Doddridge County’s Dylan Knight (4) carries the ball during a high school football against Ritchie County earlier this season in West Union. (File Photo)
WEST UNION — Focusing on the game at hand is quite the cliche in sports. In the case of Doddridge County, coach Bobby Burnside and his second-seeded Bulldogs (9-1) are taking the phrase to another level for Friday’s 7:30 p.m. Class A first-round state playoff game against Midland Trail.
Midland Trail (6-4) enters the postseason as the No. 15 seed and riding a four-game winning streak. The Patriots have relied on their defense since opening week and over their final games limited opponents to single digits on the scoreboard.
“The last half of the season, Midland Trail has played real well — they have our sole attention,” Burnside said.
Following a runner-up finish in the 2019 championship game, Doddridge continued the momentum with five consecutive wins to open last season. COVID then entered the picture and led to a four-week layoff for the Bulldogs. They lost three games on the schedule before closing out the regular season 6-1.
Doddridge County drew East Hardy in the round of 16 and lost 25-19. This year’s rallying cry is based on the concept of seizing the opportunity.
“This is my 10th year as head coach and over those years our expectations have risen and our guys realize that,” Burnside said. “We still have to do it on Friday night and execute.”
Both Doddridge County and Midland Trail are making their fifth straight playoff appearance. In their final three games leading up to their matchup with Doddridge County, the Patriots outscored their opponents 116-16.
“When we hit 2-4, you could see the life going out of our team,” Midland Trail assistant coach Curtis Miller said. “It was hard to keep them motivated. As a coaching staff, we tried to instill in them what it meant to be a Patriot and this was not how we were going to go out. We were going to play hard regardless.
“Things started going our way and everything has been going well since.”
Midland Trail’s defense feeds off senior linebacker Aden Isaacs. Additional notables responsible for the Dragons’ success on that side of the ball include Danny Nottingham and River Barnhouse, switching Griffin Boggs from linebacker to noseguard halfway through the season and the late arrival of Trent Scarbrough.
“Trent didn’t come out and start playing until Week 6,” Miller said. “His teammates encouraged him and he decided it as his senior year — he felt he wanted to play. And that has been a big help on both the defensive and offensive line.”
During the latter part of the season, Midland Trail became healthy, especially at the skill positions. Wide receivers Matt Light, Cody Harrell and Ayden Simms, along with Isaacs and Robert Ruffnercan create complications for opposing defenses.
“I think we are a hard guard for anybody,” Miller said. “Pick your poison.”
On paper, scoring could be at a premium. Doddridge County ranks third in Class A in scoring defense at 11.4 for the eight games played and excluding two forfeit wins awarded to the Bulldogs.
Doddridge County brings in an impressive resume with wins over Class A playoff qualifiers Ritchie County and Gilmer County, as well as Class AA playoff qualifier Roane County. The Bulldogs’ only loss occurred in Game No. 9 at Williamstown. The Yellowjackets stuffed a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter and won 28-26.
Burnside points to the 29-26, double-overtime win against Ritchie County in Game No. 4 as a pivotal moment in this campaign. As a precursor to the game, COVID reared its ugly head for Doddridge County opponents.
“Leading up to Ritchie County, we had two weeks of no games — we were still able to practice,” Burnside said. “When games were cancelled, we went really hard on Fridays and conditioned like we were simulating games.”
At the skill positions, Doddridge County is multi-faceted with quarterback Jared Jones, who has seen an increase in the passing game, as well as tailback Dylan Knight, who is approaching 1,000 yards on the ground.
Anchoring a talented offensive line is Adam Burnside, while Seth Richards gives the Bulldogs a big-play weapon both in the run game and in the passing game at wide receiver.
Where the Bulldog defense comes into play, Midland Trail must circle names like Jaycent Ash, Bryce McKinney, Gabriel Stewart and Richards.
“Now it gets a little more intense,” Burnside. “We have made it to the state playoffs, which is awesome, but we also have to win to advance.”
