The Tigers were matched up against Lincoln in the first round, a surprise No. 4-ranked 9-1 team which had suffered four straight losing seasons previously.
Then, if Chapmanville was able to beat the Cougars, Chapmanville would get either No. 12 Braxton County or No. 5 Greenbrier East — two beatable teams — in the quarterfinals.
The first step is already in the bag as No. 13 Chapmanville (8-3) topped Lincoln 26-7 last Friday night in a road playoff game.
Despite Chapmanville’s lower seed, many had predicted a Tiger victory. Chapmanville plays in the rugged Cardinal Conference and many felt the Tigers play a much tougher schedule.
Now the Tigers head to this week’s state quarterfinals.
Chapmanville’s foe is Braxton County (8-3) which scored a mild 42-14 upset over Greenbrier West in the opening round.
Friday’s quarterfinal game will be at a neutral site as the Glenville State College football field at Glenville has been chosen. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Last week’s post-season victory was the third in Chapmanville football history. The other two were also road wins — an 18-14 victory over Keyser in 2007 and a 30-14 victory over Pikeview last year at Princeton.
Now, the challenge for the Tigers is to make school history and advance to the state semifinals for the first time ever.
Chapmanville is 0-2 all-time in Elite Eight games. Back in 2007, the Tigers were pounded 41-18 at Bluefield in the state quarterfinals. Then last year, Chapmanville went to No. 1 Magnolia and were ripped 56-14 to see its season come to an end at 8-4.
The Tigers are hoping to avoid that fate on Friday night.
A win over Braxton County could give the Tigers another shot at Cardinal Conference champion and No. 1-ranked Point Pleasant. The Black Knights, which downed Chapmanville 41-18 in the regular season finale at Tiger Stadium, are scheduled to host No. 9 Oak Glen on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Point is 11-0, while Oak Glen enters the contest 10-1.
The possible Chapmanville-Point Pleasant rematch would be set for Thanksgiving weekend on Point’s Field Turf.
The Black Knights advanced with a 41-0 shutout victory over No. 16 Ritchie County. Oak Glen was a 28-20 winner at No. 8 Roane County.
In other Class AA state quarterfinals: No. 10 River View (9-2) plays at No. 2 Shady Spring (11-0) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; and No. 14 Keyser (7-4) goes to No. 6 Wayne (9-2), another Cardinal Conference team, on Friday night.
The fourth Cardinal Conference team to make it to the playoffs, the Scott Skyhawks, were a 34-22 loser at Shady Spring last week in the first round of the playoffs and saw their season come to an end at 6-5.
In the Class AAA state quarterfinals: No. 8 Huntington (8-3) plays at No. 1 Martinsburg (11-0) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.; No. 13 Parkersburg South (7-4) goes to No. 5 Morgantown (9-2) on Friday night at 7:30; No. 7 Cabell Midland (8-3) travels to No. 2 Bridgeport (11-0) on Friday; and No. 11 Hurricane (8-3) goes to No. 3 George Washington (11-0) on Saturday in a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
The Class A quarterfinals look this way: No. 9 Moorefield (8-3) travels to No. 1 Wheeling Central (10-1) for a Friday night game at Wheeling Island Stadium; No. 5 East Hardy (10-0) hosts No. 13 Bishop Donahue (8-3) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.; No. 7 Valley Fayette (9-2) plays at No. 2 Williamstown (11-0) on Friday; and No. 3 Wahama (11-0) plays No. 6 Fayetteville (9-2) on Friday night at Point Pleasant.
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