FEATURED PHOTO CREDITS: SHOLTEN SINGER (THE HERALD DISPATCH)

 

 

Let The Good Times Roll

The Capital Cougars faced MSAC opponent and #9 ranked Hurricane in week three. By halftime the Cougars held a 22-3 lead, but their offense hadn’t scored a single point. A blocked punt and ensuing scoop and score from Breece Hoff opened the scoring, and a Kalai Clark safety closely followed. Deishawn Harper managed to take the safety kick back 77 yards for another touchdown before half. Capital went on to win 49-10. The Highlanders of Huntington High played host to George Washington and a lightning storm Friday night. Huntington was able to bottle up the passing attack of GW’s Grant Wells and get their own offense on track simultaneously. Huntington RB Ty Wilcoxon once again showed us he is one of the state’s elite players as he carried the ball 30 times for 250 yards against the Patriots. In the end, the Highlander offensive line overpowered George Washington to get the 42-21 victory. Meanwhile, down the road in Ona, Spring Valley went to war with the Cabell Midland Knights. In a game that many expected to be close, the Timberwolves dominated. The Timberwolves drove down and struck first with a 3-yd touchdown run from Isaac Howard, but the Knights came right back with an 88-yard Gould to Carter connection for a score, tying it up at 7-7. That would be Cabell Midland’s only score on the night. Two Nate Ellis touchdowns and 100-yard games for both Graeson Malashevich and Owen Chafin pushed the Timberwolves to a 35-7 blowout over #5 Cabell Midland.  Ivan Vaughn gained only 15 yards.

 

 

Cardinal Conference Passers

The Logan Wildcats made the trip to Miner Mountain to take on a Mingo Central team that had close contests in their first two weeks. Logan received the opening kickoff, but the Miners quickly caused a fumble and gained possession. Shortly after wide receiver Isaac Moore was found open in the endzone and QB Daylin Goad delivered a strike for the first Miner score. The Logan defense got a fumble recovery and took it all the way in to come within 6, but Mingo Central allowed no more points than that. The Miners went on to pile on 29 second quarter points and take the contest 50-8.  Sissonville headed down to Boone County last week to meet with the struggling Skyhawks of Scott. It was an all-out aerial assault as the Indians surmounted a 34-0 halftime lead. Will Hackney threw for 5 touchdowns and just under 350 yards in the contest and found Mayson Miller in the endzone 3 times. A stellar passing attack in addition with phenomenal defensive play led to a 41-7 Indian victory.  Sissonville and Mingo Central are set to meet in week four.

 

 

Unexpected AA Wins
A winless team is winless no longer after the Chapmanville Tigers came to Winfield and upset the Generals last week. Winfield jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but then after an hour and a half long weather delay, Chapmanville’s Nick Collier burst through the line for a 65-yard touchdown run and the PAT gave them a 7-6 lead. Chase Berry would find Brennan Williams in the endzone for another Tiger touchdown as time expired in the first half. Winfield put together a good drive and scored in the third quarter, but a failed 2-point conversion kept them from tying it up. Chapmanville would pile on one more touchdown before it was all over, giving them their first win 21-12. After a loss to a very good Poca team and AAA St. Albans, Nitro finally found their footing as they were able to upset Herbert Hoover in their second home game of the year. Tay Calloway was the main weapon for the Wildcats as he racked up just over 200 yards and accounted for 2 of the 5 Nitro touchdowns. QB Trevor Lowe scampered in for a 1-yard touchdown to open the scoring and the Wildcats never looked back. They built up a 20-7 lead at halftime and their defense kept the Huskies at bay until late in the 4th quarter and by that time it was too late. 32-14 was the final score.

