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- Fort Frye linebacker Tytan Waller (12) tries to shed a block throughout a recreation towards Wheeling Central earlier this season. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
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- Waterford’s Weston Fairchild (11) tries to interrupt a deal with throughout final week’s playoff win towards Strasburg. (Photo by Patricia Miller)
Fort Frye linebacker Tytan Waller (12) tries to shed a block throughout a recreation towards Wheeling Central earlier this season. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
Two rival colleges only a mile aside from each other will probably be internet hosting a pair of huge highschool soccer playoff video games at 7 p.m. as we speak.
Fort Frye is taking over West Jefferson in the Division VI, Region 23 semifinals whereas Waterford will face Danville in the D-VII, Region 27 semis. Both the Cadets and Wildcats can advance to the regional finals with a win, however each groups face a troublesome problem.
West Jeff (10-1) is the No. 3 seed in Region 23. The Roughriders escaped with a 21-20 win over Toronto final week. They even have key wins over Amanda-Clearcreek, Cedarville, Northeastern and West Liberty-Salem — all playoff groups — whereas their solely loss got here in week eight to Mechanicsburg.
If West Jefferson sounds acquainted to FFHS followers, it’s as a result of the Roughriders knocked the Cadets out of the playoffs in 2021 (16-14) and 2023 (49-30). In the 2023 recreation, West Jeff quarterback Austin Buescher went 20 for 25 for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Buescher is now a senior and is in the midst of an enormous season. The 6-foot-4 gunslinger has thrown for 3,370 yards, 30 TDs and simply two interceptions this 12 months whereas finishing 66% of his makes an attempt.
Buescher, whose father Shawn Buescher is the WJHS head coach, can be the Roughriders’ main rusher, although they’re much extra of a pass-heavy workforce.
Waterford’s Weston Fairchild (11) tries to interrupt a deal with throughout final week’s playoff win towards Strasburg. (Photo by Patricia Miller)
Jackson Beatty is Buescher’s No. 1 goal. Beatty, who possible will match up towards nook Tyce Beardsley, the East District’s co-Defensive Player of the Year, has caught 57 passes for 949 yards and eight touchdowns. The Roughriders will unfold the ball round, although, as 5 different receivers have a minimum of 300 yards.
As gaudy as all these numbers could also be, the actual fact is the Cadets boast probably the greatest defenses in the state. Beardsley, security/quarterback Grady Hesson and freshman nook Clayton Tullius type a proficient secondary. Linebackers Blake Wheeler, Tytan Waller and Kainan Bradford plus D-linemen Zavier Springer and Christian Friese additionally headline the unit, which pitched 4 shutouts and allowed greater than eight factors in a recreation simply thrice all 12 months.
On the opposite finish, West Jefferson will try one thing most groups fail to do — cease Fort Frye’s dashing assault. The Cadets averaged 8.2 yards per carry as a workforce in the common season, with Beardsley main the best way at 98 carries, 1,104 yards and 9 TDs. Gavin Rauch added 86 carries, 783 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns.
In the previous two matchups, West Jefferson had accomplished simply sufficient defensively to come back away with wins. Will the third time be the allure for the Cadets?
Across the river, Waterford will probably be taking over a Danville squad that’s on a little bit of a Cinderella run because the 11 seed in the area.
Despite making the Final Four a 12 months in the past, the Blue Devils had a little bit of an underwhelming common season by their requirements at 5-5. However, they’ve locked in for the playoffs and defeated Steubenville Catholic Central and Fisher Catholic.
Danville is pretty balanced offensively, with Cyren Wallace main the best way on the bottom. Wallace has 139 carries, 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He additionally has 21 catches, 233 yards and two extra scores.
The Blue Devils are quarterbacked by freshman Parker Proper, who’s 72 for 111 for 1,053 yards, 11 TDs and eight INTs. He’s additionally the workforce’s second-leading rusher with 404 yards and three touchdowns.
Waterford, which performed a brutal schedule and nonetheless misplaced simply twice, has seen a little bit little bit of every little thing this 12 months. The Wildcats will probably be prepared for no matter Danville throws their approach.
Hayden Jones has settled properly into the operating again position since Avery Pottmeyer took over at quarterback. Jones led the workforce in the common season with 116 carries, 1,096 yards and 12 touchdowns. Trevin Zimmer enhances him on the bottom, carrying 60 occasions for 466 yards and 9 scores.
Pottmeyer is 31 for 41 passing for 549 yards, six touchdowns and one choose. Weston Fairchild is Waterford’s greatest receiving menace, having caught 25 passes for 487 yards and 5 TDs.
Dylan McCutcheon, Colby Roberts and Cadon Riley lead the Wildcats in the trenches, the place they’ve been sturdy all 12 months.
The two groups met in the playoffs one different 12 months — 2002, when the Blue Devils claimed a 40-6 house victory in the primary spherical of the playoffs.
Contact Jordan Holland at [email protected].