Sports
Williamstown Hosts Bishop Donahue In Quarterfinals
By: Todd Ward
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The second round of the West Virginia state playoffs is when the best teams in the state start to prove themselves and show why they deserve to be there.
Playoff games come down to how teams perform in crunch time, under the pressure of the big game.
In the case of the Williamstown Yellow Jackets (9-2), they have won four games this year by a touchdown or less, including last week in the first round of the playoffs against archrival Wheeling Catholic Central.
The fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets, led by senior quarterback Jake Tracewell, have shown every week they have something to prove.
Tracewell leads the team in both rushing and passing, amassing more than 1,800 total yards and 26 touchdowns on the year through the team’s 11 games.
Two years ago, Williamstown made the state championship game before a loss to that same Wheeling Central Catholic team.
The team Williamstown plays this week, Bishop Donahue (8-3), has had no problems in most of its wins this season. Just two of the Bishops’ eight victories were decided by less than 19 points.
Bishop Donahue fields a high-powered offense, averaging 33.3 points a game through 11 games.
The No. 12 Bishops are led by junior quarterback Jesse Padlow, who threw for three touchdowns in their first round playoff win against the Man Hillbillies (9-2).
“I know they like to throw the ball around,” Williamstown head coach Terry Smith said. “We’ll watch more film on them, but I know they beat Wheeling Central, which is a good team.”
In fact, Bishop Donahue beat Wheeling Central 33-32 back in week nine.
The only other common opponent these two teams have played this year is Tyler Consolidated, whicb both teams beat by double digits.
This will be a game that comes down to the wire, but the team that can keep its composure when the game is close will have the best chance to win.
The game will be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Williamstown High School.