Advertisement

Tonight's high school football games

alex rychwalski, cumberland times-news, md.
·10 min read

Sep. 30—No. 1 Fort Hill (4-0) at Oakdale (4-0)

KICKOFF: 7 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Fort Hill leads, 1-0

LAST MEETING: Oct. 2, 2021 — Fort Hill won, 42-7

LAST WEEK: Fort Hill def. Hollidaysburg, 49-10; Oakdale def. Linganore, 28-14

IN THE POLLS: Fort Hill is ranked No. 1 in the Area Top 5 and No. 1 in all of MPSSAA Class 1A; Oakdale is ranked No. 1 in MPSSAA 3A West point standings and fifth in all of 3A

FOR THE RECORD: Fort Hill blitzed the Class 3A Bears last year at Greenway Avenue Stadium, but this year's squad appears to be a much stiffer challenge on paper. ... Oakdale boasts a duel-threat quarterback in Evan Austin under center, who according to his coach Kurt Stein, runs a 4.5 40-yard dash. Austin has racked up 535 rushing yards, 436 passing yards and 10 total touchdowns during the Bears' 4-0 start. Austin's top target is Hunter Thompson with 16 catches for 297 yards and three TDs. ... The Bears also have one of the top recruits in the state of Maryland: edge rusher Dominic Nichols. Nichols, a junior, is a four-star recruit ranked ninth in Maryland and 276th in the country by 247Sports composite rankings. He has offers from Penn State, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Maryland and West Virginia, among others. ... Fort Hill sports a trio of backs as explosive as any in 1A. Tavin Willis and Mikey Allen both average more than 15 yards a carry. Willis has 369 yards and seven TDs on 24 attempts, and Allen has 282 yards and three scores on 18 carries. Fullback Tanner Wertz has 45 carries for 266 yards and three TDs. ... The key to the Sentinel offense, however, may be Shane Welsh, a bruising traditional Wing-T fullback that has been struggling with a nagging injury. ... The quarterback job appears to be up in the air, as the Sentinels have found success with Anthony Burns in recent weeks. Lance Bender, a more traditional pocked passer while Burns is a duel-threat, got the starting nod to begin the season. ... Fort Hill's defense has been the area's best against arguably the area's toughest schedule through four weeks. The Sentinels have allowed just 65 rushing, 35 passing and 100 total yards per game and six points a night.

No. 3 Frankfort (5-0) at No. 2. Mtn. Ridge (4-0)KICKOFF: 7 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Mountain Ridge leads, 9-5

LAST MEETING: Oct. 1, 2021 — Mountain Ridge won, 48-13

LAST WEEK: Mountain Ridge def. Smithsburg, 51-13; Frankfort def. Northern, 35-25

IN THE POLLS: Frankfort is ranked No. 3 in the Area Top 5 and No. 4 in the WVSSAC Class AA playoff ratings; Mountain ridge is No. 2 in the Area Top 5 and No. 2 in all of MPSSAA Class 1A

FOR THE RECORD: Aside from the undefeated records, both teams are off to hot starts on the scoreboard in 2022. The visiting Falcons have scored 209 points while allowing 42, while the Miners have outscored opponents 202-50. Mountain Ridge and Frankfort are second and third, respectively, in the area in points per game at 50.5 and 41.8. East Hardy leads the area at 52 points per game. ... Frankfort's opponents are a combined 7-17, while Mountain Ridge has handed defeats to teams with a combined 5-11 record. ... Both quarterbacks are in the top five in passing in the area, with Mountain Ridge's Uma Pua'auli atop the passing charts. The senior dual-threat QB is 53 of 84 (63.1%) for 677 yards and 12 touchdowns and three interceptions. Frankfort's Luke Robinette is 18 of 30 (60%) for 441 yards, five touchdowns and no picks. ... Pua'auli is also the area's second-leading rusher on a per-game average with 86.5 yards per contest after toting the rock 40 times for 346 yards and five scores. ... The Falcons' John Anderson III and the Miners' Jaden Lee are second and third, respectively, in receiving in the area. Anderson, despite having 21 less receptions (8) than the area's leading receiver, has just 50 fewer yards as Frankfort's threat downfield. The senior split end also has three touchdowns. Lee, also a senior, has 19 catches for 230 yards and four touchdowns.

Northern (2-2) at No. 4 Keyser (3-1)

KICKOFF: 7 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Keyser leads, 13-2

LAST MEETING: Oct. 1, 2021 — Northern won, 34-19

LAST WEEK: Keyser def. Hampshire, 48-22; Northern lost to Frankfort, 35-25

IN THE POLLS: Keyser is No. 4 in the Area Top 5 and tied for No. 7 in the WVSSAC Class AA playoff ratings; Northern is No. 3 in MPSSAA Class 1A West point standings and seventh in all of 1A

FOR THE RECORD: The Keyser-Northern matchup has been touch-and-go as far as how frequently the teams meet. They played three years in a row from 1994 to 1996, back-to-back in 2002 and 2003, then played nine consecutive years from 2007 to 2015. The Golden Tornado had won 12 straight against the Huskies before Northern's upset a season ago. ... Northern's victory over Keyser in 2021 marked the second in a row for the Huskies over the No. 1-ranked team in the WVSSAC Class AA playoff ratings. Northern beat Frankfort the previous week. ... Keyser bounced back from a loss to Beaver Local — its first of the season — with a routine victory over Hampshire. Through four games, quarterback Logan Rotruck has thrown for 410 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. His top target is Braydon Keller, who has six receptions for 200 yards (33.3 average) and two touchdowns. ... the Keyser ground game is fueled by a quartet of backs — Anthony Mele, Tristen Root, Kaii Kingman and Rotruck. As a team, the tornado have rushed for 1,131 yards and 13 touchdowns on 176 carries. Mele also leads the defense with 18 tackles and three for loss. ... Northern is coming off a tough defeat at No. 3 Frankfort last week. The Huskies led 18-14 at halftime, but the Falcons dominated the second half, 21-7, to come back. ... Kellen Hinebaugh impressed both on the ground and through the air, making three catches for 95 yards and rushing for 59. Ethan Sebold tallied 47 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Kyle Broadwater had five touches for 51 yards, one of which went for 45 yards on the Huskies' opening series.

