Lengthy road trip awaits Parkersburg Big Reds

PARKERSBURG - Another week, another slate of key games for most of the area's high-school football teams.

At the top of the list is 1-3 Parkersburg High, which is back on the road again tonight at Greenbrier East, also 1-3.

The two-time defending West Virginia Class AAA state champion Big Reds started the season 0-3 on the road before finally getting to play a home game last week that saw them barely squeak by now-No. 19 Riverside 35-34 in overtime.

Across town tonight also in the AAA ranks, 2-2 Parkersburg South entertains 13th-ranked Brooke (3-1) at the Erickson All-Sports Facility while in Class A, No. 13 Parkersburg Catholic (2-1), fresh off a 14-0 shutout of now-No. 11 Calhoun County last week, travels to Elizabeth to face the host Wirt County Tigers, 3-1 and tied for 14th in the state ratings, and top-ranked Williamstown (3-0) visits Calhoun (3-1).

In Ohio, 2-3 Marietta goes after its third straight home win tonight at Don Drumm Stadium against SEOAL foe Jackson, 4-1 and ranked 8th in Division II, Region 8, while Belpre, also 2-3, welcomes in 4-1 TVC opponent Nelsonville-York, No. 3 in Division V, Region 19, to Ralph Holder Stadium.

Other area teams either state-ranked or playing state-ranked teams tonight in the Mountain State are Ripley (1-3) hosting AAA No. 16 Princeton (2-1), Class AA No. 5 Ravenswood (3-0) tangling with visiting Tyler Consolidated (1-3), Roane County (0-4) looking to break into the win column for the first time this season on the road at the expense of AA No. 9 Braxton County (3-1), AA No. 18 Magnolia (2-2) crossing the Ohio River to square off with 2-3 Monroe Central, and in Class A, St. Marys, 4-0 and tied for 3rd, journeys to 1-2 Moorefield, while in the Buckeye State, 3-2 Caldwell tries to gets back on the winning track after consecutive losses, but must down Division VI, Region 23's No. 6 team in undefeated (5-0) Beallsville to do so.

Rounding out tonight's prep gridiron action are Gilmer County at Doddridge County in a battle of 1-3 squads, 2-3 Frontier at 1-4 Fort Frye, 2-2 Paden City at 1-3 Hundred, 2-3 Waterford at 1-4 Miller, and 3-2 Federal Hocking at 2-3 Southern.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m., 2-3 Warren hosts 4-1 Meigs, ranked No. 9 in Division IV, Region 15 in Ohio.

Friday night games

Brooke at Parkersburg South

Parkersburg High

at Greenbrier East

Parkersburg Catholic

at Wirt County

Williamstown at Calhoun County

Tyler Consolidated at Ravenswood

Princeton at Ripley

Roane County at Braxton County

Magnolia at Monroe Central

Jackson at Marietta

Nelsonville-York at Belpre

Beallsville at Caldwell

Federal Hocking at Southern

Paden City at Hundred

Gilmer County at Doddridge County

St. Marys at Moorefield

Waterford at Miller

Frontier at Fort Frye

SATURDAY'S GAMES

Meigs at Warren, 7:30 p.m.

Marshall at WVU, 3:30

Minnesota at Ohio State, noon

VMI at Ohio U., 2 p.m.

Baldwin-Wallace at Marietta

College, 7 p.m.