The playoff road was not kind to OVAC teams last week as locals on both sides of the river finished a combined 4-8. Three teams advanced in Ohio, while only one remains after the opening round of the West Virginia postseason.
If the school names seem familiar to you, they should. Teams like St. Clairsville and Wheeling Central, Shadyside, and Fort Frye regularly make deep drives into their respective state’s playoff pathway.
Two of these teams had to vanquish fellow OVAC-member schools to advance to this week’s round of play—the regional finals in Ohio and the quarterfinals in the Mountain State.
Shadyside, behind a dominant offensive line performance and the running of the seemingly unstoppable Wyatt Reiman, took down River for the second time this season. This time, it was a 43-28 victory that saw Reiman rush for 246 yards and four touchdowns as the Tigers pulled away late. In the previous meeting, Shadyside eked out a 14-12 decision.
The second win was made all the more impressive given the fact the Tigers were utilizing their third starting quarterback of the season. River, meanwhile, was riding a 6-game winning streak, including a 53-21 hammering of previously unbeaten and No. 2 in the region Berne Union. The Pilots were red-hot.
But the Tigers’ pedigree and run game were too strong, meaning head coach Mark Holenka and company are once again playing for a spot in the state semifinal round.
What they face is the traditional small school playoff nemesis for Ohio-side OVAC teams, the Newark Catholic Green Wave.
The top-ranked team in Division VII, Region 27, the Wave is coming off a 35-7 win against East Knox (10-3) and will try to defeat their second OVAC team this postseason. Newark Catholic defeated Caldwell 42-7 two weeks ago in the regional quarterfinal round.
St. Clairsville Blanks High-Powered Colts
Shadyside wasn’t the only team taking the field last weekend with a new quarterback. Drew Sefsick, whose dual-threat capabilities all season have been an excellent 1-2 punch to go with running back Jacob Jordan, was injured and unable to suit up.
So enter Vera in his first varsity start—in the regional semifinal round, against a team regularly putting up 60 points and one that last season took a 28-0 score against St. Clairsville into the same round before falling 42-28.
Should St. Clairsville have fallen behind early again, could the newbie behind center be able to get the job done? That question never needed answering as head coach Brett McClean’s charges rolled to a 35-0 win, shutting out and down the high-powered Colts.
Vera did a solid job, throwing or 106 yards on 7 of 12 passing for a pair of touchdowns. But St. C. also did what it does best, put the ball in the belly of Jordan and run behind that punishing offensive line, anchored by Ohio State commit Avery Henry.
Jordan finished with 187 yards and three touchdowns, another banner night for the senior who’s amassed nearly 1,900 yards this season.
If he hopes to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark and join his Red Devils’ teammates in advancing to the state semifinals, a tall task awaits.
Last season, St. C. defeated Meadowbrook and advanced to face an unbeaten Bloom Carroll team. The purple-and-gold clad Bulldogs blanked the Red Devils, 40-0.
Both teams this season are battle-tested and have different players, but the one key fact about BC remains—its defense is downright nasty. The Bulldogs have yielded double digits in points only our times all season. In has allowed just nine points in its last five games and owns three shutouts during that span.
Last week, BC bested Heath 35-6 to run its record to 13-0 and earn a rematch with St. Clairsville for a spot in the state semis.
Maroon Knights Back Home
Central withstood its difficult regular season, per usual, and found itself with a No. 8 ranking when the Class A postseason began last week. Fittingly, it was the No. 9 Moorefield Yellow Jackets invading Bishop Schmidt Field.
Lorenzo Ferrera ran for 94 yards and two scores whilst quarterback Payton Hildebrand threw for another touchdown and 103 yards.
Cole O’Neill tacked on two short-yardage TDs, rushing for 11 yards on three carries.
Ferrera is second on the Knights offensively with 672 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. Riley Watkins leads the balanced attack with 746 yards and six touchdowns.
The win should have set up what many around the Northern Panhandle were hoping for, a matchup between No. 8 Wheeling Central and No. 1 Cameron.
The Dragons, however, fell to an upstart Gilmer County team, 19-14, at home and will be left to ponder what could have been. The loss, meanwhile, means Wheeling Central will be at home one more week as the Titans will come calling.
Central just may be on a mission. Unable to challenge for the Class A crown last season because of a COVID cancellation of its opening-round playoff game, the Knights are looking to return to their new home away from home, Wheeling Island Stadium, to play for yet another state title.
Doing so will require dispatching the Titans, and then getting through either No .4 Ritchie County or No. 5 Mount View, which means no matter what, should Central take down Gilmer, head coach Mike Young’s club will be hitting the road for the semifinals.
