Less than 12 miles separates Paden City and Tyler Consolidated.
A total of nine miles separates Magnolia and Tyler Consolidated.
Less than six miles separates Paden City and Magnolia.
I'll have to brush up on my geometry at a later time, but draw a triangle around the three and you can reach every destination within a short period of time.
Within this cozy area, something noteworthy occurred last Friday night. All three high schools won on the same night for the first time in nearly three years. For those keeping track, that's 29 weeks of regular-season football.
"The coaches - we're all good friends, so that's great news," Magnolia coach Mark Batton said.
With the likes of Linsly, Williamstown, River, Wheeling Central and Monroe Central on the front-end of the schedule, what the Class A eighth-ranked Blue Eagles have accomplished is nothing short of amazing.
The difference in their only loss of the season (21-20 at Linsly in Week 1) was a missed extra point. Had that game been played one week later and foreign exchange student Clemens Raitmayr been eligible at placekicker, Magnolia could be staring at a perfect record heading into this Friday's contest at Monroe Central.
Tyler Consolidated, meanwhile, snapped a five-game losing streak by defeating Calhoun County, 49-24, in Mt. Zion.
"Our kids will tell you they've been long overdue for a win," Tyler Consolidated coach Rob Caldwell said.
Senior Hunter LeMasters ignited Tyler Consolidated by returning two second-half interceptions for touchdowns - one for 50 yards and another for 40 yards. In his ninth year at the helm, coach Caldwell can't ever recall that happening, let alone someone intercepting two passes in one game.
From his free safety position, LeMasters also recorded seven tackles and assisted on five others. Offensively at quarterback, he completed 7-of-12 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown, and rushed for 16 yards on three carries and scored a TD.
Classmate Alex Doak turned in 251 all-purpose yards after rushing for 104 yards on just three attempts and catching four balls for 68 yards. The Silver Knight wide receiver scored a total of three TDs, including one on an 82-yard kickoff return in the first half.
Tyler Consolidated actually trailed 16-14 after Calhoun County scored on the opening drive of the second half.
"In the first half, we just couldn't get into the end zone," Caldwell said. "Then in the second half, we started putting things together and the defense played well."
For the Wildcats from Paden City, they received a shot in the arm with last week's 46-40 win at Hundred - their first in seven games, dating back to last year.
"That was the hardest game I have ever coached, - we were down to 11 players with 11 minutes to go," Paden City coach Brent Croasmun said. "With kids playing out of position, at one point we were telling them to just go find a place to stand."
