Martinsburg rolls by H.D. Woodson for 43rd straight win
The Class AAA top-ranked Bulldogs started fast and scored 18 first-quarter points in a 49-12 victory over H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.).
Elijah Banks had a first-quarter touchdown run along with a 70-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Smith to help MHS build the early lead.
Banks added a second TD run in the second quarter and Christopher Catlett made two first-half field goals to help the Bulldogs hold a 28-0 halftime lead.
Jarod Bowie caught a pair of touchdown passes in the second half and Naieem Kearney capped the scoring for Martinsburg with a TD run.
Cougars fall to Johnson Central (Ky.)
The No. 3 Cougars put themselves in an early hole and couldn’t recover in a 28-13 loss to the Golden Eagles.
Ryley Preece scored on a 14-yard TD run to give JCHS (2-0) the early lead, but Capital answered with an 11-yard touchdown run from Shawn James.
Preece threw a 76-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to Seth Dalton to give Johnson Central the lead for good, then tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Keygen Pelfrey late in the opening half to make it 21-7.
Chance Knox had an 85-yard punt return in the fourth quarter to bring the Cougars to within one possession, but JC sealed the verdict with a 2-yard TD run from Preece.
Musselman finishes strong to beat Spring Mills
Caleb Horner’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Zamora broke a 14-all tie in the fourth quarter and helped sent the No. 5 Applemen to a 29-14 win.
Applemen tailback Blake Hartman, who battled injury in the second half, rushed for his second touchdown down the stretch to put the contest out of reach.
Hartman had a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown in the opening half that broke a 7-all tie, before Chase Henson threw a TD pass to Bernard Newman to pull the Cardinals even before the break.
Big Reds hold off Morgantown
Following a lengthy delay for lightning, No. 10 Parkersburg topped No. 8 Morgantown, 27-21.
The Big Reds scored all 27 of their points in the first half. They capitalized on a pair of Mohigans’ turnovers to race out to an early 14-0 lead via a Justin Waybright TD run and Matt Curry’s TD catch.
Jackson Wolfe’s 2-yard run got Morgantown on the scoreboard early in the second quarter, but Bryson Singer answered with a 38-yard TD pass to Kyle Moore.
Curry hauled in a TD pass from Singer that stretched the PHS lead to 27-7.
Quinn Thompson’s fourth-quarter touchdown run brought the Mohigans closer, and Gunner Latimore found the end zone to later cut the Morgantown deficit to 27-21.
Luke Read’s late interception of a Cam Rice pass helped the Big Reds preserve the win.
Spring Valley posts shutout in win over Wayne
The Class AAA second-ranked Timberwolves had their way in a 38-0 win over the Pioneers.
Spring Valley built a 17-0 halftime lead on the strength of Zane Porter’s 43-yard field goal, combined with touchdowns runs of 1 yard from David Livingston and 37 yards from Nate Ellis.
That was more than enough offense for the Timberwolves to cruise in their opener.
Fairmont Senior blows by Buckhannon-Upshur
The defending Class AA champion and second-ranked Polar Bears picked up where they left off a season ago, scoring 44 first-half points in a 56-14 win at Buckhannon-Upshur.
Polar Bears’ quarterback Gage Michael, taking over for last year’s Kennedy Award winner Connor Neal, had four rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown in the first half.
Top-ranked Bluefield downs rival Graham (Va.)
Class AA No. 1 Bluefield defeated Graham (Va.), 41-27 at Mitchell Stadium.
The Beavers, last year’s runner-up, built a 21-13 halftime lead against the G-Men, who won the 2A state championship in Virginia a year ago.
It was the third straight win for Bluefield over Graham.
Doddridge County opens new stadium in style
Playing at its brand new on-campus Cline Stansberry Stadium for the first time, Class A No. 2 Doddridge County defeated South Harrison, 49-6.
The Bulldogs started fast and got first-quarter rushing touchdowns from Hunter America and Griffin Devericks.
Doddridge didn’t slow down any in the second quarter, scoring three more TDs for a 35-0 halftime advantage.
America had three of his four rushing touchdowns in the opening half. Last year’s recipient of the Curt Warner Award, America finished with 184 yards on the ground.
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