Two of the state's hottest running backs lock up tonight in Mason County as Poca visits Point Pleasant.
Two of the state's hottest running backs lock up tonight in Mason County as Poca visits Point Pleasant.
Poca's Caleb Arthur (1,257 yards) leads the Cardinal Conference in rushing, with Point's Allan Wasonga (1,129) right on his heels.
Each runner has elevated his game over the past two weeks, with Arthur exploding for 706 yards and nine touchdowns in wins over Tolsia and Herbert Hoover, and Wasonga bursting for 487 yards and seven scores in victories against Midland Trail and Wayne. Arthur has averaged 17.7 yards per carry in his last two games and Wasonga 13.5.
"That's what it looks like, a duel,'' said Poca coach Bob Lemley. "I know they think they've got a pretty good running back, and we think we do, too.''
Arthur shrugged off an early shoulder injury last week and broke off a 90-yard scoring run in the second half to help ensure a 30-20 win at Hoover. Despite missing the entire second quarter and part of the first, he still ran for 275 yards and three TDs.
"We thought he could do this,'' Lemley said of Arthur, a junior who battled injuries much of last season but still managed to rush for 1,013 yards.
"He's doing about as well as anybody can expect right now. He's kind of taken it to the next level. We need him to do that with our youth. We've got a lot of young guys, and we lack depth. We know we have to score a bunch of points to beat people, and he's a big part of our offense right now.''
Arthur's play took off with the arrival of Jason Cuffee, who has played the last two games at quarterback following a preseason injury. Cuffee has run for 101 yards and four TDs to complement Arthur's bursts.
Wasonga, meanwhile, has stuck the Black Knights into playoff contention with his inspired play. Point (4-2) is tied for 13th in the Class AA ratings.
Poca fans got a glimpse of Wasonga last year, when as a freshman he ran for a season-high 119 yards and a TD on 16 carries in a 28-21 loss to the Dots.
"You hold your breath every time he gets the ball in his hands,'' Lemley said. "He can just fly. We're going to have to try and keep the ball away from him as much as possible. I don't know of anybody who's stopped him too much. We'll try to limit the times he gets the ball.''
Wayne "held'' Wasonga to 100 yards rushing last week, but he caught a 65-yard pass from B.J. Lloyd with five minutes to go to set up one of Point's three late scores that fueled a 22-21 comeback win. Justin Weaver booted a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
Bison rising
In posting back-to-back wins, Buffalo seems to have revived its playoff hopes after enduring a three-game losing streak.
Two of the state's hottest running backs lock up tonight in Mason County as Poca visits Point Pleasant.
Poca's Caleb Arthur (1,257 yards) leads the Cardinal Conference in rushing, with Point's Allan Wasonga (1,129) right on his heels.
Each runner has elevated his game over the past two weeks, with Arthur exploding for 706 yards and nine touchdowns in wins over Tolsia and Herbert Hoover, and Wasonga bursting for 487 yards and seven scores in victories against Midland Trail and Wayne. Arthur has averaged 17.7 yards per carry in his last two games and Wasonga 13.5.
"That's what it looks like, a duel,'' said Poca coach Bob Lemley. "I know they think they've got a pretty good running back, and we think we do, too.''
Arthur shrugged off an early shoulder injury last week and broke off a 90-yard scoring run in the second half to help ensure a 30-20 win at Hoover. Despite missing the entire second quarter and part of the first, he still ran for 275 yards and three TDs.
"We thought he could do this,'' Lemley said of Arthur, a junior who battled injuries much of last season but still managed to rush for 1,013 yards.
"He's doing about as well as anybody can expect right now. He's kind of taken it to the next level. We need him to do that with our youth. We've got a lot of young guys, and we lack depth. We know we have to score a bunch of points to beat people, and he's a big part of our offense right now.''
Arthur's play took off with the arrival of Jason Cuffee, who has played the last two games at quarterback following a preseason injury. Cuffee has run for 101 yards and four TDs to complement Arthur's bursts.
Wasonga, meanwhile, has stuck the Black Knights into playoff contention with his inspired play. Point (4-2) is tied for 13th in the Class AA ratings.
Poca fans got a glimpse of Wasonga last year, when as a freshman he ran for a season-high 119 yards and a TD on 16 carries in a 28-21 loss to the Dots.
"You hold your breath every time he gets the ball in his hands,'' Lemley said. "He can just fly. We're going to have to try and keep the ball away from him as much as possible. I don't know of anybody who's stopped him too much. We'll try to limit the times he gets the ball.''
Wayne "held'' Wasonga to 100 yards rushing last week, but he caught a 65-yard pass from B.J. Lloyd with five minutes to go to set up one of Point's three late scores that fueled a 22-21 comeback win. Justin Weaver booted a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
Bison rising
In posting back-to-back wins, Buffalo seems to have revived its playoff hopes after enduring a three-game losing streak.
The Bison (3-3), idle this week, gets plenty of chances to jump into the Class A playoff chase as it ends the season against AA Clay County and single-A contenders Fayetteville (5-1), Man (3-2) and Wahama (5-0).
"We'll have to win at least three out of four,'' said Buffalo coach Mike Sawyer.
"I don't know what it is, but the last three years we've started out slow, and ended the season playing pretty well.''
To air is divine
Lincoln County quarterback Tyler Browning boasts of more passing yardage than anyone in the state (1,225 yards), but he didn't fare well last year against Hurricane, which is also tonight's opponent for the Panthers.
Last year at Hurricane, Browning completed 9-of-23 attempts for 65 yards, one of his lowest outputs over the past two seasons. The Redskins blitzed Lincoln County 50-14, with Terrell Martin catching a 24-yard TD pass during the onslaught.
Quick kicks
Wahama suffered its first two turnovers of the season in last week's win over AA Liberty Raleigh. The White Falcons are now plus-20 in turnover ratio for the season, one of the big reasons they're 5-0 and ranked No. 7 in Class A.
The injury to Ripley quarterback Seth Parsons' left (non-throwing) shoulder last week is similar to the one he suffered to his right shoulder in the final game of 2006, which caused him to miss the start of basketball season.
Neighboring rivals Nitro (1-4) and St. Albans (2-4) square off for the third time in just over a year for a game with just as much emotion, but a bit less riding on the outcome. They split last year, with SA taking the rematch in the AAA playoff quarterfinals.
Keyser, the top-ranked AA team, won't be tested for a month. It's in a stretch of games against Hampshire, Berkeley Springs and Southern Garrett (Md.) - teams that are a combined 3-11. The Golden Tornado ends up with Musselman and Frankfort, both 4-2.
George Washington has allowed just six TDs in six games (6.5 points per game). Its opponent tonight, Princeton, averages 26.2 points.
In 313 offensive plays so far this season (275 rushing, 38 passing), Greenbrier East has lost one fumble.
Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
Post a comment