Doddridge County moved the ball well on the opening possession of last Friday’s showdown against Williamstown, converting twice on third down and picking up four first downs.
But as the Bulldogs approached the red zone, tailback Brandon Davis fumbled a first-and-10 carry, and the Yellowjackets’ Jack Moore recovered.
When Doddridge got the ball back for its second series, the Bulldogs faced a 7-0 deficit.
The second series ended with DCHS stalling in the red zone when Evan Cross’ pass to Davis on fourth-and-7 went for 6 yards.
Despite netting 88 yards across two possessions, the home team had nothing to show for it. That would remain the case throughout the night as Williamstown went on to blank the Bulldogs, 27-0, for its first shutout this season.
“I’m super proud of the guys,” WHS head coach Chris Beck said. “Our leading tackler and receiver, who’s also our best linebacker, [JP] Strobl was not out there, so really proud of other guys that stepped in and did a phenomenal job. “Coach [Brian] Adams and the staff do a great job every week of getting the defense ready and we saw that again.”
The result allowed the Yellow Jackets (8-0) to remain unbeaten and they’re in position to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That now likely rests on defeating Wayne and Wheeling Central the final two weeks of the regular season.
Regardless, Williamstown will qualify for the postseason a 27th straight season, and barring setbacks in the final two contests, Beck’s team will be in position to host multiple playoff games.
The defense is a major reason why.
Williamstown has allowed 78 points this season, leaving it tied with Mingo Central for the fewest points surrendered in Class AA. Statewide, only Martinsburg (49) and Morgantown (69) have allowed fewer points.
“All season, we’ve been really good on defense, and I feel like we’re playing well at all three levels,” Beck said.
Doddridge County, which entered on a six-game win streak, finished with 196 total yards and was limited to 24 offensive snaps beyond its first two possessions.
It marked the sixth time this season the Yellow Jackets held an opponent to fewer than 10 points. Only Chapmanville (26) and Marietta, Ohio (14) got into double figures, and the former is the only opponent to hang within 17 points of WHS.
Last season, a much younger Yellow Jackets’ team overcame a 1-4 start to finish the regular season 5-5 before being eliminated by Frankfort in the opening round of the playoffs.
That experience is now paying dividends, and this year, Williamstown expects to stick around at least a couple weeks longer in the postseason.
Where the Yellow Jackets fit into the pecking order in Class AA is anyone’s guess, but Beck recognizes that will sort itself out in the coming weeks.
Frankfort has the state’s longest win streak at 36 games and is a two-time defending state champion. Bluefield, last year’s runner-up, has won seven straight and has a surplus of skill, speed and size that figures to again leave the Beavers in the mix. Sissonville, like the Yellow Jackets and Falcons, has an 8-0 record and is among the state’s surprise teams this season. Independence has two losses, but no shortage of talent and is one of the state’s most successful programs over the last six years.
“Those teams are the top tier. If folks don’t want to talk about us in that group, I don’t care,” Beck said. “We have 42 players and seven coaches and we’re just focused on getting better every week to be the best version of ourselves. We want to keep improving to put ourselves in a position to win games. Are we as good as those teams? We’re going to find out at some point.
“We’re proud to be LKC [Little Kanawha Conference] Champions, and we’ve beaten a couple good teams within our conference in Roane County and Doddridge County. We just have to keep doing what we do.”