WILL DEFENDING CHAMPS BE SENT TO THE SIDELINES?

Publication: CHARLESTON DAILY MAIL
Published: 10/25/1999
Page: P1B
Headline: WILL DEFENDING CHAMPS BE SENT TO THE SIDELINES?
Byline: DOUG SMOCK

The defending champs are in a heap of trouble in the Class AAA playoff
picture.

Nitro has tumbled to 19th place in the Class AAA high school football
ratings, according to the Daily Mail's unofficial tabulations. Worse
yet for the Wildcats, they face winless Roane County Friday.
Confidence will be fattened, but Nitro's rating won't be.

Official Secondary School Activities Commission ratings were to be
released today. Many high schools finish this week, but many more have
a game left in November.

Nitro's rating fell to 7.67, and likely will finish at 8.3. After the
Wildcats defeat Roane, they can only expect two bonus points -
automatic points from the Hurricane/South Charleston game and from the
final week's Ripley/Roane game. Three other possible bonus points seem
unlikely.

At 19th, the Wildcats need to jump three spots to reach the 16-team
playoff field. They will need help every step of the way. The
obstacles:

No. 18 Fairmont Senior - After beating Robert C. Byrd, the Polar Bears
zoomed a point ahead of Nitro, and appear to be a favorite over rival
East Fairmont this week.

No. 17 Wheeling Park - The Patriots have two difficult games left, at
Buckeye Local of Rayland, Ohio, and at home against John Marshall. A
split doesn't necessarily knock them out.

No. 16 Hurricane - The Redskins face a win-or-else bout with dangerous
but erratic South Charleston this week.

No. 15 Beckley - The Flying Eagles are home against a Cabell Midland
team which must feel confident after throwing a scare into top-ranked
Parkersburg.

No. 14 John Marshall - The Monarchs won't get much ratings help from
0-8 Weir, but they might get enough bonus points to stay alive in the
event of a loss to rival Wheeling Park.

No. 13 Keyser - The Golden Tornado appears to have enough points to
stay ahead of Nitro in any event. Ahead is a Nov. 5 finale against
Frankfort.

Nitro's best scenario has Beckley, Hurricane and Wheeling Park (twice)
losing. But even then, the Wildcats have to hold their breath.

No. 20 Brooke is three points behind Nitro, and could make that up.
The suddenly hot Bruins have a winnable finale, at 4-5 Zanesville.
Even South Charleston is not out of it with wins over Hurricane and
Capital. And remember, the Black Eagles are behind Capital just 2-0
midway in the third quarter when the Chemical Leak Classic resumes
Nov. 5 at Dunbar.

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Quickly, the scenario for other area AAA teams:

- Hurricane - If the Redskins win, they're almost certainly in. With
one automatic bonus point (Hoover/George Washington) and three likely
points from Winfield and Poca, only Wheeling Park has a chance to pass
Hurricane. And that would mean Park beat John Marshall, and Hurricane
would pass the Monarchs in that event.

- Capital - A win over St. Albans probably clinches home field in the
first round, but the Cougars can get more. They have an iron grip on
No. 4, and look to move to No. 3 after this week's
University/Morgantown game.

- Riverside - The No. 9 Warriors haven't played at home yet, so what's
another road game or two? Unless they can find a way to topple
unbeaten Glen Mills, Pa., they're traveling somewhere for the first
round.

- George Washington - At No. 11, a win over Herbert Hoover should
clinch a playoff berth, and then the Patriots will travel to Spring
Valley the next week for a shot at home field in the first round.

- South Charleston - 5-5 doesn't usually get you a sniff in Class AAA,
but the Black Eagles just might pull it off with wins over Hurricane
and Capital.

---

At Spring Valley High, a battle between the No. 6 Timberwolves and No.
12 Huntington should scramble the eggs a bit. The visiting Highlanders
probably are safe, however, with a minimum of 9.4.

There could be two Eastern Panhandle teams, Musselman and Martinsburg,
in the top eight. No. 8 Martinsburg has the tougher assignment, a trip
to a perennial thorn, Fort Hill, Md.

Just remember if you're making the long trip to Berkeley County: The
AAA crown has never landed in the Eastern Panhandle.