By Shawn Rine – The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register for WVMetroNews.com
Class AA No. 8 Weir at Union Local, Ohio
MORRISTOWN, Ohio – There haven’t been many breathers on this season’s schedule for Weir and Coach Tony Filberto. Friday night at Jets Stadium won’t be any different.
The Red Riders (4-1), who are eighth in the WVSSAC ratings, travel to take on Ohio Division V, Region 19’s fifth-ranked and undefeated Union Local (5-0). Weir has beaten the Jets each of the last two seasons – 21-0 two years ago, and handing them their first loss of the 2016 season, 42-14.
“Every year and every team is different. We have been very fortunate to have won the last two years against very good teams,” he said. “Two years ago it was a 0-0 battle until late in the game and we were able to come out on top.
“Last year we controlled the game with our run game.”
This is the second straight year the Jets will meet the Red Riders with a 5-0 mark.
“In my first four years here, we’ve played pretty well in the first half of the season, but we havenát been real successful in the second half,” UL coach Bruce Stiles said. “We have a weekly word here, but the weekly word for the final five weeks is going to be ‘finish.'”
Both teams enter the game seeming to have hit full stride as the season enters the second half. Union Local pasted Edison, 54-0, last Friday night in Richmond, while Weir blasted Petersburg, 75-7, at home Saturday.
Union Local is averaging more than 40 points a game on offense, despite not having a single starter return in the backfield or wide receiver spots.
“I’m really pleased with our offense,” Stiles said. “We’re passing the ball real well and we’re running it well. When you’re doing both of those like that, it’s hard for the defense to concentrate on one aspect.”
The senior tandem of Braden Lucas and Ben Howell have been a good complement to each other. Lucas, the tailback, leads the team in rushing with 430 yards and in receiving with 15 catches for 202. He has accounted for 17 touchdowns, with 13 coming via the ground. Howell checks in with 399 yards on the ground and seven TDs. He has also caught six passes.
“Neither one of those kids are going to go Division I, but they are kids that play hard,” Stiles said. “The key is that they play for each other.”
Chad Custer had a career-high five touchdowns in Weir’s rout of Petersburg. Four of them came on the ground where he picked up 175 yards on nine carries.
“He was hurt two weeks ago,” Filberto said. “So, he’s played well since his return.”
The Red Riders are again short at quarterback where Tyler Komorowski will still be sidelined with a knee injury sustained in a Week 4 loss to Keyser, 21-18. However, Sebastian Spencer stepped in last week and didnát miss a beat.
“Sebastian has great speed, but he went 7-for-10 for 173 yards and two touchdowns last week,” Filberto said. “Not bad for a first-time quarterback.”
Weir’s success, much like Union Local’s, can be attributed to its offensive line.
“We’re pretty big up front,” Filberto said. “Our guards are 270 and 290 and our tackles are 260 and 200. So, we have some size.”
The Red Riders own victories against Oak Glen (52-0), Anacostia, D.C. (47-6) and John Marshall (29-26), in addition to Petersburg.
Parkersburg at Class AAA No. 8 Wheeling Park
WHEELING – Once what looked like a budding rivalry between Parkersburg and Wheeling Park has been dormant since 2004. It will be renewed at 7 on Friday night at Wheeling Island Stadium when the Big Reds (2-2) tangle with the Patriots (3-2).
Wheeling Park is coming off a record-breaking performance in a 55-34 victory against Cambridge. In that game, Park put up 695 yards of total offense, including 429 on the ground.
“I felt like we could be pretty good offensively, but we slowed ourselves down the first couple of weeks getting used to things,” Patriots coach Chris Daugherty said. “But I am glad that we stuck with what we wanted to do, it was the right thing to do and is very tough to defend.
“We are still working through the kinks a little bit, but we really started putting things together last week. Cross (Wilkinson) has the ability to throw every inch of the green grass, and quarterbacks can’t always do that, even very good high school quarterbacks.
“I think we are getting to the point offensively where it is going to be tough to pick something to try and take away from us.”
Meanwhile, Coach Mike Byus’ squad snapped a two-game losing streak with a 45-10 victory over cross-river rival Marietta, in which the Tigers were limited to 203 total yards.
“Our schedule is brutal,” Byus said. “We won our opener and then had to play two of the best teams in the state in Capital and Huntington before getting our second win. Now we have Park and Cabell Midland coming up after them.
“We have to be at our best and ready to play every week.”
Defenses looking to stop the Patriots may be left scratching their heads with a two-headed running back monster lined up behind a record-setting quarterback. Cross Wilkinson leads the Wheeling Park offense under center, having gone over the 5,000-yard career mark last week.
Wilkinson is coming off a 266-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Bobcats. Through five games the senior standout has hit 70 of 108 passes for 1,106 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
It doesn’t hurt anything that Wilkinson’s main target in the passing game is one of the Ohio Valley’s best receivers in classmate Nate Phillips. Also a defensive standout, Phillips has caught 27 passes for 448 yards and five scores.
