— By Eric Little
Two of the state’s top small school teams face off in a head-to-head clash, while an area unbeaten faces its final road hurdle of the regular season.
CLASS A
No. 2 Doddridge County (8-0) at No. 3 Williamstown (8-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Williamstown picked up their eighth straight win – a 45-14 victory over Parkersburg Catholic on Saturday. Doddridge County stayed perfect with a 56-0 win over Valley.
Why It’s Important: It’s a battle for small school supremacy between two of the best teams in the Little Kanawha Conference this season. Doddridge County hasn’t allowed a point since September (September!), while Williamstown would like to finish their regular season on a high note.
Most importantly, it’s Doddridge County’s best chance to show they belong among the Class A elites. And Williamstown’s chance to show why maybe the Yellowjackets should be considered a favorite to wind up on Wheeling Island later this year.
Who to Watch for Williamstown: At this point of this particular Williamstown season, aren’t you just reading this space to see what Ty Moore did this week for the Yellowjackets? Probably.
Moore scored four rushing touchdowns — all in the second half — and gained 198 yards on the ground to help the Yellowjackets turn a 17-14 lead into a runaway.
The Williamstown defense should also be noted because although they allowed their opponent to rush for a hundred yards (a rare happening this year), they had to deal with one of the area’s most multitalented threats in Parkersburg Catholic’s Jeb Boice. And it took Boice 29 carries to get his 116 yards.
But the defense gets a mention primarily because they forced a safety and created three takeaways, intercepting two different Parkersburg Catholic quarterbacks and forcing a fumble. This unit will have their hands full with a variety of Doddridge County threats, including running back Hunter America.
Webster County (3-5) at Parkersburg Catholic (5-4)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg Catholic was down just three points to Williamstown with a quarter and a half to go, before the aforementioned Ty Moore took over and ran for four straight touchdowns to hand the Crusaders a 45-14 loss.
Webster County was off last week, but fell 62-34 two weeks ago to Ritchie County. It was the sixth time in eight games the Highlanders allowed more than 40 points in a game. Webster County is 1-5 in those games, and the Highlanders enter on a three-game losing streak.
Why It’s Important: It’s Parkersburg Catholic’s last chance to rack up points and secure a playoff berth, before playing the waiting game next week. The Crusaders are currently 17th in the WVSSAC playoff ratings.
Webster County can play spoiler, plus the Highlanders still have a chance at .500.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg Catholic: Even against the best defense the Crusaders have faced all year, Jeb Boice still managed to run for a score and throw for another. As mentioned above, Boice also ran for 116 yards. Nick Stricker was a top target in the Parkersburg Catholic receiving game, with five catches against Williamstown.
No. 8 St. Marys (6-2) at Ravenswood (3-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: St. Marys dominated South Harrison in a 25-8 Homecoming win over the Hawks. The Blue Devils held South Harrison to just 130 total yards of offense and quickly answered South Harrison’s only score of the contest. Ravenswood fell 14-7 at home to Roane County in what was a costly loss to now-faint playoff hopes.
Why It’s Important: St. Marys is likely in the Class A field of 16, but the Blue Devils can possibly host an opening round contest with wins against Ravenswood this week and Tyler Consolidated next week.
Ravenswood can still finish .500, and a win against a six-win St. Marys team would be a big lift before the Battle for the Hatchet next week against Ripley.
Who to Watch for St. Marys: Quarterback Brennan Boron ran for two scores and connected with William Steele on another in the St. Marys win. In the future, Boron might be the barometer of this team’s success unless they can find some success running the football. The Blue Devils ran for a paltry 71 yards against South Harrison, averaging less than two and a half yards per carry.
Who to Watch for Ravenswood: Playing with a broken hand, Jaycob Creel hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Sam Sturm to provide the Red Devils their only score in Roane County’s 14-7 win over Ravenswood last week. The Red Devils will need to step it up on the ground if they want to beat St. Marys, as the Raiders held Ravenswood to just 124 rushing yards and 165 total yards last week.
No. 4 Ritchie County (7-1) at Gilmer County (3-5)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Ritchie County struggled with three-win Wirt County, trailing at the half before emerging with a 20-13 win. Gilmer County defeated Tucker County 42-32. Prior to that, the Titans had lost five of their previous six games.
Why It’s Important: Ritchie County continues its march toward a high spot in the final Class A rankings and multiple postseason home games. Gilmer County is looking for a signature win and an upset of the Rebels would provide exactly that.
Who to Watch for Ritchie County: With Gus Morrison out because of an injury, the other Rebel weapons had to pick up the slack. Kayden Procacina caught two passes, including a two-point conversion, while running back Tre Moss ran for two scores. It was clear something was off in the Ritchie attack though, with the Rebels limited to just 75 passing yards and 229 total yards on the night.
