On the Sidelines
November 15, 2008 By Chris Slater of Princeton Senior High School
PRINCETON - The playoff positions are locked in place, and play begins tonight around the state. The top 16 teams in each division - AAA, AA, and A - will begin a single-elimination tournament leading to the state championship.
Playoff games for AAA taking place this Friday and Saturday are (rankings in parentheses):
South Charleston (1) v. Musselman (16); Cabell Midland (8) v. Martinsburg (9); Morgantown (4) v. Nicholas County (13); Capital (5) v. Hurricane (12); George Washington (2) v. Preston (15); Bridgeport (7) v. Parkersburg South (10); Wheeling Park (3) v. Fairmont Senior (14); University (6) v. Spring Valley (11).
Covering the playoffs for radio station WELC is sports commentator Pat Keys.
"There are a lot of mismatches," Keys said. "There's a blowout in the No. 1 match up."
The No. 1 match-up includes the nearly unstoppable 10-0 South Charleston v. Musselman, a team that barely made it into the playoffs last week with a 6-4 record.
"Musselman got in instead of Lewis County," Keys said. "I was upset Lewis County didn't get in."
Keys sees another potential upset in the number four versus number 13 game, Morgantown against Nicholas County.
"Nicholas County had a good season," Keys said. "Morgantown did too, but I could see Nicholas County pulling out an upset there."
Keys sees the best game of the first round of AAA playoffs could potentially be Cabell Midland versus Martinsburg.
The game between the number eight and nine teams, Keys says, could be one of the highest scoring games of the first round. Both teams are 8-2.
"I think that will be the one with the most offense and points," Keys said. "They both played tough programs and came out on top."
One team that has disappointed Keys is Parkersburg.
"Parkersburg let me down and let everybody down," Keys said. "They had a 4-6 record, and I thought they'd do a lot better."
There are three high schools in Parkersburg - Parkersburg High, Parkersburg South, and Parkersburg Catholic.
"You always expect a good team out of Parkersburg - either High, South, or Catholic," Keys said. "Parkersburg didn't have a tough record, so they let me down."
Last week, Keys gave his picks for state championship.
Keys previously gave his AAA pick for state champ as George Washington.
After seeing the brackets, Keys says he is keeping his pick.
"I'll stick with GW," Keys said. "It should be interesting because the No. 1 and 2 teams, the only way they could play against each other is in the finals. I think George Washington has an easy first round game."
Look for more information in the AA and A playoffs in the coming weeks. |
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