Class AA Playoffs Standouts: Quarterfinals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The quarterfinals of the 2023 WV State Playoffs have been completed with many athletes having standout performances. Here are 8 athletes in Class AA that had big showings in the quarterfinals of the playoffs!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1047397' first='Malachi' last='Stromile'] - Weir '24 QB/ATH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior Weir quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1047397' first='Malachi' last='Stromile'] showed tremendous resiliency in the Red Riders' huge 35-33 upset of Scott in the Class AA quarterfinals on the Skyhawks' home field. Stromile shook off some turnovers in the game to lead his Red Riders on a clutch 4th quarter drive in the final moments of the game and threw the game-winning touchdown pass to fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='866523' first='Corey' last='Lyons']. He passed for 286 yards and three touchdowns in the game along with 72 rushing yards and a fourth touchdown and had a huge 4th down scramble late in the 4th quarter before tossing the winning touchdown pass to keep Weir's playoff hopes alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Devan Colson - Weir '24 WR/DB</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fellow Weir senior Devan Colson had by far his best game of the season after stepping up big time without two of the Red Riders' leading receivers unavailable. Colson was a big play machine in the 35-33 win and ripped off an 84-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter to give Weir a 28-26 lead. The senior speedster finished the game with 178 receiving yards and a touchdown on 6 catches averaging nearly 30 yards per catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='907237' first='Damir' last='Mowder'] - Weir '25 WR/LB</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior Weir receiver [player_tooltip player_id='907237' first='Damir' last='Mowder'] seized much-needed momentum late in the second half to bring the Red Riders within a score of 14-7 before halftime on a huge catch and run. The big-bodied receiver went up and hauled in a tough contested catch that was thrown up for grabs and was able to break free from the DB to race 74 yards for the score. Mowder also made an equally huge play on defense picking off a Scott pass on the next drive after scoring his touchdown to keep the score 14-7 at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='370356' first='Casey' last='Minor'] - North Marion '24 QB/LB</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior North Marion quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='370356' first='Casey' last='Minor'] continues to have a great postseason and senior year in general for the Huskies. He scored four more touchdowns in their 35-17 win over Herbert Hoover to advance to the Class AA semifinals for the second year in a row. Minor completed 9 of 13 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns while adding 59 rushing yards and a fourth touchdown on 18 carries. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='450993' first='Brody' last='Whitehair'] - Fairmont Senior '25 QB</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior Fairmont Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='450993' first='Brody' last='Whitehair'] has his Polar Bears in the Class AA semifinals with a great chance to make the championship game. The junior gunslinger completed 14 of 24 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns in the game along with 57 rushing yards on 13 carries. Whitehair has now gone over the 3,000-yard passing mark and 39 touchdowns this season for the Polar Bears. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='370355' first='Dylan' last='Ours'] - Fairmont Senior '24 ATH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stud senior athlete [player_tooltip player_id='370355' first='Dylan' last='Ours'] has been nothing short of amazing for Fairmont Senior in his career but has taken his game to the next level for his senior season. The Polar Bears have leaned heavily on his athletic abilities on the offensive side of the ball this year and he's been awesome for them. Ours was their leading rusher and receiver in their 42-0 shutout of Philip Barbour and finished with 112 rushing and 55 receiving yards with three total touchdowns. He has the chance to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark against Weir this week in the semifinals with one less game played than most other schools. Ours currently has 1,811 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns while also being a very good receiver and defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='866500' first='Tyler' last='Linksweiler'] - Independence '24 RB</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a wet and muddy mess at Generals Stadium in Winfield when #14 Independence took on the home-standing boys in green. Senior Independence running back [player_tooltip player_id='866500' first='Tyler' last='Linksweiler'] and the Patriots continue to play spoiler in the playoffs as they took down #6 Winfield to advance to the Class AA semifinals. Linksweiler was the only player on the drenched and slippery field that found considerable success in the poor conditions. He rushed for 134 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown in the 13-0 defensive struggle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='370479' first='Dane' last='Hatfield'] - Herbert Hoover '25 QB/ATH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Herbert Hoover unsurprisingly leaned on big junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='370479' first='Dane' last='Hatfield'] to try and defeat #1 North Marion in the Class AA quarterfinals. Although they fell short in the game, Hatfield was still able to get his in the 35-17 loss in the "Huskies Bowl". He carried the ball 22 times for 93 yards and a touchdown while completing 9 passes for 102 yards and a second touchdown. Herbert Hoover will regroup in the offseason and continue to build around their star athlete at quarterback.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye'] - Scott '24 QB</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The prolific season and career came to an end for Scott senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='865454' first='Matt' last='Frye'] in the Skyhawks' loss to the Weir Red Riders in the Class AA quarterfinals. The Kennedy Award nominee has had a senior season for the ages throwing for over 3,000 yards and 40+ touchdowns this year. Frye threw for over 100 yards in the first quarter to take a quick 14-0 lead over the visiting Red Riders and finished the game with 216 passing yards and 79 rushing yards with two total touchdowns including a 4th down scamper for a score late in the game. Even though it wasn't enough to win, Frye caps off a fantastic high school career before heading to the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->