— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
No. 9 Capital (3-3) at No. 9 Huntington (3-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Huntington head coach Billy Seals didn’t mince his words after his team’s 24-7 loss to Hurricane.
“It’ll be interesting to see how we react to playing very lethargic last week,” Seals said. “It was a game that when we go back and watch the film it looks like we don’t even want to be there. That’s not a coaching issue. That’s a player issue. Hopefully, our kids get the picture that every Friday night is valuable and take advantage of every Friday night they have left.”
Why It’s Important: And this stretch of games is crucial for the Highlanders as they have four consecutive games against teams that if the playoffs started now would be in the postseason including rivalry games with Spring Valley and Cabell Midland.
“I don’t know the last time that Huntington and Capital have both been 3-3 — it’s been a long time,” Seals said. “There’s definitely some urgency with both programs to get a win, especially for us. We have a very tough road the last four weeks.”
To Seals’ point, the last time the Highlanders entered a game against Capital with a .500 or worse record was in 2010 — Seals’ second season at Huntington—when they were 4-5 going into the season finale.
Who to Watch Capital: Even though Capital has very athletic skill players, it all starts with Cougars’ quarterback Evan Landers.
“Evan Landers does a nice job of throwing the ball,” Seals said. “They have two explosive running backs, two really good linebackers. They have great athleticism.”
Who to Watch Huntington: A staple of Huntington’s success during Seals’ tenure has been the ability to run the ball, so the Highlanders may look to get Diallo Mitchell and Brocton Blair on track.
No. 1 Cabell Midland (7-0) at Woodrow Wilson (1-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Jakob Caudill, JJ Roberts and Cabell Midland made quick work of Princeton as the Knights scored 54 points in the first half and won 54-7 on Homecoming in Ona. Both Caudill and Roberts rushed for more than 100 yards in the first half while Caudill went over 1,000 yards for season.
“The kids on the offensive line have done a great job all year,” Cabell Midland head coach Luke Salmons said. “We’ve had different backs in there, but I don’t think the offensive line gets the credit they deserve. Jakob is a tough runner, hard-nosed kid and broke 1,000 yards. He’s everything you want in a fullback.”
Why It’s Important: After four straight games at home, Cabell Midland embarks on a three-game road trip to end the regular season as it looks to hang on to the top spot in Class AAA for the final four weeks of the season.
Who to Watch Cabell Midland: In just one half, Roberts had 165 yards rushing and four total touchdowns with three coming on the ground. All three of the rushing scores came from at least 34 yards away.
“JJ is one of the most dynamic players in the state,” Salmons said. “Anytime you have a Division I athlete at quarterback running the option that’s a big bonus.”
Who to Watch Woodrow Wilson: Ian Pomeroy leads a group of experienced linemen for the Flying Eagles.
No. 4 Spring Valley (6-1) at St. Albans (1-6)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley kept rolling with a 40-21 win at Riverside to improve to 6-1 on the season. Luke Christopher scored twice on the ground while Nate Ellis threw for two scores.
“We jumped out early and was up 34-6,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “We got a lot of good playing time for our younger kids in the second half. Riverside is a tough place to go play.”
Why It’s Important: After a second straight road contest, this time at St. Albans, the Timberwolves will have their bye week. And Dingess wants to go into that off week feeling good about things. “We want to go up there and play well and go into an open week pleased with how we’re playing and keep improving like we have been all year,” he said.
Who to Watch Spring Valley: While Spring Valley has used a balanced attack, especially on the ground, this season, Christopher has been the lead rusher from the fullback position.
“He’s been carrying the load for us all year at fullback,” Dingess said. “He’s going to get his yards, his carries and a couple of scores every game. He’s the hub of our offense. He gets everything rolling for us. It seems like when he gets things going the offense clicks pretty well.”
CLASS AA
No. 10 Wyoming East (5-1) at No. 5 Man (6-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Wyoming East was dealt its first blemish of the season as the Warriors lost at home, 27-20, to Shady Spring. Man was off last week after its week seven game against Tug Valley was moved to week 10 of the season. However, two week ago the Hillbillies shutout Lincoln County, 44-0, to stay perfect.
Why It’s Important: Man will be looking to avoid its first loss of the season against the upstart Warriors. Though the Hillbillies are rolling at the moment, the schedule does Man no favors down the stretch with matchups against Point Pleasant, Tug Valley and Chapmanville in the season’s final three weeks.
Who to Watch Wyoming East: Running back/wide receiver Caden Lookabill has been a big part of the turnaround for the Warriors under first-year head coach Larry Thompson.
Who to Watch Man: Man’s defense will face one of its toughest tests of the year to date. The Hillbillies have given up just 46 points through six games, but Wyoming East has scored at least 35 points in four of its six games this season.
No. 15 Mingo Central (4-2) at Scott (1-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Mingo Central pulled away from Nitro, 56-34, to improve to 4-2 on the season. After a win over Wayne two weeks ago, Scott couldn’t piece together consecutive wins as it was
shutout, 35-0, against Logan.
Why It’s Important: Mingo Central continues to climb up the Class AA ranks and find itself in the top 16 after a brief absence. With the Miners playing Scott followed by Herbert Hoover — teams that have combined for a 4-9 record, this represents a chance for Mingo Central to move further up the totem poll before late seasons tests against Chapmanville and Winfield.
Who to Watch Mingo Central: Daylin Goad continued his quietly-good season with six total touchdowns and nearly 450 yards of offense in the win over Nitro.
Who to Watch Scott: The Skyhawks will count on Klay Matthews who was one of the offensive bright spots for Scott in the setback against Logan.
CLASS A
Buffalo (3-3) at No. 10 Tolsia (4-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Tolsia had a week to shake off a 43-6 loss against East Carter, Kentucky and prepares for this tough home date with Buffalo. The Bison are coming off back-to-back losses albeit against Williamstown and Tyler Consolidated.
Why It’s Important: The defeat to East Carter snapped a four-game winning streak for the Rebels, but Friday represents a chance to start a new winning streak and potentially end the season on another four-game streak. None of the four remaining opponents for Tolsia have winning records heading into Week 8.
Who to Watch Buffalo: Junior quarterback Jackson England keys the aerial attack for Buffalo.
Who to Watch Tolsia: Tanner Copley and the Tolsia offense will look to get back on track after the only score of the game for the Rebels against East Carter was a defensive touchdown on the first offensive series for East Carter.
Tug Valley (3-3) at Mount View (3-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Tug Valley had a tough time stopping Pike Central as the Hawks put 80 on the board in an 80-48 loss for TVHS two weeks ago. Mount View got back to .500 on the season with some offense of its own in a 41-7 win against Van.
Why It’s Important: This could in fact be a de facto early playoff elimination game. With just nine games on the schedule this season, the Panthers can ill afford to drop to 3-4 with games against Man and Richwood still come. Mount View doesn’t have an easy road after this contest either. The Golden Knights will see two playoff teams in Greenbrier West and Tolsia late in the season.
Who to Watch Tug Valley: In the shootout loss to Pike Central, Caleb May did find the end zone four times with three touchdowns receiving while his first touchdown came on a 33-yard pick six.
Who to Watch Mount View: Tony Bailey scored two touchdowns including a punt return for a score against Van last week.
Other games: Louisville, Ohio (4-3) at Point Pleasant (1-3); Clay County (4-2) at Lincoln County (0-7); Wayne (0-6) at Chapmanville (3-3); Sherman (0-6) at Van (2-4); Hannan (1-5) at Wirt County (2-5)