Sports
Preview: Parkersburg Hopes To Ride Momentum To Upset Victory Over Cabell Midland [Video]
By: Jon Chamier
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The Parkersburg Big Reds (6-4) are riding momentum into the playoffs after narrowly defeating cross-town rival Parkersburg South last Friday, but they must quickly turn their attention to another Mountain State Athletic Conference rival in the second-ranked Cabell Midland Knights (9-1) in the first round of the West Virginia Class AAA playoffs.
With time expiring last week, Big Red senior Josh Roney kicked a 30-yard field goal that put Parkersburg up 17-14. The win clinched a playoff spot for the Big Reds, and sets up a rematch of an early-season game with Cabell Midland. In the early-season matchup, the Knights earned a 42-21 victory in which they out-rushed the Big Reds 454-81.
Parkersburg enters the playoffs on a three-game winning streak, but the Knights’ only loss came at the hands of the top-ranked team in the state, Capital, who defeated the Knights by one touchdown on Oct. 10.
Both teams rely heavily on the ground game. Cabell’s backfield rotation of Alex Childers, Caperton Humphreys, and Jacob Hendricks has combined for over 3,000 rushing yards on the year. Childers is a major scoring threat with 25 touchdowns as well. Corey Burdette leads the running attack for PHS with 656 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine games this season.
The game is scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday afternoon at Cabell Midland. The winner will play the winner of Huntington and Hurricane in the second round.
'Gridiron Glory' airs every Friday night at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB. You can follow the show on Twitter @gridironglory, like the Gridiron Glory page on Facebook, and follow along on Instagram @woubsports. You can also join the conversation throughout the season by using the hashtag #GridGlory!