Waterford’s Weston Fairchild (11) tries to break a tackle during last week’s playoff win against Strasburg. (Photo by Patricia Miller)

Two rival schools just a mile apart from one another will be hosting a pair of massive high school football playoff games at 7 p.m. today.

Fort Frye is taking on West Jefferson in the Division VI, Region 23 semifinals while Waterford will face Danville in the D-VII, Region 27 semis. Both the Cadets and Wildcats can advance to the regional finals with a win, but both teams face a tough challenge.

West Jeff (10-1) is the No. 3 seed in Region 23. The Roughriders escaped with a 21-20 win over Toronto last week. They also have key wins over Amanda-Clearcreek, Cedarville, Northeastern and West Liberty-Salem — all playoff teams — while their only loss came in week eight to Mechanicsburg.

If West Jefferson sounds familiar to FFHS fans, it’s because the Roughriders knocked the Cadets out of the playoffs in 2021 (16-14) and 2023 (49-30). In the 2023 game, West Jeff quarterback Austin Buescher went 20 for 25 for 359 yards and three touchdowns. Buescher is now a senior and is in the midst of a huge season. The 6-foot-4 gunslinger has thrown for 3,370 yards, 30 TDs and just two interceptions this year while completing 66% of his attempts.

Buescher, whose father Shawn Buescher is the WJHS head coach, is also the Roughriders’ leading rusher, though they are much more of a pass-heavy team.

Fort Frye linebacker Tytan Waller (12) tries to shed a block during a game against Wheeling Central earlier this season. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Jackson Beatty is Buescher’s No. 1 target. Beatty, who likely will match up against corner Tyce Beardsley, the East District’s co-Defensive Player of the Year, has caught 57 passes for 949 yards and eight touchdowns. The Roughriders will spread the ball around, though, as five other receivers have at least 300 yards.

As gaudy as all those numbers may be, the fact is the Cadets boast one of the best defenses in the state. Beardsley, safety/quarterback Grady Hesson and freshman corner Clayton Tullius form a talented secondary. Linebackers Blake Wheeler, Tytan Waller and Kainan Bradford plus D-linemen Zavier Springer and Christian Friese also headline the unit, which pitched four shutouts and allowed more than eight points in a game just three times all year.

On the other end, West Jefferson will attempt something most teams fail to do — stop Fort Frye’s rushing attack. The Cadets averaged 8.2 yards per carry as a team in the regular season, with Beardsley leading the way at 98 carries, 1,104 yards and nine TDs. Gavin Rauch added 86 carries, 783 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns.

In the past two matchups, West Jefferson had done just enough defensively to come away with wins. Will the third time be the charm for the Cadets?

Across the river, Waterford will be taking on a Danville squad that is on a bit of a Cinderella run as the 11 seed in the region.

Despite making the Final Four a year ago, the Blue Devils had a bit of an underwhelming regular season by their standards at 5-5. However, they’ve locked in for the playoffs and defeated Steubenville Catholic Central and Fisher Catholic.

Danville is fairly balanced offensively, with Cyren Wallace leading the way on the ground. Wallace has 139 carries, 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He also has 21 catches, 233 yards and two more scores.

The Blue Devils are quarterbacked by freshman Parker Proper, who is 72 for 111 for 1,053 yards, 11 TDs and eight INTs. He’s also the team’s second-leading rusher with 404 yards and three touchdowns.

Waterford, which played a brutal schedule and still lost just twice, has seen a little bit of everything this year. The Wildcats will be ready for whatever Danville throws their way.

Hayden Jones has settled nicely into the running back role since Avery Pottmeyer took over at quarterback. Jones led the team in the regular season with 116 carries, 1,096 yards and 12 touchdowns. Trevin Zimmer complements him on the ground, carrying 60 times for 466 yards and nine scores.

Pottmeyer is 31 for 41 passing for 549 yards, six touchdowns and one pick. Weston Fairchild is Waterford’s best receiving threat, having caught 25 passes for 487 yards and five TDs.

Dylan McCutcheon, Colby Roberts and Cadon Riley lead the Wildcats in the trenches, where they’ve been strong all year.

The two teams met in the playoffs one other year — 2002, when the Blue Devils claimed a 40-6 home victory in the first round of the playoffs.

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.