South Charleston hopes it's time for a changing of the guard in West Virginia football.

The Black Eagles will be bucking history today when they tackle Martinsburg in a Class AAA playoff quarterfinal at Laidley Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

Top-seeded SC (11-0), the lone unbeaten remaining in AAA, hopes it's overdue. The Black Eagles reached back-to-back quarterfinals in 2005-06 before being eliminated, and haven't played in the semifinals since winning the state championship in 1994.

They're taking on No. 9 Martinsburg (9-2), which has played in the state finals four times since 2001 and was the team that derailed SC's playoff run two years ago with a 13-2 victory in Berkeley County.

"If there's any one advantage to playing Martinsburg,'' said SC coach John Messinger, "it's probably that we have the home field. It's an advantage to our kids, and they feel at home at Laidley Field. I think when you get to the second round, you throw out all the numbers. You throw out the record. You throw out all the tradition in the world.

"If we can just somehow find a way to dent that armor, and they do have some heavy armor up there [in Martinsburg].''

Two more numbers that might indicate some change in the wind - Martinsburg is 2-7 in road playoff games since 2000, and SC seeks the best start in school history. The Black Eagles were 11-0 in 1945 when they were declared state champions by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association (the state playoffs didn't begin until 1947).

Martinsburg coach Dave Walker isn't thinking about numbers and trends, however. He's thinking about devising ways to stop some of SC's offensive weapons - among them receiver Aaron Dobson (averaging a shade under 30 yards a catch) and running back Aaron Slusher (815 yards, 12 touchdowns).

"They're just very athletic,'' Walker said. "They have a great team, and they make so many big plays. They're going to be a great challenge to try and defend.

"If you try to place people to stop the run, they've got the Dobson kid and other good receivers who can hurt you. If you try to pull people out [of the tackle box] to help with them, they keep running the ball. And I think what probably gets overlooked is their exceptional offensive and defensive lines. They're just the total package.''

Of course, Martinsburg won't make the 5-hour, 300-mile trip to Laidley without a few weapons of its own.

The Bulldogs boast a pair of backs who will each likely reach the 1,300-yard mark today in tailback Ryan Rowland (1,286 yards, 21 TDs) and quarterback Kam Puller (1,268 yards, 13 TDs). Puller has thrown for 10 scores and 6-foot, 235-pound fullback Noon Jordan has caught Messinger's eye with his powerful running and blocking.

South Charleston hopes it's time for a changing of the guard in West Virginia football.

The Black Eagles will be bucking history today when they tackle Martinsburg in a Class AAA playoff quarterfinal at Laidley Field. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

Top-seeded SC (11-0), the lone unbeaten remaining in AAA, hopes it's overdue. The Black Eagles reached back-to-back quarterfinals in 2005-06 before being eliminated, and haven't played in the semifinals since winning the state championship in 1994.

They're taking on No. 9 Martinsburg (9-2), which has played in the state finals four times since 2001 and was the team that derailed SC's playoff run two years ago with a 13-2 victory in Berkeley County.

"If there's any one advantage to playing Martinsburg,'' said SC coach John Messinger, "it's probably that we have the home field. It's an advantage to our kids, and they feel at home at Laidley Field. I think when you get to the second round, you throw out all the numbers. You throw out the record. You throw out all the tradition in the world.

"If we can just somehow find a way to dent that armor, and they do have some heavy armor up there [in Martinsburg].''

Two more numbers that might indicate some change in the wind - Martinsburg is 2-7 in road playoff games since 2000, and SC seeks the best start in school history. The Black Eagles were 11-0 in 1945 when they were declared state champions by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association (the state playoffs didn't begin until 1947).

Martinsburg coach Dave Walker isn't thinking about numbers and trends, however. He's thinking about devising ways to stop some of SC's offensive weapons - among them receiver Aaron Dobson (averaging a shade under 30 yards a catch) and running back Aaron Slusher (815 yards, 12 touchdowns).

"They're just very athletic,'' Walker said. "They have a great team, and they make so many big plays. They're going to be a great challenge to try and defend.

"If you try to place people to stop the run, they've got the Dobson kid and other good receivers who can hurt you. If you try to pull people out [of the tackle box] to help with them, they keep running the ball. And I think what probably gets overlooked is their exceptional offensive and defensive lines. They're just the total package.''

Of course, Martinsburg won't make the 5-hour, 300-mile trip to Laidley without a few weapons of its own.

The Bulldogs boast a pair of backs who will each likely reach the 1,300-yard mark today in tailback Ryan Rowland (1,286 yards, 21 TDs) and quarterback Kam Puller (1,268 yards, 13 TDs). Puller has thrown for 10 scores and 6-foot, 235-pound fullback Noon Jordan has caught Messinger's eye with his powerful running and blocking.

And two more numbers in Martinsburg's favor: it's won eight straight games since starting 1-2, and stands unbeaten in five games against state opponents.

"For us to be considered one of the mainstays of the playoff picture,'' Messinger said, "if South Charleston is going to be one of those schools, then we've got to beat Martinsburg and some other schools that are traditional powers.

"I told our team three years ago when it was my first year that we're not going to be just an opponent any more. We're not going to be that fighter who gets $100 to show up for a fight, grab his check and go back home. We want to be one of the big boys, one of the threats, one of the contenders. I'm not saying we're there yet, but I really think we're on the path to getting there. We want to be a Capital, a Martinsburg, a GW, a Cabell Midland. To be considered that kind of team, you've got to go beyond the second round of the playoffs. We'll see if we've got the macho, the bravado to get it done.''

Reach Rick Ryan at 348-5175 or  rickr...@wvgazette.com.

SC-Martinsburg by the numbers

No. 9 Martinsburg (9-2) vs.           No. 1 South Charleston (11-0)

1:30 p.m. today, Laidley Field