We’re almost through the first month of the season and we’ve found our north star in a sense. The first playoff ratings are out and most area teams have already played three games, giving us an idea of what to expect.
Week 4 features several matchups that go a long way towards shaping the postseason picture, including a pair of matchups between bitter foes.
Getting on the board
It’s officially time to panic in Bluefield. If 0-2 wasn’t a big enough hole to climb out of 0-3 is worse. It probably wouldn’t be as bad if the Beavers’ schedule wasn’t a gauntlet with some of the worst yet to come but alas it is. The good part about that is they’ll have a chance to score bonus points if they can crawl out of their hole and start posting wins, though it’s not easy.
Friday kicks off a three-game road trip for the Beavers that opens in Beckley and ends in Coal City in two weeks. Let’s start with the task at hand though, the Flying Eagles. Beckley is 2-1, coming off its first loss of the season to an explosive Parkersburg South team. It also just so happens for the third time in four weeks that Beckley’s strengths attack Bluefield’s weaknesses.
The Beavers have been pounded all season, yielding 264.6 yards per game on the ground and they’re coming off a performance in which they allowed Pulaski to amass 377 yards on 55 carries. Beckley, a team that had thrown the ball twice in its first two games, will happily travel through land. Darmonte Mitchell leads the Flying Eagles with 393 yards rushing and six touchdowns despite carrying the ball once in the opener against Riverside. Matt Moore also slots in the area’s Top 10 rushing leaders with 35 carries for 232 yards which serves to contextualize just how efficient the Flying Eagles are at running the ball. If there is a bright side for Bluefield it’s that the Beavers have started to figure out exactly what they can and can’t do on offense.
They can’t consistently run the ball between the tackles with their current personnel so they’ve started utilizing their talented stable of skill players in Sencere Fields, Brayden Fong and R.J. Hairston, using them in the short passing game. It’s also helped they’ve started splitting all-state running back Amir Hairston wide more frequently to open up more opportunities. There’s also the point that a lot of Bluefield’s struggles are simply do to a lack of execution. Two drops/overthrows are the difference between a 2-1 start and the 0-3 hole the Beavers sit in. Provided they can execute there’s a solid shrub of bonus points in beating Beckley which already has two wins.
This matchup mattered last year as Bluefield had to forfeit to become playoff eligible after the two teams couldn’t agree on a makeup date. It could once again play a part in the postseason hopes of both squads.
Keep Rolling
This Independence senior class is 3-1 against county foe Shady Spring. That lone loss was a 34-0 shutout when they were freshmen and they’ve seemingly not forgotten it, beating the Tigers 56-8, 50-17 and 73-7 (playoffs) in the three games since.
When the two teams meet up Friday there’s the likelihood that remains the status quo. Many of Shady Spring’s weaknesses align with Independence’s strengths. Where the Patriots are experienced and fortified in the trenches, the Tigers are green. It’s also a concern that Shady’s offense has been boom or bust in its reliance on a big play. Tyler Mackey and Adam Richmond have had explosive starts for the Tigers but the problem will be getting them the ball in spots they can operate. Mackey has been a deep threat at receiver but how long can Shady’s protection hold up? Richmond proved less reliant on the big play last week but there again becomes the task of finding openings against the Independence defense which has allowed just eight points through three games. Lastly, even if the Shady line can grow up fast there’s the task of executing against a defense that features three first-team all-staters in the secondary, another at linebacker and two more rotating on the line.
All of this comes before mentioning Independence’s season low in points is 40… in a game won 40-0. Bursts of 60 and 70 points in the Patriots’ other two games only further contextualize how dominant they’ve been.
Provided the outcome does go as expected, it wouldn’t be a total loss for Shady. Independence is a team that expects to play in Wheeling on the final Friday of the season. For a young group, playing against that kind of talent can only help in developing their skillsets.
Extending the streak
Independence doesn’t boast the only defense that’s turned heads in the early going. Greenbrier West will attempt to pitch its fourth consecutive shutout to start the season, traveling to Upper Glade to do so. Webster comes in at 2-1 meaning the Highlanders carry those sweet coveted bonus points a playoff contender like West covets.
The shutout streak adds motivation as well as its been 39 years since any team in program history has opened with four straight shutouts which is also the program record. Even if they can’t preserve the streak the Cavaliers stand a strong chance of winning as they boast the area’s leading rusher in Ty Nickell who has 683 yards rushing to go along with eight touchdowns. A strong game could push him over the 1,000 yard mark just four games in which could factor into some personal motivation as well. While 300-yard rushing performances are rare, they do occur yearly with Ian Cline and Atticus Goodson each posting one in the area last year.
Staying Alive
When Westside welcomes PikeView it will be a matchup of two teams that have struggled early in the season and overall since 2018. Both squads are 1-2 though the Panthers come in with some momentum. With QB Peyton Greer suffering from a shoulder injury, PikeView fully embraced a ground-and-pound style, a flip from the preferred spread attack. It translated into the thing that matters the most – a 14-0 win over Liberty. Westside meanwhile has dropped its last two after beating Wyoming East in the opener. A win either way could turn the tide as both teams have winnable games down the stretch that go a long way towards building the confidence of a program.
Bounce back for the Bobcats?
The hope of taking the next step forward hasn’t manifested for Summers County to this point. The Bobcats are 1-2 three weeks into the season with three of their toughest games ahead of them. That makes Friday’s matchup with Mount View that much more important. The Golden Knights are 1-2, yielding 66 points to Buffalo in their last game. Summers County led at Mount View in the fourth quarter last year before Tony Bailey erupted. The good news? Bailey graduated and the Bobcats likely understand that a loss this week strains their postseason hopes.
Award watch
Midland Trail coach Jeremy Moore was adamant in his belief in wide receiver Cody Harrell. So far the senior has backed his leader up with an area best 406 yards receiving on 18 catches through three games. That puts Harrell on pace for 60 catches for 1,353 yards through a 10-game season, numbers that can be added to in the postseason. Sustaining that level of production is immensely difficult, but the Patriots seem committed and it’s working. It also goes without saying those numbers bolster Harrell’s statewide candidacy for postseason awards, specifically the Moss award which goes to the state’s top receiver.
He’ll have an opportunity to bolster that candidacy Friday when Trail hosts Richwood, a team that lost 42-8 to the Meadow Bridge team that Trail just beat 31-8.
Speaking of Meadow Bridge, the task at hand is once again a difficult one as James Monroe rolls into town off its bye week. The Mavs have allowed just six points in their two wins, relying on defense in their 6-0 win at Pendleton County. That defense gets a boost as well with first-team all-state defensive back Eli Allen electing to join the team after sitting out the first week of the season.
Around the Area
Elsewhere around the area Montcalm looks to extend an already historic streak. For the first time in school history the Generals are 3-0, with 2005’s 2-0 start being the last time they came close to matching that success. If they’re to improve to 4-0, Craig County, Va. stands in the way.
Greenbrier East will join Montcalm in the border wars, traveling to Stuarts Draft, Va., coming off a 42-14 win over Robert C. Byrd last week. The third local Class AAA team playing this week is Oak Hill which will travel to Lincoln County hoping to avenge last year’s loss in which the Red Devils had a lead before fumbling it at home.
Last but not least, Liberty aims to pick up its first win when it travel to Sherman.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