However, if you want to try and shut down Wilkinson and his buddies you had better be aware of the two guys coming out of the backfield in Donnie Evans and Rennie Clark. Evans ran 15 times for 272 yards and scores of 81, 80 and 63 yards last week while Clark had 137 on seven tries and touchdown runs of 68 and 41. Clark also caught a 26-yard scoring strike.
On the season, the two have combined for 993 yards and 11 touchdowns, an average of 7.6 yards a carry between them.
“They look awful good to me,” Byus admitted. “Park has a great quarterback, running backs with speed and overall size and speed everywhere that you need it. I am just hoping that we can go up there and compete with them for a while.
“We are going to have to come out and play very good team defense, but we just don’t have the kind of team speed you need to keep up with a team like Park. When kids get away from you we just can’t catch them.”
Parkersburg has a pair of quarterbacks in Kam Mace (26 of 43 for 458 yards, with six touchdowns and two interceptions) and Jake Johnson (30-46-337-4td-x) while Johnson has also run for 146 yards and a score. The Big Reds’ leading rusher is Tyler Moler who has 59 carries for 470 and five trips to the end zone.
The multi-dimensional Johnson also has nine catches for 165 while Brenton Strange (16-297-5) and Seth Dailey (14-133-3) are the leading receivers. Shane Miller also has six catches for 106 and two scores.
Class A No. 6 Wheeling Central at Linsly
WHEELING – For the first time at 1:30 on Saturday, this rivalry will take place at Lockhart Alumni Field on the Linsly campus. It’s always a big game, but because of the location the buzz is heightened, particularly for those who at one time attended these schools.
“I don’t know that this year’s team recognizes that as much as the coaches and fans and everyone else,” Cadets (4-1) coach B.J. Depew said. “For this year’s team, we’re playing the cross-town rival this week and it’s a big game.
“I don’t think they can have a historical perspective but they are hearing it from everyone and they are aware that a lot of people are going to have their eyes on this game.”
What the Cadets will be facing is a Wheeling Central (2-2) team that has rolled off consecutive victories, including edging past Magnolia last week in a 29-27 thriller. After opening with a pair of losses sandwiched around their bye week, the Maroon Knights appear to have found their mojo.
“When you start out 0-2 you are trying to find answers,” Central coach Mike Young said. “When you win the next two, you have found a little something. We were in our second game (a 10-7 road loss to East Hardy) but didn’t come out on top.
“They didn’t quit last week and they didn’t fold. I am just proud we were able to come out with the win because it was a hard-fought game by both teams.”
In that game, sophomore quarterback Curtis McGhee III finished with 103 yards and two scores rushing, and 170 yards and two touchdowns passing. He marched the Maroon Knights 68 yards in 1:01, finishing the drive with a 7-yard keeper for a victory. McGhee’s fourth-and-6 completion to Anthony Robbins set up the score.
“It showed he had great poise and determination and it showed that the kids bought into him being a leader,” Young said of McGhee. “For the line to do the blocking and Dawson Wear doing the running, it was impressive.”
When Depew turns on film of Wheeling Central, the play of McGhee jumps out at him. But he also suggested the Maroon Knights pose even more of a threat this season than normal.
“Their variety of weapons (stands out),” Depew said. “They always have great talent and great coaching, but this team does provide more variety in the sense that there is great speed.
“(Bray) Price and Robbins possess great length and I am really impressed with McGhee. Wheeling Central has a proud tradition of quarterbacks that are great field generals.
“They have a good, strong line and defensively, those two linebackers (Adam) Murray and (Vinny) Mangino, are tough kids.”
Linsly didn’t have any issues last week, disposing of Beallsville by a 53-0 score. Depew admitted preparing for a game in which you know the superior athletes are on your side can be a challenge.
“I think that overall for the week, we definitely got better because it was almost a preseason feel because we really focused on fundamentals,” Depew said. “Given that football is a game of emotion, we were a little lacking in that area.
“But it was a very good week for us because we needed to focus on getting better, but staying as healthy as possible.”
Just as it has been most of the season, the Cadets offense was balanced in the victory against the Blue Devils. Nick Falbo (two carries, 53 yards and a TD) and Eli Petho (8-80-2td) carried the load on the ground, while the quarterbacking tandem of Luke Mueller and Wyatt Hirt (104 yards, two TDs) took care of the football. Trevin Tush caught both of those scores and finished with 90 yards on three catches.
“They’re very big and they have an explosive offense,” Young said. “They execute well and B.J. and his staff always do a great job preparing them.
“In our first couple games we made mistakes that were costly. We have eliminated those to a degree.
“I think it’s a great game, a great rivalry and it will be a tremendous atmosphere.”
Other games:
Point Pleasant at Parkersburg South
Monroe Central at Magnolia
Matthews at Madonna
Buckeye Local at John Marshall
Edison at Oak Glen
Parkersburg Catholic at Valley-Wetzel
Brooke at Indian Creek
Paden City at Cameron
University at St. Albans
Calhoun County at Clay-Battelle, 7:30 p.m.