburg (2-0) at Grafton (1-1), 7 p.m., Friday
The Petersburg Vikings moved to 2-0 last week with a 42-21 win over Pendleton County, which suffered its second consecutive loss to open the season.
Junior quarterback Jacob Hartman once again led the way for Petersburg, compiling 207 yards on the ground with four touchdowns to go along with 83 passing yards and two scores.
As Petersburg looks to move to 3-0, they will take on the Grafton Bearcats (1-1), who are coming off a 10-9 win over the East Fairmont Bees in Week 2.
After falling behind the Bees 9-0 in the first half, Grafton scored 10 unanswered points in the second half, with a 40-yard game-winning field goal by Gabe Wolverton in the closing moments earning them the win.
Spring Mills (1-1) at Hampshire (1-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Spring Mills comes into Week 3 sporting a 1-1 record after a 26-21 win over Washington a week ago.
The Cardinals forced five turnovers in Week 2 and gained 450 yards of offense.
Their opponent, the 1-0 Hampshire Trojans, were off last week following a Week 1 victory over the Preston Knights.
Mountain Ridge, Md., at Hedgesville (1-1), 7 p.m., Friday
The 1-1 Hedgesville Eagles stay at home this week as they host Mountain Ridge, Maryland.
The Eagles fell in Week 2 to South Hagerstown, 12-2, only getting on the scoreboard with a second-half safety.
Their opponent, the Mountain Ridge Miners, come into the game 0-1 following a 34-21 loss at home against John Marshall.
The two teams met last season at Mountain Ridge High School, with the Eagles emerging victorious, 28-25.
Other Games:
Francis Scott Key at Berkeley Springs, 7 p.m., Friday
Moorefield (0-2) at Southern Garrett, Md., 7 p.m. Friday
Pendleton County (0-2) at Pocahontas County (2-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Washington (0-2) at Millbrook, Va., 7 p.m., Friday