No. 15 Tyler Consolidated (5-3) at Valley Wetzel (2-6)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: The tide continues to rise for Tyler Consolidated, as the Silver Knights knocked off Magnolia 61-12 to earn their fifth win in their last six games. Valley was shut out for the second straight week in a 56-0 loss to Doddridge County.
Why It’s Important: With a showdown looming at St. Marys next week, Tyler Consolidated will be looking to take care of business along the way.
Who to Watch for Tyler Consolidated: Mark Rucker scored on three of his eight carries while tallying 138 yards on the ground. Rucker also scored on a 16-yard pass play from Gage Huffman and on a 37-yard fumble return.
Huffman connected with Jayden Helmick on a touchdown pass. Helmick also ran for two other scores and returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown.
Trimble, Ohio (9-0) at Wahama (3-5)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Wahama was off and had an extra week to reflect on its18-12 win over South Gallia, Ohio two weeks ago. Trimble routed Southern, Ohio 76-0 to stay perfect. The Tomcats have allowed just six points all season.
Why It’s Important: A win keeps Wahama’s hopes for a .500 season alive and likely provides a big boost to any playoff hopes the White Falcons may hold.
Who to Watch for Wahama: Anyone who can break the spell of the Trimble defense. The most likely candidates are Hunter Board, who caught touchdown passes from two different Wahama quarterbacks two weeks ago, and Brayden Davenport, who threw two touchdown passes in the White Falcons’ win over South Gallia.
CLASS AA
No. 10 Liberty Harrison (7-1) at Roane County (3-4)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Roane County went on the road for an impressive 14-7 win against Ravenswood, putting a serious dent in the Red Devils’ playoff hopes in the process. Liberty rolled to a 42-14 win over Lincoln – their fifth straight. It was also the only win during that stretch while Liberty allowed more than seven points in a single game.
Why It’s Important: Roane County would vault right back in to a crowded Class AA playoff picture with a win against Liberty on what is sure to be an emotional Senior Night in Spencer.
Who to Watch for Roane County: Josh Huffman ran for a game-high 114 yards and a touchdown for Roane County in their 14-7 win last week over Ravenswood. Quarterback Shadraq Greathouse was 8-11 through the air with a touchdown pass to Cameron Bennett in last week’s win.
CLASS AAA
No. 3 Parkersburg South (8-0) at No. 6 Wheeling Park (6-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg South turned a 7-3 second-quarter lead into a laugher, scoring 35 straight points on the way to a 42-10 win over Greenbrier East. Wheeling Park picked up its first shutout of the year in a 34-0 win over Elkins.
Why It’s Important: There have been many good games in the annual Battle of the Patriots over the years, but few in recent years that have looked as promising to deliver a good game as this one. Two of the state’s best quarterbacks — South’s Brandon Penn and Wheeling Park’s Alex Dunleavy — go head-to-head with a perfect season and playoff implications on the line.
South has never completed an unbeaten regular season. A win in this one would equal their previous high water mark, as the 1975 Patriots also started their campaign 9-0.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg South: Penn proved mightier than the sword, the Greenbrier East defense and anyone else who dared stand in his way last week in South’s rout of the Spartans. Penn threw four touchdown passes — two each to Jake Hogsett, and one each to Dylan Day and Levi Rice – while also running for two scores. All told, Penn accounted for 318 of South’s 352 total offensive yards.
The Patriots will also lean on running back Devin Gaines, who didn’t score last week against Greenbrier East, but did score six rushing touchdowns combined in the two games prior.
No. 10 Huntington (4-4) at No. 8 Parkersburg (5-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Parkersburg scored the final 27 points in their 27-7 win against Spring Mills. PHS didn’t score until late in the first half before pitching a shutout on defense in the second half. Huntington fell 28-7 to Cabell Midland.
Why It’s Important: This won’t be a Class AAA elimination game, but both teams will likely be looking to pile up wins, especially given what’s coming next week. Huntington hosts Spring Valley while Parkersburg makes the crosstown trek to face Parkersburg South.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg: Last week brought the disappointing news that senior Braeden Mason’s high school athletic career was over as a result of a torn ACL suffered in Parkersburg’s win over Hurricane two weeks ago. Mason made the somber announcement on Twitter, just days after the three-touchdown performance that turned out to be his last.
Without Mason, the Big Reds turned to the ground — running 53 times for 283 yards. Bryson Singer ran for a touchdown and 118 yards, while Anthony Craig ran for two scores.
On defense, Sam Potts returned an interception for a touchdown. With four interceptions this season, Potts set a new PHS single-season record in the category.
Other games: Ripley (3-5) at Point Pleasant (2-4); Calhoun County (2-6) at Meadow Bridge (4-4); Paden City (3-5) at Beallsville, Ohio (2-7)