— By Eric Little
This week’s highlights include a road test for an area AAA school and the renewal of one of the state’s best small school rivalries.
CLASS AAA
No. 3 Parkersburg South (5-0) at No. 6 Huntington (3-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg South topped their highest single-game point total in a 56-14 win over John Marshall. The Patriots have scored at least six touchdowns in all five of their wins this season. Huntington outlasted South Charleston 52-50 in a slugfest that lasted well over three hours. The Highlanders have scored more than 30 points in all four of their games this season and their only loss came by just one point.
Why It’s Important: While Parkersburg South has looked impressive in five season-opening wins, the Patriots haven’t defeated a team that currently has a winning record. This is an important test for both teams, as both South and Huntington seek to prove they’re among the best in the state.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg South: Brandon Penn is a human cheat code. He scores touchdowns as if he has quick access to the “Easy” button from those old Staples commercials. Penn scored six times in the first half Friday, three on the ground and three through the air.
Dylan Day caught one of the TD passes. Landon Francisco caught two others, and snagged an interception on defense for the Patriots.
Jeffrey Tucker is South’s third-leading tackler, but 14.5 of his 35 stops have been for a loss of yardage. That includes a team-best seven sacks. His three forced fumbles also lead the Patriots.
CLASS A
No. 7 Williamstown (4-1) at No. 8 St. Marys (3-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Williamstown rolled to its fourth straight win — a 37-7 defeat of Buffalo. St. Marys fought off a first half challenge from Calhoun County, before pulling away to a 35-20 win.
Why It’s Important: In a season full of top-10 showdowns between area teams, here’s the latest. Williamstown is stacking wins together and playing punishing defense after falling to Wheeling Central in their season-opener. St. Marys is looking to rise again through the Class A ranks after a losing season last year and a loss to Ritchie County two weeks ago. And, it’s a rivalry game between two schools situated less than half an hour from one another, so there are bragging rights at stake.
Who to Watch for Williamstown: Ty Moore picked up the slack in the running game, following an injury to Jarrett Moore in mid-September. Moore ran for four touchdowns and 214 yards on 30 carries to lead a Yellowjacket rushing attack that tallied 349 yards. Williamstown’s defense limited Buffalo to just 13 rushing yards last week. The ’Jacket defense hasn’t allowed a team — much less a player — to rush for 100 yards in their four wins this season.
Who to Watch for St. Marys: Both William Steele and Dylan Patterson ran for 100 yards each in the Blue Devils’ 15-point win last weekend at Calhoun County. Steele found the end zone on two of his five carries. Lucas Lipscomb had a big day receiving, with four catches for 113 yards and a pair of scores. To win against Williamstown St. Marys will need all these players — and others — to contribute.
Wirt County (2-3) at No. 2 Doddridge County (4-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Doddridge County stayed perfect with a 27-18 win over Ritchie County last Thursday. Wirt County lost its second straight — this time, by a 28-14 score against Tyler Consolidated.
Why It’s Important: For Doddridge County, it’s a matter of trying to make sure they take care of business as usual. For Wirt County, the chance of a winning season could slip through their fingers if back-to-back losses become a losing skid.
Who to Watch for Wirt County: Anyone trying to stop Hunter America.
Last week, Tyler Consolidated’s Mark Rucker ran for three scores and caught a TD pass for a fourth. Against a similar offensive threat, it’ll be important for the Tigers to learn lessons from the things they weren’t able to do to stop Rucker.
Offensively, Trent Richards ran for 134 yards and a score on 20 carries for Wirt County last week in their loss to Tyler Consolidated.
No. 15 Parkersburg Catholic (3-2) at Frontier, Ohio (5-0)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg Catholic followed two straight losses with the second of two straight wins — a 60-14 thrashing of Gilmer County. Frontier rolled to its fifth straight win — a 47-13 triumph against Magnolia.
