PARKERSBURG - Finally!
For the first time during the opening month of the high school football season, a majority of Wood County teams will play at home next weekend.
Only Parkersburg South -which will make the four-hour trek to Musselman -will be on the road. The 2-1 Patriots, who have been devastated with injuries to four key players, will take on the Applemen in a 7 p.m. contest, the normal starting time for games in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.
Parkersburg High, also 2-1, will play for the second time at Stadium Field when 3-0 Huntington invades for a Mountain State Athletic Conference contest. PHS has accomplished road wins at Brooke and Marietta, but lost its only home game thus far to Cabell Midland.
Williamstown (1-2), saddled with an unusual two-game losing streak, finally will make its home debut against Little Kanawha Conference rival South Harrison.
Speaking of the LKC, Parkersburg Catholic will take to Stadium Field on Saturday night for a league matchup against Calhoun County (2-1).
Other LKC games, all on Friday night, will pit Doddridge County (3-0) at Wirt County (2-1), Braxton County (2-1) at Ritchie County (1-2), and St. Marys at Tyler Consolidated (0-3).
The biggest non-conference game involving an LKC team will take place ar Flinn Field in Ravenswood, where the 2-0 Red Devils will play host to 3-0 Wayne, the defending Class AA state championship and the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest statewide poll. Other non-league matchups have Gilmer County entertaining Paden City in a matchup of 0-3 teams and Roane County (1-2) visiting Webster County (also 1-2).
In other games involving West Virginia teams, Ripley (1-2) will attempt to even its record when it hosts Lincoln County (0-3) on Friday night while Magnolia (2-1) will travel to River, Ohio. Wahama (3-0) will entertain Belpre (1-2) and Fort Frye (2-1) will travel to Madonna (1-1).
In games involving Ohio teams, Frontier will visit Bridgeport, Caldwell travels to Monroe Central, Federal Hocking ventures to Southern, Waterford hosts Eastern, Marietta entertains Gallia Academy and Meadowbrook is at Warren.
