Class AA Semifinals Recap: Falcons and Beavers Advance

<!-- 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>8 teams have advanced to the state championship and will play for a title this weekend at Laidley Field in Charleston. Here is our playoff semifinals review from this past weekend!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#1 FRANKFORT 28</strong> vs #5 DODDRIDGE COUNTY 7</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frankfort extended its remarkable run toward a repeat Class AA championship by powering past No. 5 Doddridge County, 28-7, in snowy conditions at home. With numerous new starters in key roles, the top-seeded Falcons improved to 13-0 and pushed their state-leading winning streak to 27 games. Doddridge managed its only points late in the second quarter on a long drive capped by a [player_tooltip player_id='867726' first='Brysen' last='Dixon'] touchdown pass, trimming the deficit to 14-7 at halftime, but the Bulldogs couldn't build on that momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Falcons seized control by striking twice in rapid succession during the second quarter. [player_tooltip player_id='1234073' first='Blake' last='Jacobs'] found [player_tooltip player_id='1154895' first='Braydn' last='Tyler'] for a 51-yard touchdown, and after the defense forced a quick punt, Tyler's return set up Jacobs' 18-yard scoring run on the next snap. Frankfort's defense was dominant throughout, holding Doddridge to just 73 rushing yards and limiting one of Class AA's most consistent offenses to its lowest scoring output in nearly two seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Frankfort put the game out of reach on the first play of the second half when Tyler scooped up a fumble and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown, a sequence that also saw Dixon exit with an injury. Cole Shanholtz later added a 13-yard touchdown run to close the scoring. With a balanced effort on both sides of the ball, Frankfort secured its return to the state championship game, where they will meet the Bluefield Beavers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#2 BLUEFIELD 56</strong> vs #3 PHILIP BARBOUR 27</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bluefield overwhelmed Philip Barbour in the Class AA semifinals, racing to a 56-27 win to secure a spot in the state championship against Frankfort. The Beavers seized control immediately by capitalizing on three early PB turnovers, each of which turned into touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='1958273' first='Jeremiah' last='Jones'] struck twice in the opening quarter, and quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1166648' first='Max' last='Simpson'] added a 47-yard touchdown pass to [player_tooltip player_id='2066889' first='Jaleel' last='Jones'] as Bluefield built a commanding lead before the first quarter ended.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beavers continued to pile on with a spread-out attack that produced five more touchdowns, including scoring plays from [player_tooltip player_id='2066889' first='Jaleel' last='Jones'], [player_tooltip player_id='1311053' first='Paxtyn' last='Calhoun'], Jzahaun Brown, and a kickoff return from Jhamar Hickman. [player_tooltip player_id='1958273' first='Jeremiah' last='Jones'] finished with three total scores as Bluefield's offense consistently turned short fields and big plays into points. Philip Barbour struggled to keep pace but got a late first-half touchdown from [player_tooltip player_id='2047488' first='Landyn' last='Carpenter'], who was the Colts' most consistent threat on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Philip Barbour found a spark on special teams after halftime, with [player_tooltip player_id='1692921' first='Malachi' last='Poling'] returning a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and later breaking free for a 74-yard reception. [player_tooltip player_id='894893' first='Patrick' last='Webster'] added another kick return score late, but the early deficit was too large to overcome. Bluefield's fast start and turnover-driven momentum sent the Beavers back to Charleston, where they'll meet undefeated Frankfort for the Class AA state title on Dec. 6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->