MORGANTOWN — The WVSSAC playoff picture comes into brighter focus as the season enters its home stretch over the next few weeks.
Locally, Morgantown and University will already enter the postseason, as all 16 Class AAAA teams will earn a postseason bid.
Clay-Battelle and Preston are on the outside looking in, but some wins to close out the season will catapult both the Cee-Bees and Knights into clear view.
“We have some team goals that we’ve written down, including getting into the playoffs,” CB head coach Aaron LaPoe said at the beginning of the season.
Clay-Battelle currently sits at No. 18 in Class A with a 4-4 record, already surpassing its win total from last season. Webster County is at No. 16 in Class A, the final playoff spot, with a 4-3 record.
The Cee-Bees have made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. This week, CB travels to Beallsville (OH), which has a 1-8 record, before wrapping up the season at Magnolia (1-6).
“Give great effort, do your job and be a great teammate and eventually, good things are going to happen,” LaPoe said.
In AAA, Preston has a 2-5 record and currently sits at No. 17. Just ahead of the Knights at No. 16 is Robert C. Byrd, which PHS defeated this season, 28-7.
The combined record of Preston’s opponents thus far is 38-15, including undefeated Fairmont Senior and undefeated Bridgeport. Every team Preston has faced so far this season has been ranked in the top 16 in the state.
“We have to be the only team in the state that has done this,” said PHS head coach Mark Deep. “The schedule is always hard. It’s challenging. We held up pretty well against some very physical teams like Woodrow and Bridgeport and we needed that to become a more physical team ourselves.”
This week, Preston plays at University (3-4). A win could cement a playoff spot for the Knights, but with two games remaining against Buckhannon-Upshur and Phillip Barbour to close out the year, a loss to the Hawks would still leave the Knights on the cusp of the postseason.
“Playoffs are the goal,” Deep said. “Wins will go a long way. It’s sitting there for us, we just have to take advantage of the opportunity given to us. The kids know it’s important. They know what’s at stake. The excitement should be there these next three weeks — but I’m just worried about things one week at a time.”
Deep said two starters have been injured for the past few weeks. They will remain out against University this week. He said backups have filled in admirably and on defense, the Knights are ready for the Hawks’ strong passing offense.
“Let’s worry about what we do, not what they do,” Deep said. “We’ve had two really good days of practice and we’ll have a good day of walk-throughs before we get out there for a big game. Everything that we still want in this season is ahead of us. It’s still attainable. All we have to do is go out and play well and let the cards fall where they may. We want to be competitive every game. The scoreboard will take care of itself at the end.”
In AAAA, Morgantown is No. 7 with a 5-3 record, one spot ahead of George Washington, which boasts a 7-1 record. Ahead of the Mohigans is Jefferson.
Morgantown plays at No. 14 Hedgesville (2-5) this week.
With a few more wins, the Mohigans could be in a good position to host their first playoff game since 2016.
Also in AAAA, University is No. 12 with a 3-4 record heading into the matchup with Preston.
UHS and MHS meet up next week with the annual MoHawk Bowl, played at Pony Lewis Field. That will conclude the regular season for Morgantown, while University will wrap up its regular season schedule on Nov. 8 hosting Class AAA No. 5 Oak Hill (6-1).
— Story by Matthew Peaslee
