Class AA Playoff X-Factors: 1 Game Changer from Each Team

<p><strong><em>Get 30% Off Your Subscription with Code PRZWV30 at Checkout!</em></strong></p>   <p>The 2025 West Virginia high school football regular season has come to an end, and schools have learned their playoff fate. 64 teams will be moving on to the postseason across four classes with one goal on their mind: make it to Charleston. Here is one X-Factor player from each representative school in the playoffs.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#1 FRANKFORT</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">2027 Frankfort RB/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1154895' first='Braydn' last='Tyler'] has helped the Falcons reload from last year's state championship squad, helping secure the #1 seed in the playoffs and our X-Factor pick. He's a dynamic player in all three phases of the game, rushing for over 800 yards and 14 touchdowns, along with 4 more scores in the passing game and 3 return touchdowns on special teams. Tyler is an explosive athlete with the ability to turn the corner consistently and get vertical quickly. The Falcons will be creative with how they get him the ball, and he can change the momentum of the game in a variety of ways. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#2 BLUEFIELD</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">One of the brightest young prospects in the 2028 class is Bluefield QB [player_tooltip player_id='1166648' first='Max' last='Simpson'], as our X-Factor selection this week against Oak Glen. He's a gifted passer with a natural feel for the position and has shown tremendous growth since his freshman season. Simpson has the Beavers well ahead of schedule with a young team and the #2 seed in the playoffs, and he could lead them on a long run in the postseason. He's capable of spreading the ball all over the field, forcing defenses to cover every inch of it with an explosive passing offense. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#3 PHILIP BARBOUR</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">A new name that has emerged this season in the 2027 class is Philip Barbour RB [player_tooltip player_id='2047488' first='Landyn' last='Carpenter']. He's had a breakout junior campaign for the Colts, rushing for over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season. Carpenter has also added 54 tackles on defense at linebacker and will be a name to this postseason and beyond. He's a physical between-the-tackles runner with enough speed to break away in the open field. Carpenter will be tough to bring down in the 4th quarter, especially in colder weather, to make the Colts a tough out in the playoffs. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#4 INDEPENDENCE </strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">You could go with several picks for Independence's X-Factor for round one of the playoffs, but you can't go wrong with 2028 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1221843' first='Brock' last='Green']. The physically imposing quarterback can lead the Patriots to their second state title this season and will have them in the mix for the next two years as well. He's rewriting the record books for passing at Independence and is one of the brightest prospects in the 2028 class. Green leads an explosive passing attack and will utilize his size in the running game at times as well, a tough task for defenses this time of the year in the postseason. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#5 DODDRIDGE COUNTY</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Another program with several different X-Factor options is Doddridge County, but 2028 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1591340' first='Lyric' last='Blake'] got the nod. His play this season as a sophomore for the Bulldogs has been excellent, rushing for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns and helping his team to an undefeated regular season. They have a balanced offensive attack, but the running game wins championships in November and December. Blake is capable of leading the Bulldogs to the semifinals and seeing how they fare against some of the top teams in Class AA this season. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#6 ROANE COUNTY</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Another 2028 RB that's had a breakout sophomore season is Roane County's Javon Letourneu. He's emerged as their top option in their Wing-T rushing attack that's proved to cause opposing teams issues for many years. Letourneau has rushed for 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns in the regular season and is the lightning to junior RB teammate [player_tooltip player_id='862714' first='Koltyn' last='Starcher']'s thunder in the Raiders' backfield. Film isn't available from his sophomore season yet, but keep a close eye on Letournau for years to come. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#7 MIDLAND TRAIL</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">2026 Midland Trail RB [player_tooltip player_id='2047490' first='Jayden' last='Roop'] has had a huge senior season for the Patriots in the regular season, and they'll look to continue leaning on him in the playoffs. The big, physical 6'0 200 running back has rushed for over 1,400 yards and 22 touchdowns so far this season and is the type of runner defenses won't want to see this time of the year. Roop is going to fall forward for extra yards on every carry and often break first and second contact as an imposing downhill runner out of their Pistol formation offense. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#8 MINGO CENTRAL</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">If Mingo Central wants to make a long playoff run and make it back to the state championship game, they'll need 2026 ATH and Marshall commit [player_tooltip player_id='908000' first='Aidan' last='Burke'] to take over in the postseason. He'll make a huge impact in all three phases of the game and has totaled 1,100 all-purpose yards so far this season. Burke has special playmaking ability with the ball in his hands, regardless of what position he's in or side of the ball he's on. You'll want to avoid kicking it to him on special teams and bracket him on offense to try to take him out of the Miners' game plan, but they'll still find ways to get him the ball and give opposing teams fits. