On the Sidelines
November 25, 2008 By Chris Slater of Princeton Senior High School
In the AA division, Bluefield, Grafton, James Monroe, Keyser, Magnolia, Ravenswood, Wayne, and Weir made it to the second round.
The following teams were eliminated: Wyoming East, Pt. Pleasant, Independence, Chapmanville Regional, Philip Barbour, Webster County, Shady Spring, and Scott.
One team getting ready for tonight's game on the road is the Bluefield Beavers, led by head coach Fred Simon.
Bluefield ended the regular season with a 6-4 record and was ranked 11th in the state.
"I was proud of our players and how they handled a beginning that wasn't very good and how they hung in there and made the ending better," Simon said about the season.
In the first round of the playoffs, Bluefield defeated Scott by a final score of 39-14.
"I was concerned going in, knowing that we played [Scott] once and beat them by a good score, although they had a lot of turnovers and that wasn't indicative of how hard those kids play," Simon said.
Simon said he was concerned that his players would not focus on the game and instead look ahead.
"Fortunately, we did not do that," Simon said.
When asked what led to Bluefield's victory, Simon noted that Scott did not make many mistakes, but that the Beavers played an exceptional game.
"I don't know if it's what they did wrong or what we did right," Simon said. "We executed offensively very well early, which I thought was a big plus for us. We scored the first four times we had the football, so I thought that helped us."
Tonight, Bluefield plays Wayne, on the road. Wayne won their first round match last week against Shady Spring, 22-0.
Simon has been studying film of Wayne in preparation for tonight's game.
"They're a lot like us, as far as they're very quick and have a real good quarterback that's a three-year starter," Simon said. "With the exception of ours - which I'm definitely prejudiced toward - I think he's the best quarterback in the state."
If Bluefield defeats Wayne, they will face either Grafton or Ravenswood. Simon said he has no preference toward who his team plays next.
"We'd just like to make it [to the next round]," Simon said. "We'll look at the teams after that."
In regard to the top teams in the tournament, Simon noted that there are strong teams, but anything was possible in the playoffs.
"I think Keyser is probably the better team in the other bracket, although you never know," Simon said. "James Monroe could also pull it off too."
Simon noted his respect for the James Monroe program, adding that they are always tough competition.
They are only in the second round, but Bluefield is no stranger to the state championship game.
"We've been in the state championship game five of the last six years, and we've won twice," Simon said.
The second round of the AA playoffs begin tonight. The following games will be played, with the team's ranking in parentheses: Keyser (1) v. Magnolia (8), Weir (4) v. James Monroe (12), Grafton (2) v. Ravenswood (7), and Bluefield (11) v. Wayne (3). |
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