AAA Playoffs Round One Preview

<p>Well, folks, after some postponement and deliberation, it's finally playoff time! 64 teams across four classes have learned their playoff fate and opponents. Prep Redzone West Virginia will provide you with playoff coverage through the State Championship games. Let the road to Charleston begin!</p>   <p>Here is everything you need to know about the first-round playoff matchups for Class AAA.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>MATCHUPS</strong></h2>   <p>(16) Hampshire (5-5) at (1) Princeton (10-0) – Saturday, November 23 at 4 p.m.</p>   <p>(15) Point Pleasant (4-5) at (2) Fairmont Senior (9-1) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.</p>   <p>(14) Robert C. Byrd (4-6) at (3) Bridgeport (10-0) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.</p>   <p>(13) Elkins (5-5) at (4) Herbert Hoover (10-0) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.</p>   <p>(12) Lewis County (5-5) at (5) Oak Hill (9-1) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.</p>   <p>(11) Shady Spring (7-3) at (6) Nitro (9-1) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.</p>   <p>(10) East Fairmont (5-4) at (7) Spring Valley (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.</p>   <p>(9) Ripley (7-3) at (8) North Marion (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>PREDICTIONS</strong></h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(16) Hampshire (5-5) at (1) Princeton (10-0)</h3>   <p>The Hampshire Trojans have earned their first playoff appearance since 2003 and are headed in the right direction under new Head Coach Donny Evans. They'll have the tall task of taking on the #1 seeded Princeton Tigers coming off a State Championship berth in the old Class AAA last season. Princeton lost their all-everything WR Dom Collins from that team but have reloaded and haven't missed a step on offense this season. The Tigers have weapons all over the field on both sides of the ball and will end Hampshire's bounce-back season, but it's good to see the Trojans in the playoffs again.</p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Princeton 63 </strong>Hampshire 7</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(15) Point Pleasant (4-5) at (2) Fairmont Senior (9-1)</h3>   <p>Point Pleasant has had an interesting season in 2024 in long-time Head Coach David Darst's final go around with the Big Blacks before retirement. They've had strong wins over Warren (OH), Robert C. Byrd, and Winfield but have also struggled against teams they seemingly could've beaten. A strong finish to the regular season could make things interesting for a quarter against a very deep and talented Fairmont Senior Squad but the Polar Bears will inevitably pull away in this one. </p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Fairmont Senior 56 </strong>Point Pleasant 14</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(14) Robert C. Byrd (4-6) at (3) Bridgeport (10-0) </h3>   <p>The Bridgeport Indians have been a juggernaut this season with their eyes set on the AAA State Championship after being moved down from the old Class 3A this year. This will be a regular season matchup against the Eagles of RCB which saw the Indians earn one of their five shutouts this season 58-0. The rematch feels like it will go similarly, but RCB has had a nice bounce-back season with a strong young core of players to build around moving forward.</p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Bridgeport 63</strong> Robert C. Byrd 7</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(13) Elkins (5-5) at (4) Herbert Hoover (10-0) </h3>   <p>This matchup has the potential to get interesting if Elkins can lean on 2,000-yard rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1229728' first='Nick' last='Bowers'] to shorten the game and limit possessions for a potent Herbert Hoover offense. We see this as a potentially close and quickly played first half before the Tigers run out of steam after halftime before seeing the Huskies pull away in the second half. Hoover has too many athletes and will have the best player on the field with star QB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='370479' first='Dane' last='Hatfield'] who is more than a handful to contain. </p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Herbert Hoover 34</strong> Elkins 13</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(12) Lewis County (5-5) at (5) Oak Hill (9-1) </h3>   <p>The Lewis County Minutemen have had an up-and-down season after losing a strong senior class to graduation last year but have earned the 12th seed in the AAA playoffs. They'll head to Oak Hill which is hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2000 and could make a run in the AAA playoffs after being moved down a class this season. The Red Devils will have too many athletes and new transfer quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='897503' first='Devin' last='Richardson'] has plugged right into their system as a dual-threat quarterback for his senior year. </p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Oak Hill 42</strong> Lewis County 13</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(11) Shady Spring (7-3) at (6) Nitro (9-1)</h3>   <p>Here's another matchup that could be competitive for a bit before the home team inevitably pulls away as the game goes on. This is Nitro's best team in a long time and should make the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Shady Spring has the running game to shorten the game a bit if they can sustain drives and keep that prolific Wildcats' offense off the field. Conversely, it'll be tough for the Tigers to limit explosive plays as Nitro can score in a blink of an eye. </p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Nitro 48</strong> Shady Spring 20</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(10) East Fairmont (5-4) at (7) Spring Valley (7-3) </h3>   <p>It's good to see East Fairmont back in the playoffs after losing some record-breaking talent from last season's postseason squad but they'll have their hands full with Spring Valley who dropped down a class this year. The Timberwolves have a dynamic passing attack with a big offensive line that can open holes even with a banged-up backfield. Spring Valley has one of the top athletes in the state and 2025 class with [player_tooltip player_id='450994' first='Jalyn' last='Abercrombie'] who is a tough cover regardless of who they face among others in talent receiving corp. </p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: Spring Valley 56</strong> East Fairmont 14</em></p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">(9) Ripley (7-3) at (8) North Marion (7-3) - PRZ WV AAA Game of the Week</h3>   <p>9th seed Ripley will head to 8th seed North Marion in our PRZ WV AAA Game of the Week matchup with what should be a very competitive and back-and-forth matchup. The resurgent Ripley Vikings are making their first playoff appearance since 2018 under first-year Head Coach Ryan Simon who has worked wonders in his first season. North Marion lost a lot of talent from their state championship appearance team from last season but has reloaded in some spots with a talented offensive line to lean on. This game could go down to the wire but give us the more playoff battle-tested Huskies to eke out the win at home in this one. </p>   <p><em><strong>Final Score: North Marion 34</strong> Ripley 27</em></p>

Well, folks, after some postponement and deliberation, it's finally playoff time! 64 teams across four classes have learned their playoff fate and opponents. Prep Redzone West Virginia will provide you with playoff coverage through the State Championship games. Let the road to Charleston begin!