Class AAA Semifinals Recap: Tigers and Wildcats 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>#2 PRINCETON 27</strong> vs #6 SPRING VALLEY 0</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Princeton continued its undefeated run by shutting out Spring Valley 27–0 in the Class AAA semifinals, pushing the Tigers to 13–0 and into the state championship in Nathan Tanner's first season at the helm. The matchup was expected to be one of Princeton's most physical tests of the year. Still, the Tigers met the challenge by completely neutralizing a Timberwolves offense known for its ground-heavy, ball-control style.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, Princeton leaned heavily on senior playmaker [player_tooltip player_id='1096605' first='Brad' last='Mossor'], who accounted for three touchdowns. He opened the scoring with a 22-yard run, later broke the game open with an 80-yard screen pass from [player_tooltip player_id='1011963' first='Chance' last='Barker'], and added a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Mossor also delivered one of the game's most important defensive moments, chasing down a long Spring Valley run to prevent a score before the Tigers came up with one of their multiple fourth-down stops in the red zone. [player_tooltip player_id='862731' first='Jake' last='Belcher'] added a 5-yard touchdown run to help Princeton take a 21–0 lead into halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers' defense handled the rest, keeping Spring Valley off the board for the first time this season and repeatedly winning key moments inside the 20. With their first shutout of the year arriving at the perfect time, Princeton now turns its attention to the Class AAA Championship, where the Tigers will meet #5 Nitro on December 6 with a perfect season on the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#5 NITRO 36</strong> vs #9 CHAPMANVILLE 13</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nitro earned its first trip to the Class AAA state championship game since 2005 by handing previously unbeaten Chapmanville a 36-13 defeat in the semifinals. The Wildcats, now 12-1, controlled momentum late in the first half thanks to a deep touchdown strike from [player_tooltip player_id='894669' first='Eian' last='Duffy'] to standout receiver [player_tooltip player_id='866254' first='Malachi' last='Thompson'], giving them a two-score cushion at the break.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson's highlight grab helped swing the game firmly in Nitro's direction, and the Wildcats carried that energy into the second half. Their offense found another gear after halftime, with [player_tooltip player_id='1307512' first='Chris' last='Radcliffe'] adding two scoring runs as Nitro steadily separated from a Chapmanville team that had averaged far more production throughout its undefeated run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nitro's defense also played a major role, holding Chapmanville to a season-low 13 points and winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. With the victory, the Wildcats advance to face unbeaten No. 2 Princeton in the Class AAA state championship on December 6 at Laidley Field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->