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Several teams head to the second round of playoffs

The final weekend of the regular season in West Virginia is upon us, while Ohio is in the regional quarterfinals in playoff action.

Games in the Mountain State with playoff implications include No. 15 Wheeling Central traveling to No. 3 Williamstown and No. 9 Cameron hosting Pendleton County at Dragons Field. Linsly is in action at Morgantown.

In Ohio, Steubenville hosts Licking Valley in a Division IV, Region 15 battle, while St. Clairsville Columbus Bishop Hartley in another Region 15 matchup. In Division V, Region 17, Harrison Central welcomes Garrettsfield Garfield, while Barnersville entertains Columbus Academy. In Division VII, Region 27, Monroe Central treks to Reedsville Eastern.

Wheeling Central at Williamstown

The Maroon Knights (5-4) desperately need a victory to advance to the playoffs. They enter tonight’s Class A clash ranked No. 15 as the top 16 qualify for the postseason. Meanwhile, the No. 3 Yellowjackets (9-0) are most likely to have secured a home game for the first round.

Wheeling Central is averaging 31.8 points an outing and giving up 31. Williamstown scores just under 50 points a game (49.7) and had yielded a mere 9.9. It has given up double figures just three times.

The Maroon Knights have been led on offense by tailback Braden McWreath.

Pendleton County at Cameron

The host Dragons (8-1) are ranked No. 9 in Class A and can still earn a home game in the first round of the playoffs with a win and some help.

Cameron is riding an 8-game winning streak and hasn’t lost to an in-state opponent. It has scored at 35 points in every game since. The Dragons lone setback came to West Greene, Pa., 28-24 in the season-opener.

Quarterback Colson Wichterman and tailback Klypsan Wallace have both surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier, marking the first time that has occurred at Cameron.

They are averaging 46 points a game while giving up just nine. It has three shutouts.

The Wildcats are hoping to play spoiler. They are averaging nearly 57 points in their last three outings — all victories, including a wild, 61-58, nod at Moorefield last week.

Linsly at Morgantown

The Cadets (4-5) are looking to finish at .500 but will have their hands full with the No. 11 Mohigans at Pony Lewis Field.

After a 3-1 start, things have gone south for Linsly as they have only won once in the last five outings, including a 28-21 reversal last week at Bridgeport, W.Va., in a game in which it only ran for six yards.

One bright spot for the Cadets has been the play of backup quarterback Braden Wade who took over in midseason from Atley Cowan.

Morgantown has won two in a row, including the Mohawk Bowl over University last week, 26-18.

Newark Licking Valley at Steubenville

Big Red (10-0) is on a 10-game winning streak when it hosts the Panthers (8-3) at Harding Stadium. Steubenville’s only loss came in the season opener to Youngstown Ursuline, 36-28. The Irish are 11-0.

Big Red scores at a 33.7 clip and yields 13.9 points an outing. However, the defense has posted three shutouts in the last four games.

Licking Valley, which started out 0-2, has reeled off eight wins in the last nine weeks, including a 40-8 thumping of Columbus East last week.

St. Clairsville at Columbus Bishop Hartley

The Red Devils (9-2) take their high-powered offense and suffocating defense on the road to Jake Ryan Field to meet the Hawks (9-2).

St. Clairsville is averaging 41.9 points a game, with a season-low of 14 coming in a loss to Wheeling Park. They have reached 40 on five occasions. The defense yields 15.2.

Bishop Hartley has a 30.7 scoring norm while giving up 14.3 The Hawks’ opponents had a combined record of 70-49, with seven foes posting winning records.

Garrettsfield Garfield at Harrison Central

The Huskies (9-2) are coming off their first-ever home playoff win and will seek a second straight when the G-Men (11-0) visits Wagner Field in Cadiz. Harrison Central blitzed Wooster Triway, 40-10, last week.

Harrison Central is averaging 32 points and giving up 16.2. It is riding a five-game winning streak and has won seven of its last eight.

Garrettsfield Garfield may be undefeated but six of its regular-season opponents finished at .500 and five of them lost last week in the playoffs. The G-Men didn’t play an opponent with a winning record. They average an eye-opening 53.2 points an outing and give up 12 with three blankings.

Monroe Central at Reedsville Eastern (10-1).

The Seminoles (7-4) are in the midst of a hot streak. They have prevailed in six of the last seven games, with the lone loss coming to unbeaten Barnesville. They started the season 1-3.

Monroe Central averages 29.1 points and gives up 22.3.

The Eagles (10-1) have won five straight since a mid-season loss to undefeated Tucker County, W.Va.. They average 39.9 points and yield 13.6

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