AAA Week One Review: POTW, Top Performers, & More!

For a discounted subscription to view all of our content, use Code PRZWV30 at checkout for 30% off!   Week 1 of the 2024 West Virginia High School football season is complete. Here is our first edition of the Weekly Review, our deep dive into everything that happened on the field!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">WEEK TWO POWER RANKINGS</h2>   1. Bridgeport (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Buckhannon-Upshur 77-0   2. Fairmont Senior (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Lewis County 55-3   3. Princeton (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Capital 41-12   4. Spring Valley (1-0) Last Week: Defeated South Point (OH) 55-20   5. Herbert Hoover (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Independence 37-30   6. Winfield (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Lincoln County 48-0   7. Nitro (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Lincoln 52-21   8. Oak Hill (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Nicholas County 28-15   9. North Marion (1-0) Last Week: Defeated East Fairmont 28-21   10. Weir (1-0) Last Week: Defeated Oak Glen 40-21   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK</h2>    250 yards rushing - 56 passing yards - 5 touchdowns - 1 defensive INT   2027 Robert C. Byrd QB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1154706' first='Junior' last='Smith'] started his sophomore campaign with a bang as the Flying Eagles defeated Keyser 48-7. Smith quickly proved why he's considered a Top 25 prospect in his class by PRZ WV at this early stage finishing with over 300 yards of offense and 5 total touchdowns. He did most of his damage on the ground with 250 of those yards coming from the rushing variety while executing an option offense to perfection with 4 scores on the ground. The dynamic sophomore also threw for a touchdown and even picked off a pass on defense showcasing why he's ranked as a pure ATH in our 2027 rankings.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK</h2>    5.5 TFLs 4 sacks in 2 quarters played   2025 Bridgeport DL [player_tooltip player_id='450992' first='Wes' last='Brown Jr'] continued his defensive dominance from his junior year and began his senior season with a Defesive Player of the Week performance. In just two quarters of play, Brown Jr lived in the Buckhannon-Upshur backfield with 5.5 TFLs and 4 sacks en route to a 77-0 final score. His explosiveness off the ball and short-area quickness were impressive in the game often beating his man and double teams on his first step. Brown Jr is just too strong and athletic for most high school offensive linemen to slow down and has the perfect size for an interior DL to create havoc and matchup issues. He's a D1 prospect in our eyes and we'll continue to pound the table for programs of that level to enter his recruitment.     <h2 class="wp-block-heading">WEEK ONE TOP PERFORMERS</h2>    412 total yards 5 touchdowns   2025 Weir QB [player_tooltip player_id='1259785' first='Lucas' last='McAllister'] was in contention for PRZ WV Offensive Player of the Week with an all-around impressive performance in week one. He impacted the game in a variety of ways as a passer, runner, and on defense. McAllister was efficient throwing the ball completing 17/25 passes for 285 yards and 2 touchdowns. The athletic quarterback also rushed for 74 yards and 2 more scores making it impossible for the Oak Glen defense to contain him. McAllister wasn't done there as he scooped up a Golden Bear fumble in stride for a 12-yard return and score. He totaled over 400 yards in the game and 5 touchdowns to secure the 40-21 victory for the Red Riders.      10/14 221 yards 5 touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='450993' first='Brody' last='Whitehair'] wasted no time beginning his senior year with another huge performance as we saw nearly every week in 2023. He has even more weapons to spread the ball to this season and utilized them well as he threw touchdown passes to four different teammates. Watching the game film, Whitehair has a great command of the offense with a full year under his belt as the starter and looks like the best version of himself to date. The touch and velocity on his passes look improved from last season and he even flashed the arm strength on a deep ball hitting his man perfectly in stride. He'll be in contention for some post-season awards if he continues this level of play.      153 passing yards 3 touchdowns - 29 rushing yards - 1 catch 54 yards   2026 Greenbrier East QB [player_tooltip player_id='1052776' first='Brody' last='Hamric'] showed why we have him ranked as the #3 quarterback in his class in the Spartans' 24-20 win over Riverside in week one. Hamric tossed three touchdown passes and reached 150 passing yards on the night but looked just as smooth as a runner. Hamric showed great pocket mobility and operated their RPO offense well which seems to be suited well for his skillset. Although his rushing numbers weren't eye-popping, from watching his game film you could see he has some juice when he wants to take off and could have some big rushing numbers in future weeks. Hamric further showcased his athleticism on a halfback toss throwback trick play down the sideline for 54 yards while impacting the game in a number of ways.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/brody_hamric/status/1830656244799181016 </div></figure>     220 passing yards 3 touchdowns - 75 rushing yards 1 touchdown   Although the Berkeley Springs Indians fell to Petersburg in week one, 2025 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='865707' first='Aiden' last='Cain'] did all he could to try and earn a victory. It appears he'll be able to spread the ball out more this season and open up the passing game with 220 yards and 3 touchdowns to open his senior season which they weren't able to do as much in 2023 with some young receivers. Now a year older, Cain and the offense can open things up so defenses can't key on his running ability which he still showcased with 75 yards and a 4th score. Cain's arm looks stronger this season and keep following his and the Indians' season as they continue to build and get better each week.      16 carries 176 yards 2 touchdowns   Our first 2028 prospect to impress on varsity this season was Riverside RB [player_tooltip player_id='1309691' first='Malakhi' last='Hope'] who performed very well in the Warriors' narrow loss to Greenbrier East. Hope rushed for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns in his high school debut while showing flashes of some very good things to come in his future. He showed great big play ability with two long runs including a 73-yard touchdown which saw him outrace defenders down the right sideline. Hope showed a great burst on his clips available to us with the speed to turn the corner and separate in the open field. Once hos body catches up to his athleticism, he could end up being one of the better running backs in this class.