— By Wes McKinney
GAMES TO WATCH
CLASS AAA
Ashland Blazer, Kentucky (8-1) at No. 5 Spring Valley (7-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Spring Valley rolled into its bye week with a shutout of St. Albans, 47-0, two weeks ago. It was the third shutout of the season for the Timberwolves.
“Our kids do a good job of tackling in the open field,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said of his defense. “Our secondary does a good job. We’ve been able to control the line of scrimmage with our line and play aggressive, but disciplined at the same time.”
Why It’s Important: While it’s an out-of-state contest, this is a great barometer for Spring Valley against an Ashland team that took out mutual opponent George Washington, 49-16, in Week 2 of the season. And there’s a lot of previous knowledge between the two schools from scrimmages in the past.
“They are extremely well-coached and good up front,” Dingess said. “They probably have two of the better backs we’ve seen all year. They are a fundamentally sound football team and they could be the best team on our schedule.”
Who to Watch for Ashland Blazer: Those two backs Dingess spoke of are Blake Hester and Keontae Pittman, who are both receiving Division I attention.
Who to Watch for Spring Valley: The stifling Spring Valley defense will be asked to slow down the Tomcats. Dingess will put his defensive front featuring Division I talent Wyatt Milum up against the powerful Ashland offensive line.
No. 10 Huntington (4-4) at No. 8 Parkersburg (5-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Huntington scored the first touchdown of last week’s game against Cabell Midland, but watched the Knights score the next 28 points in a 28-7 setback.
“We didn’t win the field position battle throughout the second half — really throughout the game,” Huntington head coach Billy Seals explained. “Three of their four scores started on our side of the field. That’s a recipe for disaster when you play anyone.”
Why It’s Important: Huntington still has work to do to make the Class AAA playoffs with a game still lurking against rival Spring Valley in the final week of the season. The Highlanders have been involved in some tight games this season including a couple gut-wrenching losses to George Washington and Parkersburg South.
“I think we’ve been a focused football team besides the Hurricane game,” Seals said. “We just haven’t executed real well. Huntington Football means a lot to our kids. They want to go out and perform well and carry on the tradition we have here.”
Who to Watch for Huntington: A week after a dominating running game against Capital, Brocton Blair and the Highlanders were slowed against the physical defensive play of Cabell Midland.
Who to Watch for Parkersburg: Despite the loss of an assortment of skill players from last season’s team, the Big Reds have been led by quarterback Bryson Singer and the re-tooling of the lineup by head coach Mike Byus.
“I think Coach Byus is one of the better coaches in the state. He gets the most out of his kids,” Seals explained. “I think he schemes very well. They are a really good football team. I know early in the year he was worried about losing the number of kids he lost, but it seems like they are playing really good football — probably already in the playoffs.”
CLASS AA
No. 15 Mingo Central (6-2) at Chapmanville (5-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Mingo Central rolled to a 47-6 win over Herbert Hoover, but yet again did not make any movement in the Class AAA rankings. After a tight first quarter, the Miners were able to blow the game open with 40 unanswered points en route to the win. Quarterback Daylin Goad accounted for four touchdowns with four coming on the ground.
Meanwhile, Chapmanville kept its slim playoff hopes alive with 48-26 win over county rival Logan. The Tigers’ quarterback Chase Berry was equally impressive as he completed all but two passes — 16-of-18 —while throwing for 194 yards and three touchdowns to keep Chapmanville in the playoff picture.
Why It’s Important: If Chapmanville has any hope of making the Class AA playoffs, then Friday night is a must win for the Tigers as they finish with one-loss Man in Week 11 of the season. Chapmanville starts the week ranked No. 22 in Class AA.
Usually a lock for the playoffs by the time Week 10 rolls around, Mingo Central is anything but secured a spot in the postseason. The final two weeks of the season aren’t a cake walk for the Miners either as they have a showdown with Winfield following the trip to Logan County.
Who to Watch for Mingo Central: More a passing threat under center, Goad showed his running ability against Herbert Hoover which gives Chapmanville head coach Rob Dial and his team one more thing to worry about when trying to slow down the potent Mingo Central attack.
Who to Watch for Chapmanville: Berry has been the unquestioned leader of Chapmanville during his career. Dial and his team will expect the senior quarterback to play well down the stretch of the regular season, hopefully propelling the Tigers into the playoffs.
CLASS AAA VS. CLASS AA
Ripley (3-5) at Point Pleasant (2-4)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Point Pleasant sent some shock waves throughout the state as they not only beat previously undefeated Man at home, but the Big Blacks posted their second shutout of the season with the 7-0 victory.
Ripley took a step back in its playoff conquest as it fell on the road to one-win Princeton, 42-34, allowing the Tigers to outscore it 35-13 in the second half.
Why It’s Important: After the rugged 1-4 start to the season, Point Pleasant can continue to play spoiler on other teams’ playoff dreams while creeping back into the playoff picture itself. A normal mainstay in the top 16 of Class AA, the Big Blacks begin Week 10 at No. 27 in the classification ratings.
Ripley has no room for error after last week’s hiccup in southern West Virginia. The Vikings finish with consecutive rivalry games as they take on their biggest rival, Ravenswood, in the final week of the year.
Who to Watch for Point Pleasant: Defense hasn’t been the problem for the Big Blacks this year as they have given up 13 points or less in three of their six games. Evan Roach was the lone player to score a touchdown in last week’s game against Man as he rumbled in from five yards out early in the fourth quarter.
CLASS AA VS. CLASS A
No. 9 Man (7-1) at Tug Valley (5-3)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: A high-octane Man attack was blanked last week in a shutout by Point Pleasant, 7-0, as the Hillbillies lost for the first time in 2019. The loss also took Man out of the driver seat for a potential top-five seed and maybe even a home game in the postseason.
Tug Valley stayed in the mix for a postseason spot in Class A as in a de facto elimination game the Panthers took out Richwood, 34-15, at home.
Why It’s Important: Friday night wraps up the slate for Tug Valley as it will play just nine games this season. Starting the week at number 18 in the Class A standings, the Panthers will need a win over the strong Class AA Hillbillies and potentially some help in Week 11 to make the playoffs.
While it appeared a week ago Man was safely in the Class AA playoffs, nothing is all of a sudden a given for the Hillbillies. A tricky road test awaits this week followed by a rivalry game over Chapmanville to close the season.
Who to Watch for Tug Valley: Ethan Varney was electric against Richwood as he totaled three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) while also forcing the game’s first turnover in the win over Richwood.
CLASS A
No. 9 Tolsia (5-3) at Phelps, Kentucky (4-4)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Last Week: Tolsia pitched its second shutout of the season with a 18-0 win over Mount View at home, closing out the home dates for the Rebels for the regular season.
Why It’s Important: Tolsia has a chance to finish with its best regular-season record since its run to the Class AA Championship game during the 2015 season. After this week’s contest against Phelps, the Rebels close the season on the road against one-win Hannan. By winning out, THS would in all likelihood be playing a first-round home playoff game.
Other games: Logan (1-7) at Wayne (0-8); Mount View (3-5) at Hannan (1-7); Sherman (1-7) at Class A No. 15 South Harrison (4-4); Class AA No. 13 Winfield (6-2) at Scott (1-7)