After two full weeks we have a better idea of how each team should fare this season and what their identities will be. Week 2 was filled with rebounds, momentum building and more questions than answers for some teams.
The Unbeaten Class
For Greenbrier West and Independence, prospects couldn’t look much better. Neither team has allowed a single point this season and hopes to maintain that semblance of defensive dominance this week. Both stand a chance of doing so.
Independence will look to stay unbeaten when it travels to Poca Friday night though the game likely won’t be what was anticipated in the preseason. Poca has stumbled to an 0-2 start with losses to Nitro and Chapmanville. After fielding talented teams the previous three seasons, the Dots have seemingly struggled to replace a senior class that put the program back on the map. Independence meanwhile has picked up where it left off last season. After averaging a hair over 50 points per game last year and yielding just 12 per contest, the Patriots are averaging 50 a game and have surrendered less than 50 total yards en route to shutting out their first two opponents. Perhaps the scariest part is the offense doesn’t seem to yet be clicking the way it’s capable of. Penalties early have derailed drives or made them more difficult than need be. Week 3 should serve to test Indy’s discipline on the road as the Patriots gauge their progress.
Joining Indy amongst the unbeaten are the aforementioned Cavaliers of Greenbrier West as well as Class AAA teams Beckley and Princeton. West is the other team that has a chance to flex its muscles on the road, eyeing a 3-0 start for the second time in three years. Standing in the way is a Pocahontas County team that’s 2-0. Leading the way for the Cavaliers is the area’s leading rusher in running back Ty Nickell who has excelled on both sides of the ball. Â The senior has six tackles for a loss through two games – four more than anybody else on the team – and has turned his 39 carries into 430 yards and five touchdowns. On paper, it’s an easy win for the Cavaliers but paper doesn’t step between the lines. A win would go a long way towards building the momentum the Cavaliers have established with a 5-0 start a realistic expectation. Afterwards the schedule toughens up with games against Class AA Shady Spring, another undefeated team in James Monroe and two weeks later a battle with Midland Trail.
Elsewhere in area the trend of area Class AAA teams retaining relevance on a statewide level seems to have carried over to this season. After three area Class AAA teams made the playoffs last year, two of them – Beckley and Princeton – are amongst the last unbeaten teams left.
While Princeton hasn’t shutout the teams its played thus far, the bend-don’t-break approach has been just as effective as the Tigers have yielded 15 points across their first two games. That’s a recipe for success with arguably the area’s top QB-WR duo in Grant Cochran and Dominick Collins leading the charge early. Collins has over 200 yards receiving and Cochran has thrown six touchdowns to just one interception. Now they’ll have an opportunity to add to their numbers Friday when they travel to Oak Hill to face a team that’s still trying to find its footing. After picking up an eye-opening win against Nicholas County in Week 1, the Red Devils couldn’t find a rhythm last week against Indy, falling 40-0 in a game where they ended up rushing for a loss of 14 yards. Making matters worse for Oak Hill is Cochran and Collins were electric when the two teams met last year in Princeton. Cochran was 19-of-23 passing for 269 yards and three touchdowns while Collins returned a kick for a touchdown and accounted for 68 of Cochran’s passing yards as well as one of his touchdowns. Last week Indy QB Trey Bowers found success through the air, throwing for early 260 yards against the Red Devil defense so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see if the Tigers test that secondary early.
Last but not least is Beckley, which will play its game on Saturday at 1 p.m. After running a spread heavy passing offense the last two years, the Flying Eagles have statistically not passed for a single yard through two games, keeping the ball on the ground and it’s worked. The stable of capable runners and playmakers as well as a stout offensive line have allowed Beckley to pile up the points and yards. This week they’ll need that same potent offense to show up in the home opener against Parkersburg South but they’ll also need a strong showing from their defense. The Patriots from Wood County are averaging 68.5 points per game while also sporting a 2-0 record in a game that’s sure to sway the early playoff ratings when they’re released in a little under two weeks. The game plan for Beckley will likely center around locating South’s Cyrus Traugh and keeping his touches to a minimum.
Moving up
For the area’s 1-1 teams the pendulum has swung both ways. Westside, Nicholas County, Summers County, Midland Trail and Meadow Bridge have a chance to breed optimism or fall deeper into a hole. After a euphoric win over county rival Wyoming East in Week 1, Westside faces a Man team that’s 1-1 and coming off a 39-7 win over Mount View last week. After a drubbing at the hands of Mingo Central, a bounce back is sorely required.
