Published: November 06, 2009 12:12 am      

Frankfort, Keyser try to improve playoff positions against Hampshire, Mtn. Ridge

KEYSER, W.Va. —Fifth-ranked Hampshire visits No. 3 Frankfort, No. 4 Keyser hosts Mountain Ridge and Garrett County superiority is on the line this evening as the regular season ends this evening for seven area teams.

Pride and bragging rights are on the table when the Rams visit Accident and look to end a long losing streak to the Huskies. In Keyser, the Golden Tornado goes for some playoff momentum, while the Miners try to end their season on a positive.

In Washington County, Bishop Walsh travels to play Hancock. All games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts.



Mountain Ridge at Keyser

Keyser (6-3) needs a win in order to secure a home game in the first round of the playoffs. If the playoffs were to begin today the Tornado would be hosting James Monroe in the opening round.

Last week Keyser suffered a 22-13 loss to Mineral County rival Frankfort, its first loss to the Falcons in five years. The team managed just 69 yards in the first half, and finished with 216, while allowing a balanced Frankfort to total 310.

David Echartea rushed for 71 yards to lead Keyser, and Scott Kitrell added 62 on the ground. Tyler Biser scored the first touchdown on a 1-yard sneak as the team converted Frankfort’s only turnover into the first points of the evening.

Biser was also involved on the second Keyser score when he threw a 20-yard pass to Kadeem Garland.

A 51-7 loss to Fort Hill last week hurt the Miners’ (4-5) playoff chances, and Mountain Ridge will need help to earn the fourth-seed in the Maryland 1A West Region. Besides beating Keyser, the Miners need Clear Spring to lose to Williamsport and Smithsburg to beat Boonsboro for a chance at a playoff game.

Last week Keinan Harper showed his ability to navigate by taking a kickoff 96 yards for the only Miners touchdown against Fort Hill.

Mountain Ridge struggled on offense with only 39 offensive yards in the first half.



Southern at Northern

Northern grabbed a series record seventh straight victory when it beat Southern 53-0 last season. The score also set a record for the most one-sided win, and was the most points Northern had ever scored in the series.

This year could be different with the Rams entering tonight’s match-up at 3-6 while the Huskies sit at 1-7.

Northern is trying to rebound from a 41-20 loss to Allegany last week where it showed some life in the second half.

Alex Baker rushed for 140 yards on 18 carries and scored one touchdown. Dylan Day rushed in a nine-yard touchdown, and Patrick Sine hit Corbin Brown as time-expired for the final points.

Southern collected 231 yards on the ground, and pitched its first shutout of the season in a 20-0 win over Bishop Walsh.

Corey Sanders rushed for 98 yards on 20 carries, and Brutus Scheffel added 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He scored the first points on a 2-yard run, and the final on a 6-yard run. Southern’s second score was a pass between Bubba Scheffel and Jeremy Sharpless that was 15 yards long.

Joe Kisselovich forced one of four BW turnovers, had three sacks and five tackles.



Hampshire at Frankfort

The 9-1 Frankfort Falcons look to carry the momentum of last week’s win over Keyser and further cement their playoff position when the Trojans visit Short Gap.

Currently tied as the No. 5 team in West Virginia Class AA, Frankfort got a big playoff boost with it’s win over Keyser last weekend. James Jones tossed a 64-yard bullet to Jeremy Miltenberger with 3:01 left in the fourth quarter to lift the Falcons.

Jones finished 7-of-13 passing with 146 yards. Jones added a one-yard sneak, and Dalton Brown scored on a 9-yard run.

Hampshire (5-4) is currently No. 20 in West Virginia AAA, but at 6.56 is almost two whole points behind the No. 16 team Lewis County, who is 7-3.

Last weekend the Trojans got two touchdowns in the final two minutes to pull off a 39-31 come from behind win over Washington. Brent Walters rushed for 114 yards, scored twice and had 70 receiving yards. Jordan Nelson returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown, and Phil Malick threw a 19-yard touchdown to Spencer Malick.

Steve Wilson scored on runs of four and two yards.



Bishop Walsh at Hancock

The Spartans look for a bright ending to a season that started out 4-0, but has seen a 1-4 record since.

BW got a solid performance on both sides of the ball from Quincy Redmon. The freshman made three catches for 30 yards, and led the team with 10 tackles on defense. He added a fumble recovery.

Other teams taking the field this evening include Moorefield playing at Tygarts Valley, East Hardy at Petersburg and Pendleton at Bath County, Virginia.

Chris Appel is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. Contact Chris Appel at cappel@times-news.com.