 

 

Southern Unbeatens
So, the Dots might be back. On the first play of Poca’s week three game against the Buffalo Bison, Ethan Payne went 60 yards smashing through defenders for a Dot touchdown. On the next possession for the Bison, they put the ball on the ground and Bronson Skeens recovered, taking it in for his first score of the night. Another Payne rushing score and a touchdown pass from Jay Cook gave the Dots a four-touchdown lead going into the second quarter. This was too much for the Bison to overcome as they eventually fell to an increasingly impressive Poca team 49-6. The undefeated PikeView Panthers showed their worth in a thumping of the winless Liberty Raiders. Evan Rose was able to pound the ball in from three yards out to open the scoring for Pikeview, but neither team would find he endzone again until the second half. The Panther defense held their own throughout the night keeping the Raiders off the scoreboard for the duration of the game. Rose would go on to add 104 yards and 2 more touchdowns to power Pikeview past Liberty 34-0. Oak Hill took on a winless Independence.  The opening play was a trick play pass to Abe Farrow.  After a series of turnovers, Farrow was found yet again on a long score.  From then on, Khori Bass pounded away to keep the game distanced.  They moved to 3-0 while winning 45-8.

 

 

Tide and Patriot Lines Dominate
The Sherman Tide had a successful homecoming night to say the least as they pounded Valley (Fayette) in their week three contest. Sherman utilized their big, talented linemen Friday night as they kept the ball on the ground and pounded their way to victory. Sherman had two 100-yard rushers in Tommy Harper and J.T. Hensley and used their powerful ground game to defeat the Greyhounds 54-14. Midland Trail went into Meadow Bridge on Friday undefeated… and they left the same way. The Patriots were dominant last week as they held the Wildcats to six points on the night. Austin Isaacs had a monster game as he scored 4 touchdowns and racked up 128 yards. Also shining for the Patriots was Colten Yonder, who had 177 yards and a touchdown on the evening. Behind these two young men, Midland Trail topped Meadow Bridge 40-6.

 

 

Coalfield Contenders

Shady Spring proved that they were tough in week two by taking the very talented Grizzlies of Nicholas County down to the wire, but last week they showed us they know how to win. A battle with class “A” Summers County was full of turnovers and mistakes on both sides, but once things got calmed down, the Tigers asserted their dominance. The Bobcats would grab an early 6-0 lead, but then Isaiah Valentine would go to work. Valentine went 26 yards for his first score and to put Shady in the lead, but it was the next 237 yards and 2 touchdowns that really put the game on ice. The Tiger defense played tough and the offense kept scoring allowing them to hold the lead for the duration of the game and get the win 40-13. A battle of two undefeated “A” programs occurred in Richwood Friday night. The Fayetteville Pirates made the trip and armed with a powerful rushing attack- they made the most of it. At the half, the Pirates held a 14-7 advantage, but early in the third quarter, Richwood’s Jeremiah Johnston went 67 yards to tie it all at 14. After that, Fayetteville began to overpower the Lumberjacks, imposing their will with the run game. The Pirates put up 27 second half points and behind Jordan Dempsey’s 259 yards, secured the victory 41-28.

 

 

Notables
Mt. View High School is on a roll. The team is 3-0 for the first time in over 10 years and they show no signs of slowing down. They made the trip to Sheldon Clark High School in Kentucky for week three, and they made short work of their out-of-state foes. QB Jesse Rose had a stellar performance with 5 touchdowns and over 200 yards, he is showing he is an elite WV Quarterback. Marqus Ray was Rose’s main target and exhibited peak efficiency as he caught 4 passes for 164 yards on the night, all 4 of them being touchdowns. The Knights took the game 55-14 and will put their undefeated record on the line next week against the Summers County Bobcats.  A last second touchdown from Jeremy Harper helped Ripley squeak by a Riverside team still searching for their first win in week three. The Vikings now sit at 2-1. Van moved to 2-0 after routing winless Paden City and will face Lincoln County next week. Last week, Lincoln County took out Tolsia team that is still struggling to find an identity by a score of 30-14. After battling with two of the best teams in “A” Webster County, found their first win in week three as they defeated Tygarts Valley 39-14. They will take on the Cavaliers of Greenbrier West in week 4. Also, Point Pleasant continues to roll easily.

 

AAA Player of the Week: Ty Wilcoxon (Huntington)

AA Player of the Week: Will Hackney (Sissonville)

A Player of the Week: Jesse Rose (Mount View)