By Sean McNamara – Times West Virginian for WVMetroNews.com
It was a good quarterfinal round in the Eastern Panhandle as both Martinsburg and East Hardy won big to earn spots in the state semifinals.
The Martinsburg Bulldogs continued to roll, shutting out John Marshall, 54-0, and earning a spot in the Class AAA semifinals against Capital.
After being tested by Williamstown in the opening round, the East Hardy Cougars routed Sherman, 42-14, last week and booked a visit from St. Marys in the semifinals.
Now, both the Bulldogs and Cougars will look to win this week and earn a return trip to Wheeling Island for the Super Six.
Class AAA No. 6 Capital (9-3) at No. 2 Martinsburg (12-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday
To say the Martinsburg Bulldogs have been dominant this postseason would be an understatement.
In two games, Martinsburg has earned shutout victories over Morgantown and John Marshall by a combined score of 115-0 while allowing negative-6 yards and two first downs – both of which came via penalty.
As the leader of his team, quarterback Tyson Bagent has seen what his team is capable of day in and day out, and he’s happy to see them execute the way that they have.
“I think based on our practice we just knew what we were supposed to do,” Bagent said. “I’m proud of our guys.”
Getting out to a fast start, which Martinsburg did against John Marshall via first-quarter TDs by Dewayne Grantham and Grant Harman, has been something the Bulldogs have become known for, and it provides an extra jolt to everyone on the field to play with an early lead.
“It was definitely one of the most important things in the game,” Bagent said of his team’s fast start. “It got out confidence up and gave us a boost offensively as well as defensively.”
The Bulldogs’ defense has been so dominant this year it may not have needed that boost, as it’s allowed just 89 points in 12 games this season, with both playoff victories coming via shutout.
“The last two games, I think giving up one first down speaks for itself on the amount of work those guys put on that side of the ball,” Bagent said. “Our guys have come ready to go the last couple of weeks.
“Having a good defense helps, offensively, because usually I get the ball on our side of the 50 yard line or very close to that,” Bagent continued. “Hats off to them. They’ve been playing very well and I hope they continue to play well.”
In the win over John Marshall, which managed 2 total yards in the loss, the Bulldogs saw Bagent complete 15-of-16 passes with touchdowns to Harman, Teddy Marshall and Jarod Bowie. Grantham ran for two scores while Mikey Jackson and Trey Sine each had one.
Now, Martinsburg is ready for the next step against a Capital team at 1:30 p.m. Saturday that handed University High School its first loss of the season a week ago in Morgantown.
Capital used a balanced offensive attack against University, rushing for 261 yards and passing for 211 while forcing five turnovers on defense.
Kerry Martin led the way for the Cougars, completing 12-of-18 passes with two touchdowns passes to go along with a rushing touchdown.
Capital was the last team to beat Martinsburg, doing so by a 35-30 score in the 2015 Class AAA quarterfinals, and Capital coach Jon Carpenter knows that the travel, venue and the skill of the Bulldogs will all play a factor in this semifinal matchup.
“Mentally that’s a crazy place to go,” Carpenter said. “It’s like going to Philadelphia. They have some of the best fans. It’s mental warfare when you go there. That crowd was probably worth a touchdown to them last time we were there.
“We have to be able to control your emotions without being intimidated.”
Martin, who has gained statewide recognition and several Division I offers as a result of his play this season, is putting that behind him and is ready to go play.
“That’s just another team we have to face to get to Wheeling,” Martin said.
Bagent is ready, too, and has no doubt his team will show up ready to go.
“The guys always come ready to go,” Bagent said, “and I feel very special to be part of what’s going on in Martinsburg.”
The winner of this game will move on and head to Wheeling Island for the Class AAA state title game between the winner of Friday’s game between Huntington and Spring Valley.
Class A No. 5 St. Marys (10-1) at No. 1 East Hardy (12-0)
It will be a rematch of last season’s Class A state title game when St. Marys travels to Baker to take on the undefeated East Hardy Cougars.
The Blue Devils got the best of East Hardy at Wheeling Island last year, 23-8. The two also met in the 2015 Class A semifinals, which East Hardy won, 36-19.
Now, the two teams will play the series’ rubber match on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
In last week’s 42-14 win over Sherman, the leader of the Cougars, quarterback Clay Skovron, once again came up big with 220 passing yards on 11-of-23 passing with two interceptions. Skovron, in his first year as the signal caller in Baker, also ran 10 times for 31 yards and three touchdowns, and continued to be the catalyst for the East Hardy offense.
“Clay has been awesome all year,” coach Chad Williams said. “I remember back in late June, we were in the indoor practice facility in Morgantown, and I’m talking to Garrett (Cullen), and he asked me what we were going to do at quarterback. I said, ‘we’re fine at quarterback.’”
That confidence in Skovron has proven to be well-placed, and he’s delivered in a big way.
“Clay’s done exactly what we thought he would do,” Williams said. “I’m very proud of him. I wish he could have had the opportunity to do this for a longer period of time, because you’ve known about Clay since back in Little League quarterbacking.
“We always knew he was going to be the guy.”
Skovron’s top target last week, and all season, was Brett Tharp, who caught five passes for 85 yards.
Now, the QB/WR combo will look to once again lead their team to victory on the big stage.
“He really wants this bad,” Williams said. “I don’t know that I’ve coached too many kids who want to win more than him and Brett do.”
In getting to 12-0, the schedule has not been easy for the Cougars, as they’ve had to triumph over fellow semifinalist Wheeling Central Catholic as well as South Harrison.
This week’s test may be the toughest yet, as they host a St. Marys ballclub that defeated Tug Valley 47-0 in the quarterfinals.
In that game, Jaiden Smith ran for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while Matt Eichhorn gained 76 yards on four carries. As a team, the Blue Devils ran for 426 yards, and coach Jodi Mote was pleased with his team’s performance all around.
“They came out and played all three aspects of the game,” Mote said. “The coaching staff did a nice job getting these guys prepared, and these guys just played ball.”
The win was the fourth in a row for St. Marys after falling to South Harrison late in the season, and Mote was happy with how his team has responded, particularly against a Tug Valley team that was 10-1 heading into the quarterfinals.
“They were clicking tonight,” Mote said following the win. “It was exciting. There’s no doubt about that. Our staff does a great job with these guys. They’re finally healthy and they buy in to what you’re trying to teach them.”
The winner of Friday’s game between the Cougars and Blue Devils will advance to Wheeling Island to take on the winner between No. 11 Summers County and No. 10 Wheeling Central.