By Fred Persinger II for WVMetroNews.com
Point Pleasant (5-1) at Bluefield (6-0)
A great matchup between two Class AA powers will take place on Friday night at Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield.
The Bluefield Beavers have bounced back from a down year last season, defeating three Class AAA programs to sit atop the Class AA SSAC playoff ratings.
Point Pleasant, meanwhile, has been rolling since an opening week loss to the defending Class AA state champion, Mingo Central.
Bluefield has been led all year by senior running back Mookie Collier who is coming off a 215 yard rushing effort last week against Richlands, Va. — overall, Collier has rushed for over 800 on the season. But the story for Bluefield has really been the defense. So far this year the Beavers have given up an average of just 12.5 points per game.
“We certainly like to get him the ball, because we know that he’s a threat to score at any point,” said Bluefield offensive coordinator Freddy Simon III. “This year he’s also been making the tough yards when we need him. We’ve been real pleased with him as a leader and taking on the role of being a tougher runner up inside.”
Point Pleasant has a balanced offense. The Big Blacks are led by quarterback Cason Payne who has thrown for over 1,000 yards this season and has rushed for 533 yards, accounting for 21 touchdowns (12 passing and nine rushing). Justin Brumfield has been the leading rusher this season, totaling nearly 700 yards and eight touchdowns.
“(Cason Payne) is insanely better,” Simon III said. “He was good last year, but from what I’ve seen, he is an excellent quarterback. He’s very good with his play-action and he’s very good with his accuracy. He can run as well. This will be the best quarterback we’ve faced up to this week. It’s a very big challenge for our defense. (Point Pleasant) is scary to watch.”
Point Pleasant defeated Bluefield last year 45-24 in what was the first meeting between the two schools since 1984.
One of the best matchups in the state will take place Friday night at Mitchell Stadium and kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
James Monroe (5-1) at Westside (4-1)
Another big Class AA matchup will take place in Wyoming County this week as the James Monroe Mavericks will travel to take on the Westside Renegades.
Both teams are coming into the game on winning streaks. James Monroe has not lost since a 20-14 setback to Point Pleasant in Week 2, while Westside has not lost since a 12-10 setback in Week 2 to Wyoming East.
James Monroe is led by Grant Mohler, the senior has rushed for over 570 yards on the season. Conner Moore has also played well, doing a little bit of everything for the Mavericks — including rushing for close to 300 yards throwing for close to 300 yards and has over 100 yards receiving.
For Westside, the Renegades are using a balanced attack. Broc Smith leads Westside on the ground with over 300 yards rushing, while quarterback Travis Cook has thrown for over 600 yards and three scores.
Both defenses will be tested and a lot of playoff points are on the line in this matchup of two top Class AA programs.
Kickoff for James Monroe and Westside will be Friday night at 7:30 p.m. from Westside High School.
Beckley (1-5) at Parkersburg (3-3)
It has been the same story for the Beckley Flying Eagles over the past couple of weeks.
Two weeks ago, Beckley trailed Cabell Midland 14-13 after three quarters, but could not stop Cabell Midland in the fourth. The Flying Eagles turned the ball over a couple of times and gave up 30 points in the quarter, falling 44-19.
Last week against George Washington, Beckley trailed by just seven points at the half with two long touchdown scores by Tyree Swafford of 60 and 95 yards.
But the turnovers once again plagued Beckley as the Flying Eagles turned the ball over six times and gave up 28 points in the third quarter.
Overall, Beckley has turned the ball over 22 times on the year — 10 fumbles and 12 interceptions.
Parkersburg, meanwhile, is coming off of a big road win over Wheeling Park from Week 6. The Big Reds have been good all year of creating turnovers themselves — Parkersburg has collected 12 interceptions on the year defensively, collecting four last week against Wheeling Park.
The Big Reds are averaging close to 36 points per game as quarterback Kam Mace who has thrown for close to 700 yards on the season. Junior receiver Brenton Strange needs just 10 catches to become the all-time leading receiver in Parkersburg history.
It will also be Hall of Fame night for Parkersburg on Friday.
These two teams have a long history, dating back to the first meeting in 1938. The series has been dominated by Parkersburg as the Big Reds have won 31 of the previous 44 meetings. Parkersburg has won the last three meetings by a combined score of 109-21. Beckley has not won at Parkersburg since 1986.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 on Friday night and you can hear the game on The Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS, WJLS.com and on the iheart radio app.
Other Games:
Greenbrier East(1-5) at Lord Botetourt, Va.
Princeton(0-5) at Oak Hill(5-1)
Nicholas County(4-1) at Braxton County(3-2)
Montcalm(3-2) at River View(1-4)
Pikeview(4-2) at Wyoming East(1-5)
Liberty Raleigh(0-5) at Midland Trail(6-0)
Webster County(4-1) at Meadow Bridge(0-5)
Mount View(4-2) at Tolsia(1-5)
Independence(2-4) at Summers County(3-2)
Pocahontas County(4-2) at Greenbrier West(0-6)
Van(3-3) at Richwood(2-3)
Lincoln County(3-2) at Valley Fayette(1-5)
Fayetteville-Idle
Shady Spring-Idle
Sherman-Idle