Carpenter Crunch Time Week 13: A lot of blowouts in the first-round of high school playoffs

The first round of the high school playoffs featured mostly blowouts and few upsets — only five lower seeds advanced, with Robert C. Byrd’s No. 14 win the biggest surprise. In Class AAAA, the top four seeds won by an average of 49 points.

Duane Carpenter
November 20, 2025

BUCKHANNON – My best wishes to head football coach Dwayne Martin, who was let go by West Virginia Wesleyan on Thursday afternoon. Been there and done that twice; it’s not a lot of fun.

It’s tough to be a coach when you don’t have the resources to be successful. If you think Wesleyan’s 34-game losing streak is all on him, then dig a little deeper.

I hope he and his staff land on their feet.

A couple of thoughts from the first round of the WVSSAC playoffs… of the 32 first-round games, only five lower seeds won, and one was at No. 9 over at No. 8, which really isn’t an upset.

Robert C. Byrd was the lowest seed to win at No. 14, pulling off a stunning 36-28 road victory over Fairmont Senior.

In Class AAAA, in the four games featuring the top four seeds, the average margin of victory was 49 points; in Class AAA, 30 points; in Class AA, 35 points; and in Class A, 40 points.

What are you waiting for, SSAC? Lower the number of playoff teams to 12 — or better yet, eight.

Now onto the important stuff, the My Buckhannon staff contest. The standings look like this.

Name Week Overall

Duane 6-1 67-17

Brian 6-1 62-22

Monica 4-3 52-32

Katie 3-4 49-35

Brian and I continue to battle it out as the season’s end draws near. We both went 6-1 as I continue to hold a five-game lead on Brian. Monica holds down third place after going 4-3 while Katie remains in fourth after going 3-4.

We had a massive tie at the top of our readers’ submissions. Six readers went 6-1 – Peter Jougras, Willie Parker, Greg Abel, Sandra Kimble, Corrie Plaugher and Danny McCauley – and four won the week going with 51 points on the tiebreaker (WVU-Arizona State 48 points) as it wound up being Sandra Kimble, Willie Parker, Greg Abel and Danny McCauley winning the week. Congrats to all four.

You still have time to get your picks in for this week, as we accept them until Friday at 6:59 p.m. prior to the high school kickoffs. (One submission only.) Please click here to make your picks this week.

Now onto our games:

Nitro (10-1) at North Marion (10-1)

A lot of the talk in Class AAA has centered around Bridgeport and Princeton, rightfully so, but I think people are making a mistake by not talking about Nitro. As a five-seed, I think they have a chance to make the title game. If they get past the Huskies, they will have Bridgeport in the semis, which is a huge roadblock. Nitro’s one loss was a 15-14 road setback to Herbert Hoover. Don’t sleep on Nitro.

Duane: Nitro: Brian: Nitro; Monica: North Marion; Katie: North Marion

Spring Mills (7-4) at Morgantown (10-1)

Buckhannon-Upshur played a brutal schedule this year, but outside of Bridgeport, the Mohigans were perhaps the most impressive team on that schedule. They simply have a few weaknesses, and that defense is the real deal. I don’t know if they can get past Huntington or Martinsburg, but they are certainly the real deal. Spring Mills played Morgantown tough in the regular season, losing just 21-0.

Duane: Morgantown; Brian: Morgantown; Monica: Morgantown; Katie: Morgantown

Marshall (5-5) at Appalachian State (4-6)

Marshall can gain bowl eligibility with a win this Saturday. Appy State is trending the wrong way on a four-game losing streak. Appy State leads the series, 16-11.

Duane: Appalachian State; Brian: Marshall; Monica: Marshall; Katie: Marshall

The Final Four:

University (8-3) at Huntington (9-2)