More than one person has said the high school football regular season is the fastest 10 weeks (11 in West Virginia). And here we are, starting week 7 as the calendar rolls into October.
There’s some teams that likely have a hard time believing it’s here, Bluefield in particular. The Beavers have played one game this season. One. It was a narrow loss to Princeton. They haven’t played since.
The perennial Class AA power appears like it will finally get back on the field against PikeView this week. The Beavers have no margin for error, however. They will need every point they can squeeze out of their remaining schedule to have a hope at making the postseason.
But if they do, well, all bets are off.
Like the playoff picture, the Kennedy Award race is rounding into form, though there’s no definitive favorite any longer.
Following a rough outing against Spring Valley, sans a few of his weapons, and a back-and-forth 14-13 win against George Washington, South Charleston’s Trey Dunn’s numbers have finally come back down to Earth.
Against the Patriots, he threw for 184 yards on 17 of 37 passing without a touchdown or pick. He ran for 87 yards on 19 carries, accounting for one of the Black Eagles’ two touchdowns in the one-point victory.
I still have Dunn in my top three, but for now, the SC junior has slipped to the number three spot. There’s plenty of football left to be played, and Kennedy Award voting isn’t required to be turned in until after the semifinal round of the postseason.
In fact, it shouldn’t be turned in until the last week. How some of the top contenders ball out in the postseason can be a huge deciding factor in the minds of voters. Voting before that point is a disservice to the candidates.
But nothing wrong with a little friendly prognostication prior to, right?
Frontunners
In this writer’s humble opinion, the Kennedy Race presently has a 1(a) and 1(b) at the top, with Dunn close behind in third place.
To me, Independence’s Atticus Goodson is 1(a), with Robert C. Byrd’s Jeremiah King neck and neck at 1(b). I give Goodson the edge based on the eye test, but either is capable of claiming victory in this race that, at least during the preseason, appeared clogged with Class AAA quarterbacks.
Goodson is coming off a big week in which he eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark for his career on Tuesday night, rushing for 190 yards on just seven carries to go with four touchdown runs (35, 10, 54, 55 yards). The result was a 63-14 win against Westside.
Later in the week, he put up similar numbers in a steamrolling of Summers County.
Through just four games, Goodson has accumulated 803 yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s averaging more than 200 yards per game. His yards per carry average is 13.2. That’s getting it done.
The Patriots have a tough test this week when they take on rival Midland Trail on the road.
Byrd and King, meanwhile, were off last week and have a showdown with Lincoln ahead this week in Clarksburg.
Earlier this season, King eclipsed the 5,000 yard mark and put up a nice effort against Bridgeport in a loss. You can probably count on one hand the number of backs the last few years who can say the same after facing the Indians’ vaunted defense.
Another Big Win for HHS
Huntington quarterback Gavin Lochow inserted his name into the Kennedy conversation earlier this season with some impressive performances against big-time teams.
But more impressive is the wins the Highlanders keep compiling.
Most recently, HHS forced three fourth-quarter turnovers and took down Spring Valley, 9-6, in a defensive stalemate.
Tyrees Smith recovered a fumble at Spring Valley’s 9-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Curtis Jones scampered into the end zone two plays later for a 7-6 reading.
The Highlanders scored their final points later when forcing an intentional grounding in the end zone.
Huntington, which faces Woodrow Wilson this week, owns victories against both Cabell Midland and Spring Valley, as well as Parkersburg and GW. In three weeks, the Highlanders will face Dunn and the SC Black Eagles.
That’s the lone team left on the schedule with a winning record.
Strong Performances
Matt Greenlief, Oak Glen: Oak Glen finally got back on the field and Greenlief responded with 260 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 53-31 win against Berkeley Springs. It was the Golden Bears third game of the season and first since a 42-7 loss to Point Pleasant.
Ismael Borrerro, Hurricane: Redskins QB had another solid outing throwing for 220 yards and two TDs while rushing for 72 yards and two scores vs. Parkersburg.
Hudson Clement, Martinsburg: Clement had another big game in a hammering of Washington, 62-0. He had three TD receptions and finished with 110 yards while rushing for a 67-yard touchdown. Clement added a fumble return for six in an all-around solid effort.
Buddy Marcum, Tug Valley: Marcum rushed for four TDs and 269 yards for the Panthers against Tolsia.
Kaleb Clark, Nicholas County: Grizzlies’ junior back ran for 186 yards and three scores, adding a 12-yard TD catch in the process vs. Midland Trail.
Michael Toepfer, Wheeling Central: Toepfer threw for just 101 yards on 9 of 16 passing, but four of those passes went for six as he accounted for all four touchdowns throws in the second quarter of a 54-27 Maroon Knights victory against Weir.
