CHAPMANVILLE- Week 10 of the high school football season includes a pair of Mingo County school invading Logan County.
One Logan County school, Chapmanville is looking for its first-ever victory over Mingo Central while another, Man, is looking to keep its slim playoff hopes alive with a win over Tug Valley.
Mingo Central (3-5) at Chapmanville (2-6), 7 p.m. Tiger Stadium
Last Week: Mingo Central lost to Herbert Hoover 57-0, Chapmanville lost to Logan 24-14.
Series History: Mingo Central leads 7-0-0.
Last Meeting: Mingo 49, Chapmanville 14, Nov. 1, 2019.
Game Notes: Don’t let the record foil you, the Chapmanville Tigers are a good football team. The record may not show it but consider the fact that three of the their six losses have been by a combined 10 points.
“We feel like we are seven-to-eight plays away from being 6-2,” Chapmanville coach James Barker said.
Last week against Logan, the Tigers trailed 18-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but a pair of costly holding penalties and turnovers doomed the Tigers in a 24-14 to their county rival.
“We played well enough to win, but two holding penalties on two different drives and of course you can’t be minus-4 in the turnover column and expect to win,” Barker said.
Now Chapmanville turns its attention to Mingo Central in search of the school’s first-ever victory over the Miners.
“We’ve never beat them in school history,” Barker said. “Our message to the kids is to be the first and make history.”
Mingo Central comes into Chapmanville having won two-of-its-last three games. The Miners have an all-state candidate in Norman Kennedy, who has rushed for 1,086 in seven games this season.
“He will probably be the best running back we have faced all year,” Barker said. “He is a very explosive player that seems to get in the small creases in their zone blocking scheme and can hit it for a big play.”
Quarterback Brody Dalton returned to the Chapmanville lineup two weeks ago in a win over Wayne. The junior made his presence felt accounting for six touchdowns in the Tigers victory over the Pioneers. Running back Kohl Farmer stepped up in Dalton’s absence to carry the Tigers’ offense.
“Their quarterback (Dalton) is very talented and capable of taking a game over,” Mingo Central coach Chase Moore said. “Chapmanville has good size linemen that create gaps for their skill guys to run through.”
Dalton and Farmer have combined to rush for 1,277 yards of the teams 1,516 yards this season. Dalton leads the team with 647 rushing yards while Farmer is closely behind with 630 yards on the ground.
“We’ve been snake bit with both of them this season, but the last two games have been the first two that both of them have been healthy,” Barker said. “They continue to get better with each game and understand the offense more and more with each rep in practice.”
With two games left in the season, and playoffs a long shot at best, the focus for Mingo Central is improvement.
“We are always focused on getting better,” Moore said. “The message stays the same, and that is do your job, play smart and play fast.”
Barker said that his team still has a lot to play for and that players continue to show up at practice.
“We will continue to strive to do the right things on and off the field,” Barker said. “Our kids continue to show up and put in the work, which shows you how great the kids that we have are, and how much they care about each other.”
Tug Valley (3-5) at Man (3-5), 7:30 p.m. George A. Queen Memorial Field
Last Week: Tug Valley lost to Clay County 48-6 (Tuesday); Man lost to Point Pleasant 41-14.
Series History: Tug Valley leads 7-3-0.
Last Meeting: Tug Valley 20, Man 12, Nov. 1, 2019.
Game Notes: Despite a 3-5 record the Man Hillbillies still have an outside shot at the playoffs. Not officially eliminated from playoff contention, but with their chances hanging by a thread, the Hillbillies would have to win out and get some help to qualify for the postseason at 5-5.
Tug Valley saw its playoff hopes come to an end in Tuesday’s 48-6 loss at Clay County. The Panthers started the season 0-3, but won three-of-the-next-four before losing to Clay. The Panthers rely on a run heavy offense led by Tanner Kirk, who has rushed for 765 yards and seven touchdowns. Buddy Marcum has rushed for 348 yards and four touchdowns and quarterback Elijah Fluty has thrown for 484 yards and six touchdowns.
Man quarterback Israel Canterbury will look to advantage of a Tug Valley defense that allowed Clay County’s Noah Collins to throw for 237 yards and four touchdowns. Canterbury enters Friday’s contest 81 yards shy of 1,000 for the season. Canterbury’s favorite target, Jeremiah Harless, has 30 catches for 451 yards and five touchdowns. Justin Grimmett is Man’s leading rusher with 353 yards on 50 attempts and two touchdowns.
