The No. 9-seeded Hillbillies went on the road Friday night and beat Da'Von Marion and the No. 8 Mount Hope Mustangs, 27-6, in the first round of the Class A playoffs at Mount Hope's Municipal Stadium.
For Man, it was the Billies' first playoff victory since 2005 when it was the No. 9 seed and beat homestanding Hamlin, 14-0, in the opening round.
The victory sets up another quarterfinal showdown with No. 1-ranked Williamstown (10-1) this Friday or Saturday at Williamstown High School. The Yellow Jackets advanced to the Round of Eight with Saturday afternoon's home victory over No. 16 Parkersburg Catholic.
Man last played Williamstown in the '05 quarterfinals and lost 26-12 despite outplaying the Yellow Jackets early in the game.
The Billies, though, are still savoring Friday night's big win.
Man (8-3) was led again by its stout defense, which held Mount Hope to only one touchdown.
The Billies have only allowed 12 points in their last four games and head into the Williamstown contest riding a five-game winning streak.
Man limited Mount Hope's top back, Marion, to 155 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. Much of Marion's yards came late in the game when the outcome was already decided. Marion came into the game with 2,163 yards and was the state's leading scorer.
Man coach Harvey Arms said he was pleased with his team's defense and glad to be moving on again in the playoffs. The Billies have made a big turnaround from last year when they were just 2-8.
"Our defense played outstanding," Arms said. "We gave up just six points."
Senior tailback Khris Tolliver led Man with 29 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown.
"We were able to take advantage of their mistakes," Tolliver said. "Our offensive line played well like they were supposed to. Our defense held one of the state's top runners down."
Man senior quarterback Cory Spence said field position and turnovers were key.
"We started capitalizing on our field position after our defense made them turn the ball over in the second half," Spence said.
Man assistant coach Donnie Motley said it was an all-around good showing by the Billies.
"They played great in my book," Motley said. "Our defense is tough and they came alive."
Mount Hope coach Eddie Souk said the better team won. His Mustangs closed out the season with a 9-2 record.
"They were just more physical than us," Souk said.
Man's offense, however, shot itself in the foot the entire first half. It all started on the opening kickoff as Man drove deep into Mustang territory and scored on Tolliver's 10-yard touchdown run. The score was called back, though, after a Man holding penalty. The drive then stalled as Marion intercepted a Spence pass at the 15-yard line.
Mount Hope would score on the turnover as Marion picked up 21 yards on a fake punt and later scored the only touchdown of the night by Mount Hope on a 3-yard run. The PAT failed but the Mustangs led 6-0 with 4:25 to go in the first quarter.
The Billies then took over on their own 45 and moved the ball down to the Mount Hope 14-yard line. After a 7-yard loss by Tolliver, Man attempted a 38-yard field goal but kicker Derrick Earnest's boot was short in the early moments of the second quarter.
Man later drove the ball down field at will but self-destructed again, fumbling the ball away at the Mustang 13-yard line.
The Billies had a shot to score just before the half but an intentional grounding penalty on Spence halted another opportunity for Man with less than a minute to go until the half.
Man regrouped and it was all Billies in the second half.
Man got its first of four scores at the 6:34 mark of the third quarter as Spence plunged in from 1 yard out. Earnest's PAT put Man up for good, 7-6. The touchdown was set in motion by a Mount Hope fumble.
The Man defense, led by Cody Harvey, Tolliver, Zack Underwood, Andrew Hale, David Johnson, Earnest, Derrick Lomax, Cory Kinningham and Brandon Plymale, continued to dominate the Mustangs in the second half.
The Billies later took over on their own 35 and then marched down the muddy, rain-soaked field.
Tolliver scored again at the 11:53 mark of the fourth quarter on an 11-yard TD run. Earnest's kick then upped the margin to 14-6 Billies.
The touchdown was set up by a 34-yard Tolliver run and an unsportsmanlike conduct flag on the Mustangs.
Man then pushed its lead to 21-6 at the 4:41 mark as Spence tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Crum, who was wide open in the back of the end zone, to make it 21-6.
The Billies then added the final score of the night with Michael Lomax's 1-yard TD plunge with 23 seconds left in the game. The PAT try by Earnest was blocked.
Lomax added 45 yards rushing on 13 carries for Man.
Spence was 4-of-8 passing for 77 yards with one TD and one interception.
In Friday's other Class A playoffs games: No. 4 Wheeling Central beat No. 13 Midland Trail, 42-20; No. 2 and unbeaten Pocahontas County ripped No. 15 Big Creek 68-20; No. 3 Fayetteville slipped past No. 14 Tucker County, 35-33; and No. 6 St. Marys topped No. 11 Clay-Battelle, 25-14.
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