Why It’s Important: For Parkersburg Catholic, it’s go time…at least if a second straight playoff trip is to happen. With games against Pendleton County and Williamstown ahead, and with valuable playoff points at stake against 5-0 Frontier, the Crusaders face a big opportunity this week. Plus, Parkersburg Catholic head coach Lance Binegar is a Frontier graduate and played for current Cougars head coach Russ Morris, so the mentor wants a good showing against the teacher.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg Catholic: Jeb Boice ran for 218 yards and three touchdowns in Parkersburg Catholic’s 60-14 win over Gilmer County. Ethan Lang scored on a 65-yard touchdown play on his only carry of the day. He also caught a touchdown pass. Defensively, both Wade Smitley and Jalen Brunny sacked Gilmer County’s quarterback. Smitley will also be motivated to perform well in this one, as he transferred to Catholic from Frontier.
No. 9 Ritchie County (3-1) at Ravenswood (2-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Ritchie County suffered their first loss of the year in a 27-18 road setback against Doddridge County. Ravenswood leveled their record at 2-2 with their first shutout of the year — a 33-0 whitewashing of the Sherman Tide.
Why It’s Important: Ritchie County won’t be in friendly territory, and it’ll be a second straight crucial road test for freshman quarterback Ethan Haught. Plus, the second half of the Rebels’ schedule is … decidedly less intimidating than the first, so it’ll be a good opportunity for Ritchie County to build a winning streak and ride some momentum into the homestretch of the season. Ravenswood has a back half of their schedule that includes St. Marys, Doddridge County and their annual Hatchet game with Ripley, so wins will be at a premium for the Red Devils, as the season winds down.
Who to Watch for Ritchie County: Both Gus Morrison and Graden McKinney hauled in touchdown passes from Haught last week for the Rebels, but Ritchie County’s real strength remains their running game. Tre Moss ran for 122 yards for the Rebels last week, while Garrett Owens tallied Ritchie County’s only rushing score of the week.
Who to Watch for Ravenswood: Jacob Anthony had just 14 carries against Sherman last week, but three of them ended in the end zone for Ravenswood touchdowns as part of his 114-yard night. Wayne Stephenson ran for 120 yards and a 79-yard touchdown on just seven carries last week against the Tide.
Tyler Consolidated (2-2) at No. 13 Webster County (3-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Tyler Consolidated moved back to .500 on the season by doubling up on Wirt County, 28-14. Webster County rebounded from back-to-back losses to post a 36-21 win over Mount View.
Why It’s Important: Tyler Consolidated has a chance to get above .500 for the first time all year, after an 0-2 start to their season. Webster County wants to gain momentum as they open the second half of their season, and a 4-2 record with four games left might start some playoff talk for the Highlanders.
Who to Watch for Tyler Consolidated: Mark Rucker delivered one of his strongest performances of the season in Tyler Consolidated’s 14-point win over Wirt County last week. Rucker ran for three scores and caught another on a pass from Gage Huffman. Rucker accounted for 219 of the Silver Knights’ 297 total yards.
Wahama (2-3) at Eastern Reedsville, Ohio (3-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Wahama got back in the win column with a 48-24 triumph over Federal Hocking, Ohio. Eastern Reedsville pitched its first shutout of the season in a 32-0 win over South Gallia, Ohio.
Why It’s Important: At the halfway point of their season, Wahama will play four of their remaining five games (including this one) against teams with winning records. It’s put up or shut up time for the White Falcons.
Who to Watch for Wahama: Trevor Hunt intercepted a pass last week and returned it 88 yards for a touchdown – one of his two interceptions in the contest. He also ran for a touchdown as one of four different players to rush for White Falcon touchdowns.
CLASS AA
Roane County (2-1) at Nicholas County (3-2)
When: Friday 7:30
Last Week: Roane County earned an emotional 44-14 win over Braxton County in its first game after the death of senior Alex Miller. Nicholas County was swept up 63-0 by the Keyser Golden Tornado.
Why It’s Important: Every year, it seems like the battle for the 7-16 spots in the Class AA playoffs seem to be up for grabs at this point of the season. This year is no different, as both teams will play crucial head-to-head matchups in the coming weeks to separate the contenders from the pretenders.
Who to Watch for Roane County: Danny Bush returned last week’s opening kickoff 85 yards for a Raider touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown and threw for another. Josh Huffman ran for 150 yards and two Roane County scores.
Other games: Calhoun County (1-4) at Clay-Battelle (2-2); Paden City (1-3) at Hundred (1-4); St. Albans (0-5) at Ripley (2-3)