Charleston Gazette article on Blfd/Martinsburg...

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

http://www.wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2004092911?pt=0

 

By Rick Ryan

Halloween isn’t for another month, but football fans around the state pick up an early treat Friday with an intriguing matchup of unbeaten and top-ranked teams.

 

Martinsburg, tied for the top spot in the Class AAA rankings, makes its second straight long haul to southern West Virginia, this time to battle Bluefield, the No. 1 team in Class AA. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Mitchell Stadium.

 

The Bulldogs (5-0), led by quarterback and Kennedy Award candidate Nate Sowers, have already weathered one lengthy road trip, rallying last week for a 56-36 victory at Princeton. The winless Tigers led 20-14 at halftime.

 

The Beavers (4-0), meanwhile, have had no trouble so far, rolling up four lopsided victories and averaging 47 points. Included in that start is a 49-21 triumph over the same Princeton that troubled Martinsburg. If the playoffs started today, Bluefield could qualify for homefield advantage in the AAA bracket.

 

Friday’s game, pitting two of the remaining 16 unbeaten teams in West Virginia, represents a one-time, one-year contract between the schools. All of which makes for an interesting cross-class contest.

 

“They’ve got a great team, no doubt about it,’’ said Martinsburg coach Dave Walker. “Bluefield is the best team we’ve seen. They’re as good as anyone in the state, regardless of class. They’re on the same level as the top triple-A schools. As far as skill players and the things they do, they’re better than most.’’

 

Walker discounts the effects of the five-hour-plus trip from the Eastern Panhandle to Mercer County.

 

“We just tell our guys that we have to be competitive,’’ Walker said. “We don’t really put any more emphasis on five hours to get there as we do five minutes. We haven’t really talked about that. They understand they have to play and the coaches understand they have to coach. It’s something we have to do, and not something we put a lot of emphasis on.’’

 

Each side seems eager to be tested by a team it knows little about.

 

“I don’t know if they’re the best team in triple-A,’’ said Bluefield coach Fred Simon, “but they’ll be the best team we faced this year.

 

“We look at it this way: Some of the teams we’ve beaten are terrible and most of the time we did not gain anything from those wins. We got our starters out after a quarter, quarter-and-a-half. We’ll probably gain more from playing a team like this than playing a team that’s not any good. To me, you can’t get better unless you play [good] competition. Competition makes champions.’’

 

Walker also likes the challenge  as well as the fact the game allows Martinsburg to fill a late vacancy on its schedule.

 

“Probably a little bit of both,’’ he said. “We needed a 10th game and they needed a 10th game. We were both in the same situation. No one really wanted to play us.

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“I think it’s a good game for our team and good for our kids. They get to see a different area of the state and play in a great stadium with great atmosphere. Playing this game against a quality team only makes you better. The more better teams you play helps you.’’

 

Martinsburg had better make sure Sowers gets on the bus before it leaves town. The senior left-hander may play a bigger role for his team than any other Class AAA contender.

 

With the departure of two-time Kennedy winning receiver Brandon Barrett, Sowers has taken a bigger role in the Bulldogs offense. He’s thrown for 886 yards and seven touchdowns and run for 422 yards and nine scores. He’s also intercepted four passes on defense, returning one for a TD.

 

“He’s the key to the game as far as I’m concerned,’’ Simon said. “He’s a heck of a running back, too, and he’s probably taken the brunt of the running game for them. In the open field, he’s dangerous. If we don’t do our best to contain him, we don’t have a chance of winning. It will be like when we played [Ahmad] Bradshaw of Graham [Va.] a year ago. Try to stop him and maybe hope you can outscore them. That’s it.’’

 

Martinsburg’s top rusher has been sophomore Josh Twyman (463 yards, seven TDs). No receiver has more than senior split end Ryan Miller’s 16 catches and two TDs, but the Bulldogs are averaging a nifty 15.4 yards per Sowers completion.

 

Bluefield will throw a bundle of senior skill players at the Bulldogs, led by Rusty Coeburn, a three-year starter at quarterback.

 

Coeburn has completed 34-of-52 passes for 632 yards and five touchdowns and run for three more scores. He’s thrown for at least 113 yards and one TD in each game.

 

The running game relies on David Perdue (five TDs, one receiving) and brothers Quintin Steptoe and Derrick Steptoe (four TDs each). Wideout Michael Davis has caught three scoring passes and returned punts 47 and 73 yards for two additional TDs.

 

To contact assistant sports editor Rick Ryan, use e-mail or call 348-5175.