West Virginia Class AA Playoffs Round One Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p id="block-32896c7d-e14b-42fd-9249-e04a7ae8bf4f"><strong><em>Get 30% Off Your Subscription with Code PRZWV30 at Checkout!</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>32 teams have advanced to the playoff quarterfinals after the opening round of the postseason in West Virginia. Here is our Class AA playoffs review from round one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#1 Frankfort</strong> <strong>49</strong> #16 Williamstown 7</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frankfort continued its dominance over Williamstown with another convincing 49–7 playoff win, extending its two-year winning streak to 25 games. The Falcons controlled the matchup from the start, holding Williamstown to just 136 yards of offense and no offensive touchdowns. Their defense consistently put the Yellowjackets behind the chains, with multiple players contributing tackles, stops for loss, and an interception. The win sends Frankfort into the quarterfinals, where they will host Mingo Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On offense, Frankfort relied on a balanced and explosive ground attack, rushing for 275 yards and scoring seven total touchdowns. Braydyn Tyler led the effort with four touchdowns, while [player_tooltip player_id='1154890' first='Peyton' last='Brittingham'], Cole Shanholtz, and [player_tooltip player_id='1580708' first='Carder' last='Shanholtz'] added scores of their own. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1234073' first='Blake' last='Jacobs'] provided steady production through both the run and pass game, and the Falcons also benefited from strong special teams play, including a perfect night on extra points and several kickoffs into the end zone. Frankfort built a 35–0 halftime lead, pushed it to 49–0, and allowed only a late kickoff return as Williamstown's lone score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#2 Bluefield 54</strong> #15 Oak Glen 7</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bluefield made a strong postseason statement in its first home playoff game at Mitchell Stadium since 2020, overwhelming Oak Glen 54–7 to advance to the Class AA quarterfinals. The Beavers took full control early, building a 47–0 halftime lead that triggered a running clock. Their defense shut down Oak Glen completely in the first half, allowing just 13 total yards, one first down, and one completed pass. Offensively, Bluefield scored on eight of its nine first-half drives and piled up 496 yards, showing balance with more than 200 rushing yards and nearly 300 through the air.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beavers continued to spread the ball around, with big plays fueling the scoring. [player_tooltip player_id='1166648' first='Max' last='Simpson'] led the passing attack with 249 yards and three touchdowns, while [player_tooltip player_id='1958273' first='Jeremiah' last='Jones'] and Jurrian Tabb both topped 100 rushing yards. Jones added two rushing touchdowns and broke free for one of the game's highlight runs. Nine different receivers caught passes as Bluefield's offense kept Oak Glen off balance throughout the afternoon. Oak Glen produced some yardage late against reserves, but the outcome was long decided as Bluefield turned its attention to next week's quarterfinal matchup with #7 Midland Trail.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#3 Philip Barbour</strong> <strong>36</strong> #14 South Harrison 8</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philip Barbour used a balanced, explosive offense to pull away from South Harrison in a 36–8 first-round playoff win. The Colts dominated on the ground with 288 rushing yards while quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1430947' first='Robbie' last='Jones'] added three touchdown passes on only four completions. Early defensive stops gave Philip Barbour short fields, leading to quick scores from Jones to [player_tooltip player_id='1692921' first='Malachi' last='Poling'] and a long touchdown run by [player_tooltip player_id='2047488' first='Landyn' last='Carpenter']. South Harrison tried to limit possessions by running the play clock and going for multiple fourth-down attempts, but the Colts repeatedly shut down those drives.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second half, Philip Barbour continued to extend its lead with big plays, including a 40-yard run by Jones that set up another touchdown pass to Poling. South Harrison finally scored late in the third quarter, but the Colts immediately responded with a screen-pass touchdown to [player_tooltip player_id='1154896' first='Mason' last='Jones'] and a 66-yard scoring run from [player_tooltip player_id='1580728' first='Tyler' last='Vance']. With the win, Philip Barbour advances to host Clay County in the quarterfinals, a rematch of last year's postseason meeting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#4 Independence</strong> <strong>42</strong> #13 Lincoln 17</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Independence moved on to the Class AA quarterfinals with a 42–17 win over Lincoln, overcoming the Cougars' strategy of controlling possession with a heavy passing attack. Lincoln ran 82 plays and completed 34 of 50 passes for 322 yards, but Independence consistently countered with explosive gains, averaging nearly 10 yards per play. The Patriots also tightened up defensively in the red zone, preventing the Cougars from capitalizing on long drives. A key stretch came in the second half when Independence turned a fumble recovery and an interception into touchdowns, creating the separation Lincoln couldn't overcome.