On the Sidelines

The semifinal round of high school playoffs begin this Friday. Of the original 16 teams in each division - AAA, AA, A - only four teams per division remain.

Perhaps the biggest shocker in last week's quarterfinal elimination matches was AA school Magnolia defeating No. 1-ranked Keyser, 23-19. Most pundits had selected Keyser as their championship pick and expected them to cruise through the brackets before hoisting the state championship trophy.

"It was a great effort out of our players," said Mark Barton, Magnolia head coach. "They went over and didn't pay attention to the ranking of Keyser or anything else. They just went about their business and played extremely hard and real impressive and we came out of there with a win."

Magnolia's first playoff game was against Pt. Pleasant two weeks ago. Barton notes the intense nature of the game.

"Pt. Pleasant jumped on us early and were actually leading 20-7 at halftime," Barton said. "Then, we battled back through the second half and ended up beating them 21-20."

Magnolia started their season 0-2 before going 3-3 and then going on their present six-game win streak.

This Friday, Magnolia faces James Monroe in a semifinal match.

"James Monroe has a great football program," Barton said.

Barton's squad faced James Monroe last year and pointed out their very physical playing style.

"They've lost a lot [of players] to graduation, but they've got some quality players back, especially Taylor Robinson - he's a quality player."

James Monroe is coming off a transition period.

"They went through a coaching change and it took them a little while to adjust to that, and they're playing extremely well right now," Barton said.

If Magnolia wins, they will face the winner of the contest between Grafton and Wayne.

"We played Grafton three weeks ago, but we're not real concerned about Grafton or Wayne to be real honest with you," Barton said. "We're concerned about James Monroe."

In the AAA division, the semifinal matches are (with their ranking in parentheses): South Charleston (1) versus Morgantown (4) and George Washington (2) versus University (6).

Capital, Martinsburg, Bridgeport, and Wheeling Park were eliminated last week.

In the AA division, the semifinal matches are: Magnolia (8) v. James Monroe (12); and Grafton (2) v. Wayne (3).

AA teams eliminated last week include Keyser, Weir, Ravenswood, and Bluefield.

In the A division, the semifinal matches are: Williamstown (1) versus Wheeling Central (4) and Madonna (7) versus St. Marys (6).

Teams eliminated include, Man, Matewan, Pocahontas County, and Fayetteville.