Summers County was the other 1-1 team that won its opener and struggled in Week 2, but has a chance to rebound in Week 3. The Bobcats host a Shady Spring team that’s struggled – more on that shortly – with those sweet Class AA bonus points on the line. It’s been stated multiple times, but Summers doesn’t have the luxury of squandering wins. Seven of it’s 10 games are against teams that made the playoff last year, reinforcing how challenging the schedule is. A win would go a long way towards what will be a grind this season.
The three teams that started 0-1 but come into Week 3 on cloud nine are Meadow Bridge, Midland Trail and Nicholas County. Nicholas found its footing in the second half of last week’s game against Shady Spring, pulling away and stands to build upon that victory Friday when the Grizzlies visit Wyoming East. East is breaking in a roster of younger players which makes Friday’s game intriguing. The Warriors dropped a 72-26 decision against Wahama last week, a loss that can derail the confidence of a young group. Nicholas isn’t any easier of a task with running back Kaleb Clark hot off a 220-yard, three touchdown rushing performance.
In Fayette County old foes Midland Trail and Meadow Bridge will meet in matchup of playoff teams from a year ago. The Patriots boast the area’s statistical leading QB-WR duo in Jaden Gladwell, a Meadow Bridge transfer, and Cody Harrell. Gladwell has thrown for 479 yards thus far while Harrell has hauled in 11 passes for 285 yards. It could be a record-setting season for both players though the Wildcats aren’t unfamiliar with a relentless passing attack. They blanked Richwood last week, a team that boasts the area’s fifth leading passer in Cooper Donahue who’s already over the 300-yard mark on the season.
Do or Die
Perhaps the worst place to be is 0-2. In the NFL teams that start 0-2 are generally given an 11 percent chance to make the postseason. This isn’t the NFL but the numbers should contextualize just how hard it is to climb out of the hole Bluefield, Shady Spring, PikeView, Wyoming East, Richwood and Greenbrier East are sitting in. For more context, a seemingly historic 13 teams from the area made the playoffs last year in the era of consolidations. Only one of those – Bluefield – started 0-2.
Starting with the Beavers, they’re probably the best bet to make the postseason amongst those teams holding on by a thread. This same group went through a mad dash at the end of the season just to be eligible for the postseason, playing two games a week at times. The end result was a run to the semifinals. The turnaround has to start Thursday night when the Beavers host Pulaski, Va. It’s hard to call a game must-win this early but looking down the schedule gives a glimpse of what’s probably the second most, if not the most difficult schedule in the area. After hosting Pulaski the Beavers hit the road for the next three weeks with trips to Beckley and Independence during that stretch. Before Covid, a six-win team hadn’t made the Class AA playoffs since 2016. In 2017 a 7-3 PikeView team couldn’t crack the field, illustrating the difficulty of making the cut if you lose more than three games. The bright side is the difficulty of that slate prepares the Beavers for the postseason but it’s also why head coach Fred Simon often asks that his team just makes the playoffs because they’re usually good for a couple wins as a dangerous road team in a down year, similar to last year.
Elsewhere in Mercer County PikeView will host an 0-1 Liberty team that was off last week and probably benefited from a bye. The Raiders were shutout by Independence in Week 1 and are still trying to replace the production lost when nearly every skill player form last year’s playoff team graduated. PikeView sports the 0-2 badge and started freshman Braiden Mullins at QB last week after an injury to Peyton Greer. It’s unknown how long Greer will be out but PVHS coach Jason Spears may be faced with the decision to look towards the future and make Mullins the longterm starter if the Panthers can’t get their season on track.
Rolling up I-77, Shady Spring will leave behind the luxuries of turf and head down to Hinton, hoping to nab a win. This game in particular holds a plethora of importance because the following week sees the Tigers open at home against Independence. A loss Friday drops you to 0-3 with a state championship caliber program, and your rival, making the bus ride across Sullivan Road.
Last but not least, Greenbrier East and Wyoming East hope to change their fortunes for tall tasks. The task Wyoming East faces was hit on earlier but Greenbrier East wasn’t. The Spartans have found some success in their passing game but have struggled to get all-state running back Ian Cline in a rhythm. He’s yet to break 100 yards rushing on the season and will try to snap that snide on the road at Robert C. Byrd. Byrd graduated a talented senior class that could’ve been playing for state championship last season if not for a late kick return for touchdown by eventual Class AA champion Fairmont Senior. Much like the other 0-2 teams, East’s schedule is unforgiving down the stretch with Oak Hill, Parkersburg South and Princeton all on the docket.
Cast your vote for the Week 3 winners here!
Email: Tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
