TENNERTON – The Buckhannon-Upshur football is riding a two-game winning streak and is ranked 15th in the first release of the WVSSAC ratings, but face a huge road challenge this week when they make the trip to Moundsville to face the John Marshall Monarchs.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The Bucs are coming off a 26-22 victory over Philip Barbour last week after running for 368 yards in the win.
Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Zach Davis said his Bucs have had a good week of practice heading into the John Marshall game saying, “We had a really good week of practice. Our guys are continuing to work hard, and they get better every day. They do a really good job of taking coaching.”
Despite the Bucs landing in the top 16 of the WVSSAC ratings, Davis said it’s not something the team is focusing on.
“We have not discussed our ranking with the players because all we can do is WIN THE DAY,” stated Davis. “We don’t talk about winning or losing the game each week, we talk about being the best we can be every snap.”
John Marshall will enter the game with a 1-2 record after dropping a road outing to Bridgeport last Friday by a 49-21 score.
In that game, the John Marshall defense gave up 561 yards of offense to the Indians allowing Bridgeport to run for 513 yards.
Offensively, John Marshall managed 267 yards gaining 154 on the ground and 113 through the air.
Monarch quarterback Jacob Coffield spearheaded the offense rushing for two touchdowns picking up 80 yards on 17 carries and he completed five of his 14 passes for 113 yards and one score but he was sacked five times by the Bridgeport defense.
“Coffield is a very talented quarterback that is an excellent runner,” stated Davis. “They have a large offensive line in front of him. If we want to win, we have to do a good job of containing Coffield. Overall, they are a well-coached team that has good players all over the field.”
Davis said the Bucs need to run the ball well again if they hope to be in the game with John Marshall.
“We need to keep our running game going and we do that by having great practices and focusing on the small details,” said Davis. “We have to win the rushing battle and the turnover battle Friday night.”
The Bucs will be idle next Friday and will return to action on Sept. 30 at University.
