GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
No. 5 Capital (1-1) at No. 9 Hurricane (1-1)
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Last week: The Cougars scored 38 unanswered points to dig out of an early hole and beat South Charleston, 38-14. The Redskins struggled to move the ball in a 28-7 loss to Spring Valley.
Why it’s important: An important Mountain State Athletic Conference matchup with the winner going above the .500 mark and the loser falling to 1-2. Both teams are plenty good enough to make the playoffs, so critical postseason points will be earned by the winning team.
Who to watch for Capital: Tay Calloway rushed for three touchdowns and caught another to help the Cougars rally by SC a week ago. Kerion Martin is a big factor in Capital’s passing game on the perimeter.
Who to watch for Hurricane: For the Redskins to be successful, they’ll need to establish the run. That starts with standout tailback Christian Hill, who had a big effort in the team’s season-opening win over Winfield, but was held in check during last week’s loss to Spring Valley.
Ripley (1-1) at Riverside (1-1)
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Last week: The Vikings picked up their first win of the year against Buckhannon-Upshur, 38-7. Riverside lost at Huntington, 35-22.
Why it’s important: Ripley wants the momentum to carry over from last week’s lopsided win over the Buccaneers, while the Warriors are looking to bounce back after a hard-fought loss to the Highlanders.
Who to watch for Ripley: The Vikings outscored B-U, 35-0, after halftime last week and the play of Dalton Myers was a big reason why. Myers rushed for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Who to watch for Riverside: Quarterback Javante Elzy is a key piece of the team’s offense, which is looking to repeat its dominant performance on the ground from a Week 1 win over Woodrow Wilson.
Johnson Central, Ky. (2-0) at South Charleston (1-1)
When: Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Despite a strong start, the Black Eagles fell to Capital, 38-14. The Golden Eagles were off last week. In its last game, Johnson Central beat Capital, 28-13, on August 30.
Why it’s important: Through the first five-plus quarters of the season, South Charleston had to be feeling good about its play. But the youthful Black Eagles lost an early two-touchdown lead and the game a week ago against Capital. Now they’ll try to score an upset win over a strong program from Kentucky to get back over the .500 mark.
Who to watch for Johnson Central: When the Golden Eagles beat Capital two weeks back, Ryley Preece threw two touchdowns and rushed for another two scores.
Who to watch for South Charleston: Freshman quarterback Trey Dunn has impressed through his first two starts. The Black Eagles forced five turnovers in their season-opening win against George Washington and got off to a strong start defensively against Capital. But the Cougars had their way in the second half and SC will need its defense to be at its best in this one.
Other games: Montcalm (0-2) at Buffalo (1-1); Class AAA No. 3 Huntington (1-0) at George Washington (0-2); Nitro (1-1) at Herbert Hoover (1-1); Class AA No. 5 Poca (2-0) at Braxton County (0-2); Greenbrier East (1-1) at St. Albans (0-2); Scott (0-2) at Sissonville (2-0); Winfield (1-1) at Chapmanville (0-2)