Two dominant backs in Amare Johnson and Gage Wright are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Wheeling Park Patriots will be playing at home against the Parkersburg South Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Wheeling Park had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They claimed a resounding 61-6 win over Brooke at home. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 40-0.
It was another big night for Aiden Davis, who threw for 343 yards and seven touchdowns while picking up 16.3 yards per attempt, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Keohn Stephens Jr was another key contributor, picking up 160 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Parkersburg South at home against Greenbrier East on Friday as the squad secured a 72-7 victory. Given Parkersburg South's advantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia football rankings (they are ranked 11th, while Greenbrier East is ranked 60th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Parkersburg South had a senior duo take command as Turner Garretson threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns while completing 73.9% of his passes and Wright rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. Wright hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for eight straight games. Another player making a difference was Eli Bartley, who gained 110 total yards and two touchdowns.
Wheeling Park's win bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Parkersburg South, their win was their fifth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 6-2.
Keep an eye on the end zone in Friday's game as the pair haven't had much trouble getting there this season. Wheeling Park commands a daunting offense this season, having averaged 5.1 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like Parkersburg South struggles in that department as they've been even better at 6.4 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Friday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup.
Wheeling Park came up short against Parkersburg South in their previous matchup back in October of 2022, falling 32-27. Will Wheeling Park have more luck at home instead of on the road?
