It is officially week #45 of the year 2019…..week #18 of the WVSSAC Standardized Calendar….and, week #11 of the 2019 regular season for high school football. Week #11 is also the final week of the regular season for high school football. Of the 114 teams that play SSAC high school football in the State, 96 still have games remaining this week, while 18 teams have finished the regular season schedule. Of those 18, several will continue practice this week as they will be in the playoff field when it is officially announced this weekend!
Looking ahead to the final week of the regular season, several games will be played that will have meaning on the outcome of those above mentioned playoff rankings. Just to mention a few, first of all in Class AAA……Cabell Midland (9-0) will try and wrap up a perfect regular season and the #2 spot in the playoff field when they travel to South Charleston to play the (4-5) Black Eagles of South Charleston, a team that has won 3 of their last 4 games. The (5-4) Capital Cougars will travel to the south hills section of the capital city to take on the home standing (6-3) Patriots of George Washington. After losing three games in a row, Capital has rebounded with two straight victories, while George Washington comes into the game winners of six of their last seven. Greenbrier East is sitting at (6-3) and will travel to Quincy to battle the (4-5) Warriors of Riverside. Greenbrier East has already clinched a playoff berth, however with a win on Friday night, the Spartans would host a playoff game for the first time since the late ’90s! Also in Class AAA, Huntington (5-4) will host the (8-1) Spring Valley Timber Wolves who have won seven in a row. Another big game in the big school’s division will find the Preston Knights (4-5) in search of a playoff spot as travel to Brooke to take on the (2-7) Bruins. A win and the Knights are in! In total, of the 29 teams playing in Class AAA, 5 have completed their 2019 regular season and 24 have one game remaining this weekend.
In Class AA, Clay County will try and win their 7th game of the season against just 3 losses as they welcome the (1-8) Eagles of Braxton County. With a win, Clay County will probably still need some help to make the field of 16. Other important games in Class AA will find Chapmanville (5-4) hosting (7-2) Man. The Hillbillies have lost two straight and need to right the ship if they want to play past this weekend. James Monroe definitely needs a win this Friday night when they welcome the Big Blacks of Point Pleasant to Lindside. The Mavericks are sitting at (6-3) coming off a big loss last week at Bluefield, while Point Pleasant could play spoiler having won their last two over Man and Class AAA Ripley. Liberty (H) could earn their way into the field of sixteen with a win at home against (7-2) North Marion, but with a loss, the Mountaineers will need some help. The Huskies of North Marion have clinched a spot in the playoffs. Even though both teams have clinched a playoff spot, another fun game to watch this weekend has rivals Keyser (8-1) and Frankfort (8-1) squaring off in Keyser with playoff positioning at stake. In total, of the 44 Class AA teams playing this season, 6 have completed the regular season schedule and 38 have games this weekend.
In Class A we have 41 teams playing high school football this season and of that total, 7 teams have completed their schedule. That means 34 teams will be playing this weekend and there are a few where a victory is a must. In the small schools division, 11 teams have clinched spots in the field of 16. Some games of interest include….Doddridge County (9-0) at Tygarts Valley (7-2)….Greenbrier West (8-1), who has already clinched a home playoff spot in the first round, entertaining Mount View (4-5) and St. Marys (7-2) entertaining Tyler Consolidated (6-3).
By the way, this Friday night on H.S. GAMENIGHT , we will have the complete, unofficial playoff bracket for all three classes before we leave the air at midnight, so make sure you tune in!
Also, just in case you missed it, the State High School Soccer Tournament begins this weekend in Beckley and also on H.S. GAMENIGHT this Friday night, we will be speaking with an official from the WVSSAC and will have the schedule for the state championship games which will be played this Saturday. The semi-finals schedule is listed below:
Class AAA Boys Semifinals (Friday, Nov. 8):
Hedgesville (16-4-1) vs. George Washington (21-2) – 30 minutes after
Championship (Saturday, Nov. 9):
Semifinal winners – 10:30 am
Class AAA Girls Semifinals (Friday, Nov. 8):
Morgantown (17-2-1) vs. Hurricane (20-2) – 5:00 pm
Hedgesville (16-1) vs. George Washington (15-5-2) – 30 minutes after
Championship (Saturday, Nov. 9):
Semifinal winners – 45 minutes after Class AAA boys final
Class AA-A Boys Semifinals (Friday, Nov. 8):
Fairmont Senior (16-3-5) vs. Winfield (19-1-4) – 4:30 pm
Robert C. Byrd (17-2-1) vs. Charleston Catholic (19-1-3) – 30 minutes after
Championship (Saturday, Nov. 9):
Semifinal winners – 45 minutes after Class AA-A girls final
Class AA-A Girls Semifinals (Friday, Nov. 8):
Oak Glen (17-2-2) vs. Winfield (18-5-1) – 9:30 am
Bridgeport (19-1-1) vs. Charleston Catholic (19-1) – 30 minutes after
Championship (Saturday, Nov. 9):
Semifinal winners – 9:30 am
Looking forward to talking with you this Friday night from 9:30 to Midnight on H.S. GAMENIGHT!