We are less than a week away from the official playoff brackets being released by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission. Tuesday the SSAC released the latest round of playoff rankings.
A number of local teams are in position for playoff spots, though some will need some help. That help doesn’t just come in the form of needed victories or bonus points, but in the case of teams like Wheeling Park and Wheeling Central, the COVID-map needs to cooperate.
During the next few weeks, LedeNews.com will examine the playoff race, by class, each week. This week, we’ll take a look at the rankings prior to the final week of play and some potential outcomes. Let’s start with AAA.
A Bubbling Issue Ready to Boil Over
The Class AAA rankings have a number of notable teams at the time and potentially figures to be an exciting race to Wheeling Island Stadium.
The operative word there is potentially. Because, thanks to the COVID map, it always has the potential for the largest amount of controversy.
South Charleston is currently ranked No. 1 at 5-0 and travels to Woodrow Wilson (1-7) this week. The Black Eagles’ and their potent offense should have no trouble remaining unbeaten.
Cabell Midland finally gets to play after a three-week hiatus and is ranked at No. 2 with a 4-0 record. The Knights host St. Albans (2-3) and their punishing ground game also should preserve that unblemished record.
This is where things get tricky.
The next four ranked teams, Martinsburg (4-1), Musselman (6-1), Spring Valley (4-1), and Wheeling Park (7-1) are all off this week.
The defending champion Bulldogs and Applemen are on their third week of not playing, as is No. 8 Spring Mills (5-2). All three reside in Berkeley County, which has been orange for nearly a month.
Wayne County also is in orange, meaning the Timberwolves are off this week. Spring Valley is the only team to beat Martinsburg this season.
Ohio County started the week in Yellow and thus Park was eligible to play. Its opponent, John Marshall, came up Gold. The Monarchs (5-4 and No. 17) fielded a number of calls from fellow gold counties and hooked up with No. 15 Washington (5-4)
A John Marshall victory should be enough to push the Monarchs—losers of three of their last four contests—back into the Top 16.
The Patriots were unable to find a game, but will qualify regardless and should host at minimum a first-round playoff game.
Unless …
Changes May Be Necessary
Given the current map coloration and believed potential numbers going into both Thursday and Saturday’s map updates, as many as five of the top eight teams in Class AAA could see their seasons end prematurely.
Imagine the asterisk, deservedly so, for the eventual winner of not only the defending champion Bulldogs are not allowed to complete, but also Musselman, Spring Valley, Wheeling Park and Spring Mills.
There is also a court challenge on behalf of Martinsburg girls’ soccer which was not allowed to compete in the Class AAA regional championship game because of the county’s orange level.
Should five of the top eight in football see a similar fate, expect a similar push and from multiple fronts.
The SSAC already made a concession on the number of games needed for postseason eligibility on Tuesday. The previous number was four. It dropped to three, provided the team in question could prove it was actively seeking games.
Take a look at the rankings below. There’s a potential for a large number of highly-ranked teams to miss out, depending on how their county’s map color turns during the next days.
Class AAA Rankings
| Pos. | School | Rating | W | L | County COVID Color |
| 1 | SOUTH CHARLESTON | 13.2 | 5 | 0 | Green |
| 2 | CABELL MIDLAND | 13 | 4 | 0 | Yellow |
| 3 | MARTINSBURG | 12.2 | 4 | 1 | Orange |
| 4 | MUSSELMAN | 12.14 | 6 | 1 | Orange |
| 5 | SPRING VALLEY | 11.8 | 4 | 1 | Orange |
| 6 | WHEELING PARK | 11.63 | 7 | 1 | Yellow |
| 7 | BRIDGEPORT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL | 11.33 | 5 | 1 | Green |
| 8 | PARKERSBURG | 10 | 6 | 2 | Gold |
| 8 | SPRING MILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 10 | 5 | 2 | Orange |
| 10 | PRINCETON SENIOR | 9.29 | 5 | 2 | Yellow |
| 11 | GEORGE WASHINGTON | 8.5 | 3 | 1 | Green |
| 12 | MORGANTOWN | 8 | 3 | 2 | Green |
| 13 | HURRICANE | 7.4 | 3 | 2 | Gold |
| 13 | OAK HILL | 7.4 | 3 | 2 | Green |
| 15 | WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL | 7.22 | 5 | 4 | Gold |
| 16 | RIPLEY | 6.88 | 5 | 3 | Gold |
| 17 | JOHN MARSHALL | 6.78 | 5 | 4 | Gold |
| 18 | GREENBRIER EAST | 6.44 | 5 | 4 | Green |
| 19 | JEFFERSON | 5.5 | 3 | 5 | Gold |
| 20 | UNIVERSITY | 5.4 | 2 | 3 | Green |
| 21 | LINCOLN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL | 4.57 | 3 | 4 | Yellow |
| 22 | ST. ALBANS HIGH SCHOOL | 4.4 | 2 | 3 | Green |
| 23 | Capital High School | 4.33 | 1 | 2 | Green |
| 24 | PRESTON HIGH SCHOOL | 2.78 | 2 | 7 | Green |
| 24 | HAMPSHIRE | 2.78 | 2 | 7 | Yellow |
| 26 | HUNTINGTON | 2.75 | 2 | 6 | Yellow |
| 27 | RIVERSIDE | 2.6 | 1 | 4 | Green |
| 28 | WOODROW WILSON | 1.63 | 1 | 7 | Yellow |
| 28 | PARKERSBURG SOUTH | 1.63 | 1 | 7 | Gold |
| 30 | Brooke High School | 1.5 | 1 | 7 | Green |
| 30 | BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR | 1.5 | 1 | 5 | Orange |
| 32 | HEDGESVILLE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL | 0 | 0 | 7 | Orange |
Important Games This Week
There are still some games being played this week involved ranked teams. Two quickly come to mind, in addition to the JM-Washington matchup.
No. 7 Bridgeport (5-1) hits the road to take on No. 12 Morgantown in a game that may feature less than five passes combined. The Indians and Mohigans both feature the Wing-T as their primary method of moving the football.
A win should guarantee Bridgeport a first-round home game. A Morgantown win could have both teams hosting, given the potential COVID shakeups above.
Elsewhere, the high-flying No. 10 Princeton Tigers take their aerial show on the road to No. 11 George Washington in a matchup of two quality QBs in GW’s R.T. Alexander and Tigers’ sophomore Grant Cochran.
