MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — For the second-consecutive year, two of the most storied Class AAA football programs in the state will put each other to the test Week 1.
Last fall, Morgantown welcomed Parkersburg to Pony Lewis Field for a Thursday night battle showcased live on MetroNews — a 45-35 win for the Mohigans.
At 7:30 p.m. tonight, MHS will travel across U.S. 50 to meet the Big Reds on their home turf. PHS lost 20-plus seniors from the team that fell to MHS last year, but Mohigans coach Matt Lacy is still on full alert.
“You turn on the film and you wouldn’t know it,” he said. “They look very experienced, they’re physical and they return some key components from a team that made a playoff run last year. You go in hoping they maybe forgot how to play football losing that many guys, but they haven’t.”
Lacy expects major keys to victory in tonight’s rematch to be slowing down the PHS offense’s screen game, which is explosive and prone to creating momentum-changing plays.
“We have to pursue and get to the ball — all 11 guys, we need to contain the receivers,” senior defender Colton Spencer said.
“That’s something we worked in throughout the year last year to clean up, but how good they are with the screen game stands out to me,” Lacy added. “We have to be fundamentally sound, play our keys, and not give up big yardage plays.”
On offense, Lacy said the team will need to focus up front on slowing the PHS linebacking corps, led by a returning triple-digit tackler in the middle of the field.
“We have to get off our blocks fast and hit him hard. We can’t let him flow downhill too fast,” senior Tyler Yost said.
“Offensively, we have to be aware of where their middle linebacker is at – we have to get a hat on him and not let him run free, especially between the B gaps,” Lacy added.
By the numbers
168 — All-purpose yards by Jace Whetsell against Parkersburg last year, leading the Mohigans for the game. He would also tally two of the team’s six touchdowns that night.
80 — Total combined points scored by the two teams during last year’s game, averaging out to nearly three touchdowns per quarter.
16 — Combined state championships between the Morgantown and Parkersburg football programs.
