— By Eric Little
Williamstown faces a second straight Class A unbeaten, while Parkersburg’s Class AAA teams both play important tune ups prior to their head-to-head meeting next week. Here’s a look at this week’s games:
Class AAA
No. 9 Parkersburg (5-3) at No. 6 Huntington (6-2)
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg comes in off a bye week following its 38-14 win at Hurricane. The Big Reds have won four straight. Huntington has lost two straight, falling 21-7 at Cabell Midland one week after an eight point loss at Capital.
Why It’s Important: Parkersburg has two tough contests to finish the season, and can solidify their playoff standing with a win against either Huntington or Parkersburg South next week. The Highlanders need to regroup after two difficult losses and are in danger of watching their hopes of a deep playoff run waft away.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg: Jake Johnson ran for three touchdowns and threw another to Tyler Moler in the Big Reds’ win over Hurricane two weeks ago. Moler also added a rushing score as part of a 153-yard night. Johnson completed 17-of-21 passes and racked up a staggering 341 total yards of offense with his arm and legs in the win over Hurricane.
No. 8 Wheeling Park (6-2) at No. 6 Parkersburg South (6-2)
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg South ran its winning streak to five straight with a comfortable 48-14 win over Greenbrier East. South led 20-0 at the half and ran away with the game as the result of a 21-point effort in the third quarter. Wheeling Park pulled away late in a 52-20 win over Princeton.
Why It’s Important: The winner claims at least a share of the championship of the Two Rivers Athletic Conference and likely locks up a top 8 finish. Both of these teams play rivalry games next week, as Parkersburg South visits Parkersburg and Wheeling Park hosts John Marshall. A win would be a nice springboard headed into those important matchups.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg South: Nick Yoho has earned a place in the discussion of best seasons in the state this year. Yoho ran for three touchdowns and caught a TD pass from Brayden Mooney for a fourth score — all of those coming in the second half. Yoho has accounted for 21 South touchdowns through eight games and is one good game away from a 1,000-yard rushing season. Mooney has solidified himself as a threat in the South running game. Four of his five rushing scores have come in the last two weeks.
Roane County (3-5) at Class AAA No. 5 Ripley (7-1)
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Ripley won its seventh straight in a 65-24 victory over St. Albans. Roane County snapped a three-game losing streak with a 50-30 win over Ravenswood.
Why It’s Important: Ripley has played its last regular season game against a Class AAA foe, so while the Vikings can pile up wins, they’ll be against somewhat weaker competition. Still, these next two games will be important tune ups for a squad in the middle of a breakthrough season. Roane County snapped a multi-season losing streak earlier this season. A .500 record after a winning season would be a huge accomplishment, and for now, that remains in play for the Raiders.
Who to Watch for Ripley: RJ Evans ran for 280 yards last week in Ripley’s win over St. Albans. He only had 16 carries, but took five of them all the way to the end zone for scores. Two of his touchdown carries came on rushes greater than 30 yards.
Who to Watch for Roane County: The running game got touchdown carries from three different backs, while the Raiders scored twice on defense — recovering a fumble in the end zone and returning a second one for a score.
Class A
No. 4 Williamstown (8-1) at No. 6 Doddridge County (8-0)
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Williamstown rolled to a convincing 48-6 win over Parkersburg Catholic. The Yellowjackets took advantage of four Crusader turnovers in the first half to build a 28-0 lead at the half. Doddridge County pitched its fourth shutout of the season in a 42-0 rout of Valley (Wetzel). The Bulldogs have only allowed 19 points since the start of September.
Why It’s Important: Not that a reminder should be necessary, but Williamstown will have a second straight opportunity to remind a Class A upstart who they’ll have to get by if they want to earn their way to Wheeling Island. Doddridge has just one win against an opponent that’s currently above .500, so the Bulldogs have a point to make as well.
Who to Watch for Williamstown: Carter Haynes leads a diverse Yellowjackets attack on the offensive side. Haynes threw three touchdown passes to as many different or receivers in Williamstown’s win over Parkersburg Catholic. Donathan Taylor ran for three scores as part of a 184-yard effort. Defensively, the Yellowjackets get hats to the football to stop the run and have a secondary filled with ballhawks like Mason Deem, and linebackers like Eric Brown and Nick Bondi that can defend both the pass and the run.
No. 9 Parkersburg Catholic (8-1) at Hannan (0-7)
When: Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg Catholic stumbled in a 48-7 loss to Williamstown, committing four turnovers in the first half. Hannan fell 61-18 to Buffalo.
Why It’s Important: Parkersburg Catholic needs to prove it isn’t mortally-wounded in its final contest before the playoffs. The Crusaders won’t have to worry about a postseason berth — that’s locked up. Now, the focus turns toward making sure the systems that led to their 8-0 start are firing and ready to go before playoff time.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg Catholic: The captains and senior leadership. Winning starts at the top, and for the captains, the task this week is pretty simple: Make sure this team believes in themselves once again and regains the swagger it had prior to the Williamstown loss.
Gilmer County (3-5) at No. 16 Ritchie County (5-3)
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Ritchie County bounced back from a road loss to earn a 36-12 win at Wirt County. Gilmer County fell 48-25 to Valley (Fayette).
Why It’s Important: Ritchie County needs to win out and get some help to get into the playoffs. Gilmer County is playing out the string, but a .500 record wouldn’t be a bad thing to take into the offseason.
Who to Watch for the Rebels: Garrett Owens ran for two touchdowns as part of a 159-yard effort. Zach Cline ran for 158 yards and three touchdowns for a Rebels team that went heavily back to the run after expanding the passing game in the last few weeks.
Valley (Wetzel) (2-6) at Tyler Consolidated (4-4)
When: Friday at 7 p.m.
Last Week: Tyler Consolidated’s high-scoring offense was limited to a season-low 13 points in a 24-point loss to Magnolia. Valley was shutout by Doddridge County.
Why It’s Important: Tyler Consolidated also needs to win out and get some help to stay in the Top 16.
Who to Watch for Tyler Consolidated: Expect bounce-back efforts this week from Tyler Consolidated quarterback Griffin Phillips and running back Mark Rucker. They’ve been the foundation of the Silver Knight attack all season long and will need to be once again this week if Tyler is to take care of business.
Other games: Meadow Bridge (3-5) at Calhoun County (1-7); Beallsville, Ohio (1-8) at Paden City (1-7; Ravenswood (2-6) at St. Marys (3-5); Wahama (1-7) at Trimble, Ohio (8-1)