FEATURED PHOTO CREDITS: DARRELLE BURDETTE (FAYETTE TRIBUNE)

 

Just Keep Winning…
The Capital Cougars faced a test last week as they took on a Parkersburg team that has been gaining momentum. The Big Reds jumped out to an early lead, but a pair of Kerry Martin Jr. touchdown passes quickly ended that. Chance Knox had another big game for the Cougars, but it was Deshaun James’ 175 yards that helped Capital come out on top 35-22.  Huntington continue their undefeated season as they rolled over the Flying Eagles of Woodrow Wilson.  The Highlander defense came up huge Friday night as they held the Woodrow scoreless in the first half while simultaneously tacking on 34 points of their own. Behind Tajhan Blackwell’s four touchdowns, Huntington cruised to a 47-14 victory. The Timberwolves of Spring Valley met with a struggling South Charleston team last week, but three first half fumbles put them into trouble early. After correcting their mistakes, the Timberwolves battled back and secured a 13-7 halftime lead. The Black Eagles would not capture the lead again as Spring Valley anchored behind their big offensive line and steamrolled their way to another victory 42-14.

 

 

MSAC Surprise
The Redskins got their first win over a “AAA” program in Week 4 as they upset #6 Cabell Midland in dominating fashion. The Knights did not see the scoreboard until the second quarter and by then they were already facing a 16-point deficit. The Hurricane defense proved unstoppable for the remainder of the night as they held Cabell Midland to only 10 total points on the game. Nathan Roy threw for four ouchdowns and Christian Hill ran for 147 yards as the Redskins secured the win 40-10 and move to 2-2 on the season. Even though Ivan Vaughn did get to 187 yards on the ground, the spread scheme of Cabell Midland never caught fire. Now, Hurricane will get into the less brutal part of their schedule as the Scarlet Knights prepare to head into their toughest stretch.

 
Undefeated AAs
Juice Edwards and the Bluefield Beavers continued their quest for back-to-back championships in game four as they routed a “AAA” team for the second week in a row. This time it was the Greenbrier East Spartans that found themselves in the Beavers’ path of destruction. Their defense played “lights-out” holding the Spartans scoreless to the half, and their offense was as fierce as ever putting up 49 behind Edwards’ three touchdowns. The Beavers cruised to a 62-7 win.  The Grizzlies kept rolling last week as they met with a struggling Lincoln team. Another spectacular display of defense was on display in Summersville as Nicholas County was able to hold the Cougars to under 100 yards of total offense in Thursday’s contest while Jacob O’Dell racked up 136 yards himself. Handing Lincoln their third straight loss (41-6), the Grizzlies move to 4-0 on the season. The Red Devils of Oak Hill are also staying hot as they managed to squeak out a close one in Wyoming County last week. In an absolute battle with Wyoming East, Oak Hill managed to put up 48 points. This was mainly due to the dynamic duo of Abe Farrow and Khori Bass. Bass rushed for 127 yards and added 100 more in the air, 95 of which were to Farrow. Farrow went for 128 on the ground to help elevate the Red Devils to a 48-47 in dramatic fashion.

 
Gunslinger Dual
When the Miners started their season with a loss, there was never really any doubt they would be able to get it back on track. Last week, Mingo Central traveled to Sissonville to take on the undefeated Indians. In what turned out to be a thrilling meeting between the two teams, they combined for a total of 927 offensive yards. Daylin Goad led the way for Mingo Central in last weeks contest as he threw for 328 yards and six total touchdowns. Brothers Drew and Devin Hatfield were Goad’s main targets as Drew racked up 126 and Devin 105 yards receiving, as well as a pair of touchdowns each.  In the end, Sissonville’s Will Hackney mounted a comeback drive and got down to the Mingo 15-yard line, but the Miner defense stood tall and held on for the 39-36 win.

 
Winless No More…
The Pioneers of Wayne have finally picked up their first victory of 2018 with the defeat of the Winfield Generals. The two teams were pretty even on the stat sheet, as there was only a two-yard difference in yardage gained, but the scoreboard told another story. The Generals were able to drive on Wayne, but bad snaps, fumbles, and penalties plagued them all night long. The Pioneers did a better job of seizing their opportunities as Isaac Dean found the endzone on three separate occasions to help them pull away. Despite having two 100 yard rushers in Covert and Brooks, the Generals were held to only nine points and the Pioneers went on to earn their first win of the year 28-9. Also, James Monroe took out unbeaten PikeView for their first win of the season after bouncing back from a crushing loss and long drive.

 
“A” Domination
The Knights of Mount View seem unstoppable in 2018 as their victory train just keeps moving. Last week they faced the Summers County Bobcats, a team that has been close to victory many times, but unable to snatch it up. The Knights found themselves trailing in the first half, but Elijah Barner had other plans. In the second half, Mount View was able to hold the Bobcats scoreless as Barner used 160 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to lift the Knights to 34-13 win. In their final season, the Fayetteville Pirates are looking to go out with a bang. Last week, Meadow Bridge came to Fayetteville and gave the Pirates their best shot. A close game at the half, 14-13, it was all Fayetteville in the second. Jordan Dempsey carried the ball 17 times in the contest and had 180 yards and four touchdowns to show for it. In addition to Logan Frantz’s 120 yards, the Pirates were able to defeat the Wildcats 38-16 and remain undefeated. Also, in what many thought would be a close game, the Patriots dominated last week as they made short work of the Richwood Lumberjacks. Midland Trail can attribute this victory to their linemen who were able to get six different players into the endzone last week. Quarterback Austin Isaacs accounted for most of the yardage with 220 all purpose yards and two touchdowns. With the 44-8 victory, the undefeated Patriots will travel to Valley (Fayette) in Week 5 to meet with the greyhounds.

 

Notables
George Washington has improved to 2-2 after decimating the Dragons of St. Albans 69-0 last week. One can’t help but feel as if the Patriots have something to prove. The Dots move to 4-0 after last week’s thumping of the Logan Wildcats, but they’re now getting into the challenging part of their schedule, and we will see if the Dots are really back. The third 30 point victory of the year for Cason Payne and the Big Blacks keeps them undefeated, and we expect to see more of the same in the coming weeks. With the defeat of a winless “A” team, Clay County moves them to 3-0. With some subpar teams up ahead, Clay County may be able to stay unbeaten for a while. The Shady Tigers defeated rival Independence last week by capitalizing on turnovers throughout. Shady moves to 3-1 and will play host to PikeView next week. In a 2OT grinder, Webster County pulled out the win over Greenbrier West. This moves the Highlanders to 2-2 with undefeated Mount View on the schedule for Week 5.

 

 

AAA Player of the Week: Nathan Roy (Hurricane)

AA Player of the Week: Daylin Goad (Mingo Central)

A Player of the Week: Jordan Dempsey (Fayetteville)