WHEELING – The Super Six played out Saturday in grand fashion for Ohio Valley concerns.

The weather was ideal by December standards. Wheeling Island Stadium played host to huge crowds and local businesses enjoyed robust sales.

The icing on the cake was the crowning of two OVAC schools as state champions – Wheeling Park in Class AAA and Magnolia in Class A.

I took in the Blue Eagles’ 62-0 beatdown of East Hardy. As the final score would indicate, Coach Josh Sims’ charges were obviously head and shoulders better than the No. 2-seeded Cougars.

The New Martinsville faithful turned out in huge numbers even as the city held its Christmas Parade at the same time.

The lopsided result again raises the issue: Why doesn’t West Virginia have a mercy rule?

The game was virtually over at halftime. Magnolia had a 35-0 lead and East Hardy couldn’t move the ball. The Cougars gained less than 75 total yards all night.

There was no need to subject the Baker-based crew to a 62-0 shellacking. A running second-half clock would have truncated East Hardy’s misery and placed the Cougars back on the road sooner for a lengthy trip home.

After watching the Cougars struggle all night, I cannot believe Wheeling Central got a fair shake when it was defeated, 16-13, at East Hardy in Round 2.

I was not in attendance, but heard from many who were. The common theme was that the playing field was anything but level and Wheeling Central got the short end of many questionable calls. Coach Mike Young is a class act. He will not blame a loss on officiating.

But I have witnessed Wheeling Central play football this season. The Maroon Knights are a quality and well-coached crew.

If Wheeling Central and East Hardy would play on a neutral field, the outcome would be an easy Maroon Knights victory – I have no doubt.

Ohio has a more equitable playoff setup. The higher seeds only play host to a first-round game while neutral venues, based on equitable geography, are used for the next three rounds.

West Virginia, meanwhile, allows the higher seeds to play host to the first three rounds. The Mountain State, with its expansive borders and a lack of quality facilities, would be hard-pressed to mimic the OHSAA format.

Regardless, teams like Wheeling Central should not be the victims of multi-hour trips to shark-infested waters. A Magnolia-Wheeling Central Class A championship clash would have been electric.

At the outset of the playoffs, I predicted such a title matchup would come to fruition. Unfortunately, some teams fall victim to illegal procedure.

BUBBA’S BITS

If the NFL Draft were held today, the Cleveland Browns would have the top choice. Unfortunately, there are no slam-dunk quarterbacks available.

The Emporia State magic carpet playoff ride came to an end Saturday as the Hornets were defeated by No. 1-seeded Northwest Missouri, 38-17, in the Division II quarterfinals. Emporia finished 11-3. Brothers Matt and Bryan Nardo, Shadyside natives and St. John Central grads, are the Hornets’ offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively.

The College football selection committee got it right with its final four, even though I believe Ohio State and Stanford are two of the best teams in the nation. When the dust settles, I am picking Oklahoma to win it all. But for much of the Ohio Valley, the national title game takes a backseat to the Fiesta Bowl, pitting Ohio State against Notre Dame.

Bubba Kapral can be reached via email at: bkapral@timesleader.com.