— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
No. 4 Capital (3-1) at No. 1 Cabell Midland (4-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Cabell Midland drove 98 yards in the final minutes to overcome a 16-13 deficit and win 20-16 over rival Hurricane at home.
“We pulled together and found a way to win whenever we went through a lot.,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said. “We were resilient on the final drive and finished. We had a lot of mistakes and some injuries. I think we’ll get a heck of a lot better from it.”
Not only did the Knights score late to win the game, Cabell Midland scored 13 of the 16 points put on the board in the fourth quarter as it trailed 13-7 in the final period.
Why It’s Important: Cabell Midland finishes up a four-game run against teams that made the playoffs last season with the matchup versus Capital. The Knights haven’t beaten the Cougars since the 2015 season, but these two sides have played some classic games in the last few years.
“You can see on film that Capital is getting better each week,” Salmons said. “Every year, it seems like this game is a war. We have a lot of respect for them.”
Who to Watch for Capital: Though Capital lost Kerry Martin Jr. among others in a strong senior class that made it to the Class AAA Semifinals or further in five straight years, the Cougars still possess plenty of talent.
“Chance Knox and Kerion Martin are really good,” Salmons said. “Evan Landers at quarterback was perfect throwing the ball against Parkersburg for a while last week. They are a little bit different from a personnel standpoint, but they are still a Capital team.”
Who to Watch for Cabell Midland: Jakob Caudill continued his strong performance to start the season as he capped the comeback against Hurricane with a 2-yard rush on the game-winning drive.
No. 11 George Washington (2-2) at No. 10 Spring Valley (3-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley used the run and the pass to down South Charleston, 33-6, and get back on the winning track.
“We did things a little more simpler than we had been doing them,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “We got back to our roots and back to ourselves. We got good at running the football and playing good defense.”
Spring Valley’s Cole Diamond rushed for two touchdowns, but Nate Ellis and David Livingston combined to throw for three more scores.
“We threw four passes and three of them went for touchdowns,” Dingess said. “We don’t throw it a whole lot, but you have to be effective when you do and make people respect it. I’ve been pretty pleased with our passing game.”
Why It’s Important: Since starting 0-2, George Washington has ripped off two straight wins including a mild upset of Huntington in week three. As mentioned earlier, the Timberwolves shook off a loss to Cabell Midland with the convincing win against South Charleston.
Who to Watch for George Washington: R.T. Alexander keys the attack for the pass-heavy Patriots. But in Dingess’ eyes, George Washington is more than just a passing team this season.
“George Washington’s offensive line is underrated,” he said. “They do a good job defensively at making you earn everything. They aren’t giving up a ton of points and they are making people drive the football. There are no big plays and it’s hard to get on them. I think they are very aggressive watching the film.”
Who to Watch for Spring Valley: The Timberwolves used a two-quarterback system in the victory versus South Charleston. It was something that was very successful for Spring Valley last season on its run to the Class AAA State Title Game. And so far in 2019, Ellis and Livingston have worked out splitting snaps.
No. 16 South Charleston (1-3) at No. 8 Huntington (2-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Devin Jackson intercepted three passes to help Huntington escape Beckley with a 38-20 win against upset-minded Woodrow Wilson.
“When Devin got that first interception of the second half, it kickstarted us,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals said. “I thought from there we played really well. I think that pick really got us turnaround early in the third quarter.”
The Highlanders led just 17-13 at halftime before outscoring Woodrow Wilson 21-7 in the second half.
“We were sloppy in the first half. We couldn’t get out of our own way,” Seals said.
“We had a red zone fumble, busted coverage, kick the ball out of bounds on a kickoff, don’t field a punt and on and on in the first half.”
Why It’s Important: Though the record may not indicate the improvement of South Charleston from last year, Seals warns this is a very dangerous team as the Highlander look to improve to 3-1.
“They have a really good quarterback—young quarterback,” Seals said. “They have athletes everywhere. They are a really good football team that’s played a tough schedule. I don’t think their record reflects how good they are”
Who to Watch for South Charleston: And speaking of the young gunslinger for the Black Eagles, Seals is impressed with Trey Dunn.
“He does a nice job of reading coverages and throwing the ball where it should be thrown,” Seals said. “It always seems that South Charleston and Capital have dual-threat guys that can make plays on the run, extend plays with their scrambling ability. It’s going to be a task to slow him down.”
Who to Watch for Huntington: Brocton Blair and Diallo Mitchell combined for nearly 250 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the road win over Woodrow Wilson.
CLASS AA
No. 6 Poca (4-0) at No. 13 Mingo Central (3-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Mingo Central dealt Sissonville its first loss of the season as quarterback Daylin Goad threw for 312 yards. Wide receiver Drew Hatfield caught three Goad scores to go with 212 yards as Mingo Central faced its toughest in-state competition to date.
Why It’s Important: After starting last week outside of the top 16 in Class AA, the Miners have a chance to make another leap up the WVSSAC ratings with a win at home. Mingo Central hasn’t lost a home regular season on Miner Mountain since 2013.
Additionally, the Miners are looking to avenge a 45-27 loss to Poca last season on the road.
Who to Watch for Poca: Running back Ethan Payne, who has already topped 1,000 rushing yards this season. keys a potent rushing attack for the Dots
Who to Watch for Mingo Central: Goad enters the game averaging more than 250 yards passing per game.
River View (2-3) at No. 5 Man (4-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Man used a 16-point third quarter to take the lead on Greenbrier East before holding a late Spartans’ run on its way to a 22-17 win over a Class AAA team. Quentin Moody hauled in a receiving touchdown while also returning an interception for a score in the win over Greenbrier East.
Why It’s Important: Man has already been successful this season against teams from McDowell County having previously defeated Mount View, 48-7.
Who to Watch for River View: Running back Jacob Justice scored five touchdowns for the Raiders in a wild triple overtime game against Hurley, Virginia in which River View prevailed, 40-34.
Who to Watch for Man: Josh and Quentin Moody combined for all three touchdowns in the win against Greenbrier East as both teams struggled to move the ball. Man finished the game with 195 yards compared to just 142 for Greenbrier East.
CLASS A
No. 14 Tug Valley (3-1) at No. 3 Tolsia (3-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Tug Valley won its third straight game with a convincing 46-6 win over Van in the second game of a three-game road trip for the Panthers. Tolsia continued its dominance with a 32-14 prevailing against Class AA Westside to pick up some important bonus points.
Why It’s Important: Both schools are riding three-game win streaks. Tug Vally has outscored its opponents 134-6 since an opening week loss to Hurley, Virginia. Tolsia hasn’t been quite as overpowering to opponents like the Panthers, but Tolsia has three consecutive wins over Class AA schools including victories over Clay County and Lincoln County to go along with the win against Westside.
Who to Watch for Tug Valley: Quarterback Ethan Varney had six touchdowns (five throwing, one rushing) as well as 432 yards of offense in the win over Van.
Who to Watch for Tolsia: John Wilson had a strong performance two weeks ago against Lincoln County.
Other games: Lincoln County (0-4) at Oak Hill (0-4); Class AA No. 13 Winfield (3-1) at Logan (0-4); Scott (0-3) at Chapmanville (1-3); Ravenswood (1-2) at Sherman (0-4); Nitro (1-3) at Wayne (0-3)