PARKERSBURG -Parkersburg Catholic is accustomed to being outmanned in terms of the number of personnel on its football roster.
The Crusaders, however, welcome the challenge.
Tonight with only 17 players available, they figure to give Williamstown all it can handle as the Yellowjackets recognize senior night.
"Someone asked me if the boys get tired playing both ways, but it doesn't bother them," PCHS coach Jeff Campbell said. "Why wouldn't they want to play both ways? If I was a kid, I would want to be on the field as much as possible. I couldn't imagine not playing both ways. When push comes to shove, the kids want to be out there."
Since Parkersburg High and Parkersburg South are both off this being Week 9 of the regular season, the spotlight in Wood County shines on Parkersburg Catholic (4-4) and Williamstown (3-4) - two Class A programs trying to keep their playoff hopes alive.
"I don't think anybody on our team is looking toward the playoffs - we're looking at (tonight) and seeing what happens," Williamstown coach Terry Smith said.
Fact Box
Tonight's High school football games
(All 7:30 p.m. kickoffs unless otherwise noted)
Parkersburg Catholic at Williamstown
Calhoun County at Wirt County
St. Marys at South Harrison
Ritchie County at Tyler Consolidated, 7 p.m.
Doddridge County at Valley (Wetzel)
Ravenswood at Clay County
Herbert Hoover at Roane County
Barnesville at Magnolia
South Charleston at Ripley
Paden City at Beallsville
Miller at Belpre
Marietta at Dover
Warren at Portsmouth
Eastern at Federal Hocking
Shenandoah at Fort Frye
Monroe Central at Frontier
Waterford at South Gallia
Wheeling Central at Caldwell, 7 p.m.
Saturday's College football games
Purdue at Ohio State, noon
Glenville State at West Virginia Wesleyan, 1 p.m.
Wilmington at Marietta College, 2 p.m.
Marshall at Southern Miss, 7 p.m.
Kansas State at West Virginia, 7 p.m.
Off this week: High School - Parkersburg South, Parkersburg High, Gilmer County and Wahama; College - Ohio
Several Mid-Ohio Valley schools in the Mountain State tonight will be seeking to improve their status in terms of rankings.
Wirt County coach Jason Hickman opposes his alma mater as Calhoun County (2-6) pays a visit to Elizabeth. The 5-2 Tigers have lost their two games by a combined nine points.
Another Little Kanawha Conference school gaining steam is St. Marys (6-1), which travels to Lost Creek to meet South Harrison (3-4). Since losing to Wirt County, the Blue Devils have won five straight.
At Kidwell, Tyler Consolidated (2-5) tries to play spoiler against a Ritchie County outfit which is 5-2 following four consecutive victories.
Teams on shaky ground if they don't win this week are Doddridge County (5-3) and Roane County (4-3). The Bulldogs make the road trip to Valley Wetzel (1-7), while the Raiders play host to Herbert Hoover (1-7) in Spencer.
Two area teams in the upper tier of the Class A poll are third-ranked Wahama (8-0) and fourth-ranked Magnolia (6-1). The White Falcons are off this week as they prepare for next Friday's game at Miller, while the Blue Eagles have a home date with Barnesville (4-4).
Rounding out the schedule for teams on the West Virginia side of the river: Ravenswood (2-5) at Clay County (3-4), South Charleston (5-3) at Ripley (3-5), Paden City (1-7) at Beallsville (3-5), and Wheeling Central (5-3) at Caldwell (1-7). Gilmer County (2-6) is off this week.
The one area game having the most playoff implication on the Ohio side pits Eastern (5-3) at Federal Hocking (6-2). The Eagles are ranked No. 10 in the Division VI, Region 23 rankings and the Lancers are No. 13 in Division V, Region 19. The top eight teams in each region earn a postseason bid.
In Division V, Region 17, No. 9 Fort Frye (6-2) attempts to take care of business against Shenandoah (0-8) on its home field in Beverly.
Completing the slate of games in the Buckeye State are: Miller (1-7) at Belpre (2-6), Marietta (1-7) at Dover (6-2), Warren (2-6) at Portsmouth (1-7), Monroe Central (5-3) at Frontier (4-4) and Waterford (2-6) at South Gallia (0-8).
