CHARMCO – Most people that follow West Virginia high school football know that the playoffs begin on November 15. After a week seven loss at James Monroe, Greenbrier West’s playoffs begin this Friday night in Petersburg. With a record of 4-3, the Cavaliers find themselves on the outside looking in with three games left on the schedule. West is 19th in the latest edition of the WVSSAC Class A playoff ratings. Only the top 16 teams qualify for a playoff berth, so the Cavaliers are, in essence, already in a playoff scenario. Each game will carry increased importance.
The mindset in Charmco has always been to prepare for the opponent at hand, a one game at a time mentality. Petersburg sits at 3-3 and is currently rated ninth in Class A. The Vikings would be worth nine playoff points if the Cavaliers win. With a brutal schedule down the stretch, Petersburg could possibly go without any further bonus point opportunities. The Vikings finish up with James Monroe and Tucker County at home followed by a road game at East Hardy. All three of those schools are currently in the top 16 of their respective classifications.
The Vikings’ season has been a tale of two halves. Petersburg opened with three straight wins over Berkeley Springs, Wyoming East, and Pendleton County. Greenbrier West, as I’m sure readers of this column are aware, fell to the Wildcats in week one after a turnover-marred effort. Petersburg beat the team that beat the team. You get it. After that win over the Wildcats, the Vikings ascended to the number one spot in the Class A ratings. The Vikings have since fallen from grace, however, dropping a close decision to Tyler County before being handled decisively by both Moorefield and Doddridge County.
Greenbrier West’s woes the past two games have had a lot to do with injuries. Isaac Agee was lost for the season in week four to a knee injury. Trey Franklin has been out since midway through the win over Man. C.W. Sturgell went down just before halftime of the James Monroe contest. Even though the Cavaliers use the next man up philosophy, the depth is tested when quality starters go down. West couldn’t muster quite enough firepower against Fort Frye, and a mistaken incomplete pass call at James Monroe disrupted momentum and was a contributing factor in the Cavaliers’ setback at Lindside.
Evan Vandall continues to be the West workhorse on offense. The senior signal caller has thrown for 532 yards on 45-94 passing, with 3 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Vandall has 442 yards rushing on 113 carries, 53 more rushes than his second closest teammate. Vandall’s eight touchdown runs are also first on the team.
Colton Dunbar’s early return from injury provided a real shot in the arm for the Cavalier passing game. Dunbar has 14 receptions in the last three games including a personal best 8 grabs against James Monroe. The only thing missing on Dunbar’s resume is a receiving touchdown. The junior wideout had six scores in 2023 so it’s seemingly inevitable he’ll find the endzone soon.
Others to look for on the offensive side of the ball will be tailback Brandon Poticher (60-135 yards, TD. 5 receptions, 34 yards, TD), Kamden Sams (13 receptions, 170 yards), and Ben Butler (7 receptions, 74 yards). The offensive line will still be the key to success, consisting of senior Peyton Ford, junior Logan Berry, seniors Randy Keener and Jon Painter, and freshman Colton Caruthers.
Poticher leads the way on defense with 52 tackles, 5 for loss. Sams is the leading interceptor with 5, and Joevan Robinson has the team’s lone sack to go along with 5 tackles for loss. Vandall patrols the secondary with Sams and has three interceptions as well as 4 passes defensed.
Special teams have been decimated by the injury bug. Agee was the team’s punter and Franklin the placekicker before both suffered their injuries. Robinson has filled in at kicker with Sams getting a look in practice on PATs. Vandall has filled in at punter.
Petersburg has a new head coach in 2024. Shane Shockey left his assistant’s position at Midland Trail to take over for Donny Evans.
The Vikings have had defensive struggles of their own as of late. Petersburg allowed Doddridge County to accumulate 383 yards of total offense including a 100-yard rusher and two scoring passes. Tyler County racked up 416 yards of total offense, a 200-yard rusher, a 100-yard passer, and a 100-yard receiver against Petersburg.
What the Vikings do have is a budding star in freshman quarterback Payton Metheny. Metheny opened the season by rushing for 140 yards and five touchdowns on only eight carries. Metheny also passed for 85 yards and a score in the Vikings’ 48-28 victory. Metheny threw five touchdown passes in the win over Pendleton County in week three, four of those to Peyton Tingler. Metheny has 10 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns this season and has already surpassed 1,000 yards through the air. Tingler was the only Viking to score last week in the loss at Doddridge County, catching a scoring toss from Kalen Kuhn. Tingler has over 400 yards receiving in 2024. Both Kuhn and Tingler played in Petersburg’s 41-0 loss to Greenbrier West in 2023, so it would appear the duo has made improvements.
These games usually boil down to the team that controls the line of scrimmage, the team that’s able to run the ball, and the team that commits the least turnovers. Last season, Greenbrier West took advantage of the Vikings through the air with 318 yards passing and three touchdowns. Colton Dunbar hauled in two of those scoring tosses and is coming off his best outing of the season last week at James Monroe. In addition to Dunbar, Greenbrier West had two other receivers with 100-yard receiving nights. Dunbar could be the difference if the Cavaliers hope to reverse their losing streak. Both programs are desperate for a win, with West arriving on the heels of a two-game losing streak and Petersburg losing three straight.
Kickoff is set for 7 P.M. Radio coverage will be provided by Rock 95 beginning at 6:30 P.M.
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