Above all else, the Hillbillies would like to remain unbeaten and retain their No. 1 state ranking. Man is 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state in this week’s Class A poll. The Billies have been atop the ratings for four weeks.
Secondly, Man would like to claim the county championship with a win over the Tigers. The Billies beat Logan 34-7 earlier in the season and could take the county crown on Friday night. Chapmanville, also 1-0 in county play with a 21-14 victory over Logan, could also win the county title with a victory over Man.
And thirdly, the Billies would like to get some revenge on Chapmanville. The Tigers have beaten Man three straight years, including last year’s 21-3 victory at Chapmanville. The Tigers also won over Man, 40-12, in 2007 and 8-0 in 2006. The Billies had beaten Chapmanville every year from 2000-05 when the series resumed after a hiatus.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at Man’s George A. Queen Memorial Field. Chapmanville (3-2) is surging after winning back-to-back games at Poca (30-26) and over Logan. The Tigers were off last week.
Friday night’s contest will also be Man High School’s annual homecoming game.
Man coach Harvey Arms said his team knows what’s on the line.
“They are all big from here on out,” Arms said. “Everyone that we play has a good team. Chapmanville is next up and they have a good season going. They’re 3-2 and in the Double-A ratings. They will be a tough team.”
Losing to the Tigers three years straight also could give Man an added push.
“We always want to win no matter what the situation is,” Arms said. “Hopefully that will give us a little added emphasis. We want to hold on here and get the highest playoff position that we can.”
The Billies are coming off last week’s 23-7 win at Class A No. 14 Fayetteville.
Senior Brandon Plymale was Man’s rushing leader against the Pirates with 119 yards on 17 carries and scored on a 43-yard TD run. He would have had even more yards but an 80-yard touchdown run was called back due to a holding penalty. Plymale also led Man’s defense with seven solo tackles and one assist. He also had a big kickoff return.
Man also scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass from QB Ryan Crum to Derrick Earnest. Man also had a 1-yard touchdown run from Crum and an Earnest field goal, which put the Billies on top 3-0.
Man got another strong effort from its defense, led by Manual Gibson, Plymale, Zack Underwood, Jimmy Duba, Derrick Lomax, Cody Owens, Earnest and Andrew Hale. The unit is only allowing an average of eight points per game.
Gibson had seven solo tackles and two sacks. Underwood had four solos and five assists. Duba contributed four solos and four assists, while Lomax had five stops. Hale had three solos, two assists and a sack. Earnest finished with three solos and three assists. Owens finished with five assisted tackles. Wade Maynard also had a fumble recovery for the Billies.
“The defense has really played well,” Arms said. “Every game we’ve managed to hold down some pretty good teams. Westside has got one of the best backs in the state and we did a good job against him. Fayetteville has a good offense with a good quarterback and good backs and we were able to play well against them. We’ve done well so far this season but our season is only halfway through and we’ve got long way to go.”
Crum was 5-of-11 passing for 117 yards and a score for the game. Lomax had 72 yards on the ground on 12 attempts. Evan Riggins had two catches for 57 yards. Earnest had three grabs for 60 yards and one TD.
Chapmanville is led by quarterback Josh Easterling, fullback Todd Terry, running back Dylan Wiley, lineman Jon Casto and safety Scooter Farley.
Wiley, a sophomore and younger brother to former Tiger tailback David Wiley, has been the Tigers’ big play man so far this season. Wiley caught a 68-yard bomb from Easterling two weeks ago in the Logan game which put Chapmanville on top 14-7 in the fourth quarter.
“You always want to try and limit the other team’s best options,” Arms said, when asked about Wiley. “He’s got good speed. He runs well and catches the ball well. He can do a lot of things. We’ll have to be on our toes and know where he is at on the field. We’ll have to be ready for anything that they throw at us.”
Arms said the Tigers have a good team.
“From what I’ve seen them they have played some good teams,” he said. “They’ve won some good games and they’ve moved the ball well offensively and haven’t given up a lot of points. They’ve had a good season and they are working hard to keep it that way.”
For the season, Plymale leads Man’s rushers with 65 carries for 450 yards and six touchdowns. He’s averaging a team-best 6.9 yards per attempt.
Crum has 36 carries for 170 yards and five TDs. Michael Lomax has 32 carries for 134 yards and one score. Derek Lomax has 33 carries for 184 yards and two TDs.
Crum is 14-of-37 passing on the season for 413 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
Derrick Earnest is Man’s leading receiver with six catches for 170 yards and two TDs. Jeremy Hatfield has three grabs for 124 yards and two scores. Evan Riggins has four catches for 119 yards.
Earnest is 19-of-22 on his extra point kicks and has made 3-of-6 of his field goal attempts.
Punter Ryan Crawford has kicked the ball 17 times for an average of 35 yards per punt. His long is 45 yards and he also has one kick inside the 20.
Underwood leads Man’s defense this season with 42 total tackles and one sack.
Gibson has 38 tackles and two sacks, while Earnest has 29 tackles and three sacks. Owens has 28 stops and two sacks. Plymale has 25 tackles, while Duba has 24 tackles and two sacks. Derek Lomax and Hale each have 22 total tackles. Hale also has a sack. Tyler Dunigon has 15 stops.
– Chapmanville coach George Barker will comment on the game in Thursday’s sports.
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