The penultimate week of the regular season has arrived with at least three games that carry heavy playoff implications – one in each class. Class AAA No. 7 Princeton at No. 9 Greenbrier East, Class AAA No. 18 Shady Spring at No. 9 Liberty and Class A No. 21 Midland Trail at No. 11 Greenbrier West all highlight the Week 10 action on tap.
Fighting for home
Following its first loss of the season to No. 4 Bridgeport last week, Princeton looks to rebound on the road against Greenbrier East in a game that could ultimately decide which of the two teams gets a home playoff berth.
There are some storylines in play on the East side though.
For starters the Spartans will be without head coach Ray Lee, who was ejected during last week’s game against Hampshire. WVSSAC rules state that any player or coach that is ejected from a game must sit out the following contest and Lee is no exception.
Taking the reins in his stead will be Aaron Baker who was the head coach at East from 2009-11, so he’s not in an unfamiliar position. He’ll also have a hot hand to ride.
Sophomore running back Ian Cline has rushed for 641 the last two weeks, toppling program records along the way. He’ll face a Princeton defense that’s banged up at linebacker and yielded over 400 yards on the ground last week.
With rain expected Friday night the ground game will be integral for the Spartans and the same goes for the visiting Tigers.
Princeton likes to ride the arm of quarterback Grant Cochran, who’s been outstanding in an offense that’s moved from vertical shots to short timing routes and screens, but isn’t limited to throwing the ball.
While they didn’t get to showcase much last week, the Tigers have been successful running the ball, led primarily by running back Brodee Rice. Considering the Tigers’ relatively inexperienced group of receivers struggled to hang onto the ball last week and the forecasted conditions for this week, expect the Tigers to be selective in their play-calling.
Raleigh Rumble
There was hope that Shady Spring’s win over Class AAA Ripley would vault it back into the field of 16 when Tuesday’s ratings came out. That wasn’t the case.
The Tigers come into Week 10 rated No. 18 in Class AA, but control their own destiny in all likelihood. With wins over No. 9 Liberty on Friday and PikeView next week, they’d likely sneak into the playoffs. The task in front of them isn’t an easy one.
The Raiders shifted their offensive philosophy to become a run-first team and it’s paid dividends as Logan Dodrill has rushed for over 800 yards this year. On the flip side Shady Spring’s struggles in defending the run have continued. With the exception of the Wyoming East game, the Tigers are yielding over 300 yards rushing per game. Westside’s Blake Goode, Independence’s Atticus Goodson, Mingo Central’s Norm Kennedy and Nicholas County’s Kaleb Clark have all rushed for over 150 yards each in wins over Shady. All four are talented backs, but the Tigers should expect to see more of the same with Dodrill in the fold.
If they want to be playing the second week of November they’ll need to figure out how to stop the bleeding Friday. For Liberty the possibility of hosting a playoff game for the second consecutive year remains on the table, but requires the Raiders to win out to do so.
Staying alive
Greenbrier West is currently in the driver’s seat with an outside chance of hosting a playoff game but the path to doing so is brutal. The Cavs host Midland Trail Friday, a team that’s better than its record 4-4 would indicate, and play No. 4 Mount View next week.
That makes the matchup with the Patriots that much more important. With the backend of the Class A field fluid – only a point separates the No. 13 team from the No. 18 team – the margin for error is miniscule. It also means Trail, rated No. 21, has a shot of sneaking in if it can beat West.
Expect a muddy, smash mouth contest Friday in Charmco.
The field at West has struggled to remain stable under wet weather conditions, which likely neutralizes any speed advantages. That could hurt the Patriots. With Josh Dickerson at QB and talented receivers Ayden Simms and Matt Light, Trail has found success in the passing game but the weather could neutralize that advantage. Fortunately for the visitors they have a reliable ground game with Aden Isaacs, Robert Ruffner and Griffin Boggs all proving more than capable of pounding the rock and changing the pace.
That’s also where West has found its bread and butter. Despite the prolific season receiver Chase McClung is having for the Cavs, the offense revolves around running back Ty Nickell, who rushed for over 260 yards in three quarters last week. A powerful runner that’s soaked in the coaching of former Philadelphia Eagles fullback Owen Schmitt, Nickell has already crossed the 1,000 yard mark in what’s turning out to be an all-state campaign. Quarterback Cole Vandall is a threat to run as well.
Expect a muddy slopfest.
Rivalry renewed
Oak Hill and Beckley sit well outside the playoff picture, but will renew their rivalry Friday at Van Meter stadium. The Red Devils have been up and down this year, but the one constant has been running back Leonard Farrow. A big-play threat, Farrow has rushed for 20 touchdowns this season.
The Flying Eagles come in with an extra win after Bluefield forfeited its game against Beckley in an attempt to become playoff eligible. In the final home game for several seniors, including quarterback Maddex McMillen and wide receiver Keynan Cook, expect the Flying Eagles to be motivated.
Though they’re rated No. 25 in Class AAA, a win would allow them to leapfrog Oak Hill and enter the final week of the season with two more wins than they had when last week’s ratings came out. They’ll also travel to No. 10 South Charleston next week to face a Black Eagle team that’s already been upset once this season.
Playoff mode
Bluefield’s been in playoff mode for nearly a month now. Unable to find an eighth game, the Beavers were forced to forfeit their game against Beckley to get them to the necessary eight games required to be playoff eligible.
The forfeit drops them to 3-3 and was finalized after this past week’s rating came out and had the Beavers slotted at No. 17. That means if the Beavers have any hope of making the playoffs they’ll need to win Friday at Ridgeview, Va. and next week when they host Mingo Central. Ridegview comes in at 6-2 and looks to offer the Beavers a challenge on par with the one they received when they lost to Graham on Oct. 8.
Loose ends
Elsewhere in the area Nicholas County will look to rebound from last week’s loss against Independence when it hosts Class A No. 7 James Monroe. Richwood will travel to Summers County, Sherman will travel to Meadow Bridge and Westside will travel to Mount View.
Tied for No. 4 in Class A, a win over Westside could help the Golden Knights secure homefield advantage throughout the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Wrapping up the local action is Wyoming East at Independence. For the Patriots the game will be the final of the regular season as they honor their seniors. For Indy, rated No. 3 in Class AA, a lot of eyes will be pointed towards the Kanawha Valley as No. 1 Poca plays No. 2 Hebrert Hoover at West Virginia State. That game could help vault Indy to the No. 2 slot, thus securing homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.