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, Independence used big plays and efficiency to stay ahead. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1221843' first='Brock' last='Green'] threw for 286 yards, with both K.J. Viars and [player_tooltip player_id='1137685' first='Christian' last='Linksweiler'] topping 100 receiving yards. The Patriots scored quickly on several drives, including a four-play opening possession and a late 57-yard touchdown strike that sealed the win. Lincoln managed long scoring drives of its own and received a strong performance from A.J. Bart and receiver Jacob Bart, but the Cougars' high-volume attack couldn't match Independence's explosive scoring and timely defensive takeaways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#5 Doddridge County</strong> <strong>52</strong> #12 Logan 7</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Doddridge County opened its playoff run with a dominant 32–7 win over Logan, using an opportunistic defense to take control early. Logan entered with one of Class AA's top passing attacks, but the Bulldogs' secondary intercepted five passes in the first half, including a pick-six by [player_tooltip player_id='1868019' first='Heston' last='Hayes']. Doddridge converted four of those turnovers into points, building a 32–7 halftime lead. Logan's only highlight of the half was a 66-yard touchdown run from [player_tooltip player_id='891871' first='Caden' last='Justice'], who finished as the Wildcats' top offensive contributor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second half, Doddridge continued to pull away, adding three more touchdowns while controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs showed strong balance on offense, with [player_tooltip player_id='1591340' first='Lyric' last='Blake'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1624352' first='Caleb' last='Hall'] each rushing for 71 yards and [player_tooltip player_id='867726' first='Brysen' last='Dixon'] completing 8 of 10 passes for 119 yards and two scores. Now 11–0, Doddridge County advances to face Independence in the quarterfinals, while Logan concludes its season at 8–3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#11 Clay County</strong> <strong>44</strong> #6 Roane County 12</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Clay County Panthers pulled off a major upset in the first round of the Class AA playoffs by defeating the Roane County Raiders 44–12 and avenging their earlier 49–14 regular-season loss to the Raiders. Clay County quarterback Cooper Collins completed 9 of 15 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns. Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1580722' first='Joel' last='Elliott'] hauled in 6 catches for 240 yards and three scores, while senior [player_tooltip player_id='1466136' first='Jakoby' last='Nichols'] added 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns, sparking a dominant aerial attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the ground, Clay County also chipped in 158 rushing yards with an average of 7.2 yards per carry, controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides, and forced Roane County into mistakes. Although the Raiders ran for 380 yards and saw senior [player_tooltip player_id='894969' first='Jacob' last='Greathouse'] rush for 120 yards, a lack of success in the passing game and Clay County's red-zone efficiency made the difference. With the win, the Panthers advance to the quarterfinals while the Raiders' seven-game winning streak at home comes to an end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#7 Midland Trail</strong> <strong>27</strong> #10 Petersburg  12</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2047490' first='Jayden' last='Roop'] powered Midland Trail to a 27‑12 playoff win over Petersburg, rushing for 236 yards and scoring two touchdowns. The Patriots built their victory behind a dominant ground game, with Gage Johnson adding 39 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Rayce Dickerson also contributed through the air, connecting with Johnson for a touchdown pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Petersburg struggled to keep pace despite a 135‑yard passing performance from Peyton Metheny, who completed 12 of 23 attempts with a touchdown and an interception. Midland Trail's balanced offense and strong rushing attack secured the Patriots' first playoff victory since their 2018 Class A semifinal run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#8 Mingo Central</strong> <strong>24</strong> #9 James Monroe 14</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mingo Central Miners earned their first playoff victory since 2019 by defeating James Monroe High School Dukes 38–6 in the opening round of the Class AA playoffs. The Miners, the #8 seed, used a balanced offensive attack and timely playmaking to overcome the #9 seed Mavericks, who entered the game expected to be formidable. The win marks a significant milestone for Mingo Central's program, ending a postseason drought and setting a positive tone for their playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On defense, Mingo Central made key plays that shifted momentum, including stopping James Monroe's drives and protecting a lead once one was established. Offensively, the Miners leaned on both their ground game and passing attack to build and maintain control of the contest. With this victory, Mingo Central now advances to the next round of the playoffs with renewed confidence and momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->