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Malakhihope6/status/1829758798065471641 </div></figure>     11 carries 114 yards 3 touchdowns   Princeton will lean on 2025 RB [player_tooltip player_id='907182' first='Marquel' last='Lowe'] heavily again this season after a 1,700-yard junior campaign. He began his senior season with an efficient performance toting the ball 11 times for 114 yards and 3 scores in the Tigers' 41-12 opening night win over Capital. Lowe looks bigger and stronger this season which should benefit his workload when he's needed in a higher capacity in future games as Princeton gears up for another long playoff run this season. The added size and strength make Lowe one of the more complete backs in the state who can execute every aspect of the position.      10 carries 103 yards 2 touchdowns   One of the best games in the state during week one was Herbert Hoover versus Independence with the Huskies pulling out the opening night victory over the visiting Patriots 37-30. 2026 RB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='922040' first='Blake' last='Fisher'] was a large part of their big win as he was an efficient 10 carries for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns in the close contest. They'll work to get him the ball in the passing game more in future games where he may be even more natural, but Fisher showed last season how dynamic he can be in the running game where it'll be difficult to move him from. He was very elusive during the game often making the first and second attempted tackler miss and having the speed and quickness to create chunk plays once he got loose.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Blake_Fisher01/status/1830354953782616297 </div></figure>     5 receptions 131 yards 3 touchdowns   It was just another night at the office for 2026 Nitro WR [player_tooltip player_id='866254' first='Malachi' last='Thompson'] and Co. as they racked up 52 points against Lincoln in their explosive passing offense. The junior receiver needed just 5 catches to score 3 times and finished the night with 131 yards as he looks to have another 1,000-yard receiving season for the Wildcats. Thompson looked explosive on his releases and also took a screen pass to the house that he scooped nearly off the turf before showcasing his next-level speed down the sideline. Game one was just the beginning of what should be another monster season for the 6'4 receiver as D1 programs keep close tabs on him.      7 receptions 116 yards 1 touchdown   2026 Princeton WR [player_tooltip player_id='1096605' first='Brad' last='Mossor'] showcased why he'll be the Tigers' go-to target this season in their win over Capital in week one. Mossor caught 7 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in the win and should put up some huge numbers this season in an explosive offense. He attacked the Cougars' defense at all three levels and did a great job setting up the deep ball after lulling the defense forward on screen passes. Mossor showed his dynamic ability on those screens and was very dangerous when he got in the open field making it difficult for the defense to corral him.      7 tackles, 5 TFLs, 3 sacks 1 FF - 2 receptions 85 yards 1 touchdown   2026 jumbo ATH [player_tooltip player_id='866256' first='Xavier' last='Patterson'] got it done on both sides of the ball in Nitro's 56-21 win over Lincoln on Friday night. Ranked as a TE, Patterson showcased why he's considered the top at that position with 2 receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown as a big target on offense. The 6'2 260 big man hit on a long slot fade for a score as he showed off his wheels outracing defenders to the end zone. Patterson's performance on defense was even more impressive with 7 tackles, 5 TFLs, 3 sacks, and a forced fumble. His athleticism translates well to the defensive side and just might be where his future is in the next rankings update.      14 tackles 4 TFLs 1 FF - FG block   2025 Preston LB [player_tooltip player_id='897606' first='Ethan' last='Likens'] put himself in contention for the PRZ WV Defensive Player of the Week with a big performance against Hampshire in a highly competitive game. Although the Knights fell just short to the Trojans, Likens had a great defensive game which saw him total 14 tackles including 4 for a loss and a forced fumble. He also blocked a field goal in the game and is a player who plays with maximum effort for 4 quarters. Likens does a great job fitting the run and is very stout between the tackles as your classic throwback middle linebacker type of athlete. He'll put up some big stats this season and is a small college prospect to know who may force some D2 schools to give him serious looks.     [player_tooltip player_id='865701' first='Josh' last='Moody'] - 2025 Nitro QB | 26/33 417 yards 6 touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='1227642' first='Landon' last='Eversole'] - 2026 Hampshire QB | 12/26 236 yards 4 touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='894625' first='Toby' last='Michael'] - 2026 North Marion QB | 5/7 123 yards 1 touchdown - 22 carries 144 yards 2 touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='370479' first='Dane' last='Hatfield'] - 2025 Herbert Hoover ATH | 3 rushing touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='1229728' first='Nick' last='Bowers'] - 2025 Elkins RB | 23 carries 235 yards 3 touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='1097603' first='Josh' last='Love'] - 2025 Bridgeport RB | 3 carries 62 yards 3 touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='1137681' first='Aiden' last='Hernandez'] - 2026 Winfield WR/ATH | 4 carries 104 yards 2 touchdowns   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">WEEK TWO GAME OF THE WEEK</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Winfield at Herbert Hoover</h3>   Herbert Hoover earns back-to-back Game of the Week mentions with another talented opponent coming to town in week two. The Winfield Generals will travel to Clendenin to take on the Huskies as the top of Class AAA works itself out in the early weeks of the season. Both squads are coming off week one victories with Herbert Hoover seeing a tougher challenge than Winfield did which could play a part in deciding the winner of this one. It's difficult to learn about a team in a blowout win against an inferior opponent but Winfield returned a talented roster in 2024 who could've reloaded at the quarterback and running back positions. This is a coin-flip matchup in our eyes with Herbert Hoover's home-field advantage giving them a slight nod in what should be a highly competitive contest.   Score Prediction: Herbert Hoover 36 Winfield 34

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