Local Sports

Williamstown football entertains South Harrison in first round

PARKERSBURG - Williamstown coach Chris Beck feels confident his Yellowjackets can make a deep run in the Class AA state football playoffs.

Realistically speaking, he figures nearly half the field probably senses the same thing.

As the No. 5 seed, Williamstown (9-1) hosts a South Harrison (6-4) team seeded 12th with all four losses coming at the hands of the top nine teams in the field.

"I like how our team has progressed throughout the year and gotten better, and executed," Beck said. "We gave one away last week against Wheeling Central. You look at the boxscore and see how it played out, I was proud of the effort.

"We made two mental mistakes, which we have to clean up. But we have the talent to compete with teams in Class AA."

Williamstown and South Harrison nearly a month ago at Williamstown with the Yellowjackets defeating the Hawks 40-8. In that game, sophomore Daniel Cunningham scored on touchdown runs of 71 and 54 yards and finished the game with 167 yards rushing on just 11 carries.

"Danny sure popped some big runs - I'm sure South Harrison will make some corrections," Beck said. "Both teams will make adjustments."

The prize of the Little Kanawha Conference, South Harrison running back Shepherd Paugh, has rushed for 1,474 yards and 21 TDs. The senior gained 84 yards in the first half of the regular season meeting against Williamstown before sitting out the second half due to a concussion protocol.

"Paugh is a very dynamic young man that presents a lot of problems," Beck said. "He is very competitive. He doesn't have a lot of negative plays. He brings a lot to the table. He is a handful."

Williamstown brings a heavy portion of balance to the offensive table. Quarterback Breck Allen has thrown 1,153 yards with 19 TDs and only one interception. The junior has also rushed for 778 yards and eight TDs. Also out of the backfield, Cunningham has gained 1,026 yards with 15 TDs.

Allen owns a host of receivers he has looked to this season, including JT Strobl (16-234, 4 TDs), Cunningham (11-213, 3 TDs), Mason Kern (16-209, 4 TDs), Tyrell Miller (14-197, 4 TDs), Trenton Hall (8-161, 5 TDs) and John Amrine (9-136).

Both teams have given opposing fits attempting to throw the ball with Williamstown picking off 11 passes compared to 10 for South Harrison.

The Hawks are coached by Brett Hathaway, now in his sixth season with the program, including postseason appearances for a third straight year.

As a team, South Harrison rushing numbers have spiked to 3,211 over 10 games. In addition to Paugh, the Hawks' backfield features Zane Harlow (719 yards, 6 TDs), Xavier Tustin (489 yards, 6 TDs) and sophomore quarterback Lucas Nutt (186 yards).

Nutt has attempted a grand total of 33 passes and completed 12 for 201 yards.

"The state playoffs are a different level of intensity," Beck said. "You have to focus on playing very good teams. Those are the type of games you want to be a part of. It was even fun playing the Wheeling Central game."

CLASS A

No. 11 St. Marys (6-4) at No. 6 Pendleton County (7-3)

7 p.m. Friday

Leo Slusher Field, Franklin, W.Va.

St. Marys followed almost an identical script from the previous year - opening the season on a rough note then emerging as the end of the regular season arrived. After opening 1-4, the Blue Devils ride a five-game winning streak into a third all-time matchup with Pendleton County.

The previous two meetings (2019 and 2020) between the two schools occurred in the playoffs. The series is tied at 1-1.

St. Marys is making its 17th postseason appearance under Jodi Mote, who is celebrating his 25th season as the program's head coach. The Blue Devils are seeking a win in the opening round for the first since they were recognized as state champions during the year of the COVID in 2020.

St. Marys shows pass on occasion, but relies on quarterback Jeremiah DeMoss to operate the ground game. Elijah Kimball leads the team with 812 yards on the ground followed by Ethan Pierce with 499 and DeMoss with 421.

Combined with his 15 receptions for 260 yards, Kimball is responsible for a total of 15 touchdowns. DeMoss and Kimball are also atop the leading tacklers on defense.

In only its 29th season as a football program, Pendleton County is already making its 16th postseason appearance - advancing to the semifinal three times, including last year when the Wildcats lost to Wheeling Central Catholic, 43-20.

The Wildcats mix in the pass more often than St. Marys with sophomore quarterback M. Miller, who has thrown for 1.975 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Blue Devil secondary will surely get tested with Pendleton County's triple-threat receiving corps - Travis Owens (54-1,044, 14 TDs), Britton Lough (45-685, 8 TDs) and Cameron Wyatt (33-730, 9 TDs).

The ground game is sprinkled amongst Braylon Willis (627 yards), Cayson Armstrong (304) and Colton Roberson (254).

On defense, Lough is a force as the Wildcats' second-leading tackler to go with 13.5 tackles for loss.

Pendleton County is coached by Zac Smith, now in his 11th season with the Wildcats.