BUCKHANNON – Rivalry week came early last weekend, and it was a near perfect week for yours truly.
Buckhannon-Upshur shutout Elkins, Neal Brown survived to coach again as WVU downed Pitt, and my Pittsburgh Steelers won an ugly game against Cleveland.
None of those wins were things of beauty, but a win is a win.
I have rambled on for weeks now about the state’s high school transfer rules and pointed out how one has suffered more than South Charleston. To put it into perspective, they are 0-4, have yet to score a single point and have given up 289 points. Think about that, in four games, they have been outscored 289-0. Enough said.
WVU’s win came at a cost losing quarterback Garrett Greene but backup Nicco Marchiol did what was asked in the Pitt game, mostly to hand the ball off.
It looks like Marchiol will get the start on Saturday against Texas Tech on Saturday.
Coach Brown said he and the offensive staff minimized the play selection for Marchiol against Pitt, which makes sense.
The highly touted quarterback recruit played in just two games last season, getting some minutes against Oklahoma State. I am excited to see what the kid can do. With a week of taking first-team snaps in practice, I hope the coaching staff takes the wrapping paper off and lets him play.
Hopefully Marchiol has a better weekend than the My Buckhannon staff did last week. Only Brian and Monica managed winning records. For the year, Brian and I are now tied for first with 22-6 records while Beckie is two games behind at 20-8.
A quick check of the My Buckhannon staff standings.
Name Week Overall
Duane 3-4 22-6
Brian 4-3 22-6
Beckie 2-5 20-8
Katie 2-5 17-11
Monica 4-3 14-14
In the Scoreboard Showdown this past week, we had two readers tied for the lead at 6-1. They were Mary Ellen Biller and Pamela Thropp. Congrats to Mary Ellen and Pamela on a great week! This week’s games can be found here. Get your picks in before the games kick off Friday night.
Now onto our games this week:
Morgantown (3-0) at Buckhannon-Upshur (2-2)
The Bucs get to host the No. 1 team in the state. Zach Davis has done a great job of bringing some respectability back to the B-U program, but the one thing that is missing from his resume is that signature win. Morgantown beat Bridgeport and Bridgeport had their way with the Bucs. I think that signature win is coming, just not this week.
Duane: Morgantown; Brian: Morgantown; Beckie: Morgantown; Katie; Morgantown; Monica: Morgantown
Fairmont Senior (3-1) at University (2-2)
A huge game for both teams. University shocked a lot of people last week by upsetting Wheeling Park while Fairmont Senior dropped a contest to Bridgeport. If either team is looking for a home play-off game in November, this is an almost must-win for both teams. University will be coming to B-U next Friday.
Duane: University; Brian: Fairmont Senior; Beckie: University: Katie; University; Monica: University
Bridgeport (3-1) at Robert C Byrd (0-4)
Well now, this game has certainly lost its luster. Robert C. Byrd moved the ball in an upset loss to Preston last week, but really couldn’t find the end zone. Bridgeport could put 70 on the Eagles this year. The staff is in agreement on an Indians win.
Duane: Bridgeport; Brian: Bridgeport; Beckie: Bridgeport; Katie; Bridgeport; Monica: Bridgeport
The Final Four:
Elkins (0-4) at Philip Barbour (3-0)
Duane: Philip Barbour; Brian: Philip Barbour; Beckie: Elkins; Katie: Philip Barbour; Monica: Philip Barbour
WVWC (0-2) at Charleston (3-0)
Duane: Charleston; Brian: Charleston; Beckie: West Virginia Wesleyan; Katie: West Virginia Wesleyan; Monica: Charleston
Virginia Tech (1-2) at Marshall (2-0)
Duane: Virginia Tech; Brian: Marshall; Beckie: Virginia Tech; Katie: Virginia Tech; Monica: Marshall
Texas Tech (1-2) at West Virginia (2-1)
Duane: Texas Tech; Brian: West Virginia; Beckie: West Virginia; Katie: West Virginia; Monica: West Virginia