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#9 JAMES MONROE</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">2026 James Monroe QB [player_tooltip player_id='2047496' first='Ryan' last='Mann'] has emerged in a big way at quarterback this season after being a position player the previous three years. All he's done in his first year behind center is break the school record for passing with over 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns in the regular season. No film is available from his senior season yet, but D2 programs would be wise to reach out to him and his coaches for his services after high school. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#10 PETERSBURG</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">2026 Petersburg ATH [player_tooltip player_id='2047499' first='Lukas' last='Wolford'] is a multi-faceted player for the Vikings to utilize in the playoffs and can impact the game in a variety of ways. He's the leading rusher with 500 yards and has also added over 400 yards in the receiving game. Wolford gets it done on defense as well, as the leading tackler with over 100 total stops. He's a smaller athlete at 5'7 160, but he plays with a ton of toughness and grit that will give opposing teams fits in the postseason. If the Vikings want to advance to the quarterfinals, they'll need a big performance from Wolford on both sides of the ball. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#11 CLAY COUNTY</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Clay County has several athletes on offense to spread the ball to, but keep an eye on 2026 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1466136' first='Jakoby' last='Nichols'] in round one as our X-Factor pick. He's leading the Panthers in receiving with over 750 yards and 9 touchdowns in the regular season. Nichols has been a very productive player during his career and will need a career night against Roane County if the Panthers hope to advance to the quarterfinals. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#12 LOGAN</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">#1-ranked 2028 TE [player_tooltip player_id='1309692' first='Lucas' last='Lambert'] of Logan is deservingly picking up high-level college interest for his play on the field this season and is our X-Factor pick for the Wildcats this week. He's leading the team in receiving with nearly 700 yards and 12 touchdowns as an imposing athlete with rare athleticism for his size. The Wildcats are capable of a round one upset of Doddridge County, but they'll need Lambert to take over the game and prove that he's a serious FBS college prospect. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#13 LINCOLN</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">2026 Lincoln QB [player_tooltip player_id='1234064' first='AJ' last='Bart'] sits at #2 on the Cougars' all-time passing yards and touchdowns list and is our X-Factor pick. He's had a great senior season for the Cougars, throwing for over 2,100 yards and 20 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions. Bart is an under-the-radar prospect in the 2026 class and is deserving of D2 looks, especially if he's capable of adding more size at the next level. He operates their explosive passing attack well and is mechanically sound, which has the attention of the Independence coaches in round one. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#14 SOUTH HARRISON</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">South Harrison will utilize several ball carriers in their offense, with three different players with over 600 rushing yards, but 2027 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='862715' first='Shepard' last='Paugh'] is our X-Factor pick for the Hawks. At 6'3 190, he's not your typical running back size, which could give the Hawks a chance of an upset in round one. Film isn't available from his junior season yet, but keep an eye on Paugh to wear down Philip Barbour's defense with his size and be a major factor on defense as well. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#15 OAK GLEN</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The Oak Glen Golden Bears have turned their program around quickly under first-year head coach TJ Miller and are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 2026 DL [player_tooltip player_id='1580725' first='Kameron' last='Hebrock'] is a big reason why they're seeing success this season as a dominant two-way lineman who wreaks havoc behind his 100 tackles, 22 TFLs, and 13 sacks. Classmate RB [player_tooltip player_id='1137700' first='Logan' last='Murray'] would also be an excellent choice as our X-Factor, but the Golden Bears will need to establish the run behind a physical offensive line and sustain drives to keep Bluefield's explosive offense off the field. Hebrock can harass the quarterback at a high level on defense and could help slow down their passing attack if he can consistently get pressure. </p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#16 WILLIAMSTOWN</strong></h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The Williamstown Yellowjackets may be having a rebuilding year for their program standards, but have snuck into the playoffs as the #16 seed behind the play of RB [player_tooltip player_id='2006002' first='Jackson' last='Kerr']. He's rushed for 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns this season and may single-handedly keep his team in the game for a while against a very good Frankfort team. Kerr is a plus athlete capable of going the distance on any given touch and will be one of the best athletes on the field against a talented Frankfort squad this week. </p>

Get 30% Off Your Subscription with Code PRZWV30 at Checkout!