Allegany (2-2) at Smithsburg (1-3)

KICKOFF: 6 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Allegany leads, 4-0

LAST MEETING: Oct. 1, 2021 — Allegany won, 48-23

LAST WEEK: Allegany def. Albert Gallatin, 45-8; Smithsburg lost to Mountain Ridge, 51-13

IN THE POLLS: Allegany is No. 4 in the MPSSAA Class 1A West point standings

FOR THE RECORD: Allegany's dominating win over Smithsburg at Greenway Avenue Stadium in 2021 marked the first in the series that wasn't decided by two scores or less. The first meeting was a second-round playoff matchup in 2004, in which the Campers won, 33-19, in Cumberland. ... Allegany responded well from a pair of tough losses to Boonsboro and Mountain Ridge with a get-right rout of Albert Gallatin last Saturday. Quarterback Brody Williams led the offense with 87 yards and two touchdowns — one of which went for 59 yards. Isaiah Fields Jr. was second on the Campers with 83 yards and a score, Brett Patterson ended with 68 yards and a TD and Cayden Bratton rushed for 47 and two touchdowns. ... Allegany got back to its dominant-running ways with 308 yards on 40 carries as a team. The Camper defense was stout too, as Albert Gallatin ran just one play in Allegany territory during the entirety of the first half. ... Smithsburg has been outscored 120-54 this season, including a 51-13 dismantling at the hands of Mountain Ridge last Friday. Against the Miners, Ashton Redman scored on a five-yard run and Logan Jiron scored on a 93 yard catch-and-run off a Braxton Byrd pass. Byrd completed 4 of 12 passes for 112 yards and he was intercepted.

East Hardy (3-1) at Pocahontas County (1-4)

KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: East Hardy leads, 19-7

LAST MEETING: Oct. 1, 2021 — East Hardy won, 38-0

LAST WEEK: East Hardy was on a bye; Pocahontas Co. def. Richwood, 54-0

IN THE POLLS: East Hardy is tied for No. 18 in the WVSSAC Class A playoff ratings; Pocahontas County is tied for No. 33 in the WVSSAC Class A playoff ratings

FOR THE RECORD: East Hardy has dominated its series with Pocahontas County of late, winning 11 of the last 12. The Warriors won the 2018 matchup, 16-13. ... East Hardy entered the season as one of the top 3 teams in Class A, but the Cougars have some work left to do to return to the playoffs, as only the top 16 teams make the playoffs in West Virginia. As of now, East Hardy is on the outside looking in. ... East Hardy quarterback Mason Miller, who was second-team All-Area after scoring 40 touchdowns last year, is again putting up monster numbers in 2022. The senior has completed 38 of 64 passes for 596 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions, and he's added 334 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. ... After making a playoff appearance in 2017 with a 7-4 record, Pocahontas County is 17-27 since. Pocahontas, coached by Doug Burns, went 5-5 last year but are off to a 1-4 start despite a nearly identical schedule.

Hampshire (2-3) at Greenbrier East (1-3)

KICKOFF: 7:30 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Greenbrier East leads, 1-0

LAST MEETING: Oct. 22, 2021 — Greenbrier East won, 56-6

LAST WEEK: Hampshire lost to Keyser, 48-22; Greenbrier East was on a bye

IN THE POLLS: Hampshire is tied for No. 22 in the WVSSAC Class AAA playoff ratings; Greenbrier East is 25th in the WVSSAC Class AAA playoff ratings

FOR THE RECORD: Hampshire moved the ball well through the air against Keyser, notably in the fourth quarter when the Trojans outscored the Golden Tornado, 19-0. Hampshire employed a two-quarterback system, with Jenson Fields completing 15 of 25 passes for 207 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions, and Landon Eversole hitting on 13 of 15 attempts for 104 yards and a TD. ... Zander Robinson had an incredible day in the passing game, catching 17 passes for 178 yards and a score. ... Hampshire struggled again on the ground, as Gabe Ryan and the Keyser defensive line limited the Trojans to just 16 yards on 17 carries. ... Greenbrier East looks to turn around its season after a bye week, particularly in the run game, as East has allowed a 200-yard rusher in each of their tree losses. Greenbrier East defeated Robert C. Byrd, 35-0, in its lone win of the season.

Southern (0-4) at Hancock (0-4)

KICKOFF: 7 p.m.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Hancock leads, 2-1

LAST MEETING: Sept. 4, 2015 — Hancock won, 27-18

LAST WEEK: Southern lost to Pendleton County, 19-0; Hancock lost to Shenandoah Valley (Pa.), 51-20

IN THE POLLS: Southern and Hancock are tied with Clear Spring for last in the MPSSAA Class 1A West point standings

FOR THE RECORD: Hancock and Southern have played just three times. The first meeting was in 1996 when the Rams, coached by Tom Woods, crushed the Washington County opposition 41-0. Hancock has taken the teams' most-recent matchups in 2014 and 2015, winning 39-16 and 27-18, respectively. ... Southern has been outscored 151-14 during its 0-4 start, and Hancock has been outscored 222-34 during its winless stretch to begin 2022.

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.