The new four-class system instituted for the 2024 high school football season in West Virginia removed the initial playoff drama in Class AAAA.
The big school division was trimmed down to only 16 teams which meant each team automatically qualified for the 16-team playoff.
However, the start to the postseason was by no means short on drama.
Various court injunctions delayed the playoff for a week and a court ruling in Berkeley County changed the Class AAAA ratings entirely.
The ruling in Berkeley County reversed a decision by the WVSSAC which forced Spring Mills to forfeit four games for the use of an ineligible player.
All the while, Beckley was left in limbo as to who it would play.
Prior to Tuesday evening, the Flying Eagles opponent in the Round of 16 appeared to be Washington. Following all of the court proceedings which culminated Tuesday, Beckley was instead tasked with playing No. 7-rated Morgantown.
The Flying Eagles and the Mohigans are scheduled to mix it up Friday night at 7 p.m. on Pony Lewis Field.
“The kids are anxious to play a game. We control what we can control,” Beckley head coach Street Sarrett said. “We control practice and we control our effort. We have had great effort in every practice and that is all that we can do.”
After running out to a 5-1 record, Beckley hit a three-game skid which included frustrating losses against longtime rivals Princeton and Oak Hill.
Looking for a shot of momentum heading into the playoffs, the Flying Eagles answered the bell in the final week for a 14-12 win over George Washington.
“The GW game was a good win, just look at who they have beat. They were right there with Hurricane and Hurricane is a top team,” Sarrett said. “GW is tough and we played them tough. We won the turnover battle. It was big. That win gave us some big momentum going into the playoffs.”
There is no big secret with Beckley. The Flying Eagles are going to line up, run at you and play strong defense.
Beckley has rushed for over 2,100 yards as a team, while allowing opposing teams less than half that amount. The Flying Eagles have also been stingy through the air, surrendering less than 100 yards per contest.
Six backs have carried the ball at least 30 times this year for Beckley with Bryce Ford leading the way with 861 yards on 138 carries. Ford, Konnor Ray and M.J. Staples all have five touchdowns with Jacob Reeves finding the end zone on four occasions.
Sophomore quarterback Gage Price has had some struggles as a first year starter, but he has also had some bright spots completing 50 percent of his passes for 501 yards and eight scores.
The formula for success for Beckley has been pretty simple, handle its business and don’t turn the ball over.
“When you look at the losses that we had this year and you see the turnovers and missed tackles, that is things that cost us ball games,” Sarrett said. “If we go out and play like we did against GW, then we usually come out on top.”
The Morgantown defensive unit will most likely have nothing new to offer the Beckley offense Friday night.
“Most of the time we see the same looks, especially when we are in our big package, our double-wing package. You are going to get eight guys in the box and sometimes nine,” Sarrett said. “You just have to be ready for everything. It is assignment football, knowing what to do and staying with your blocks. These guys have seen about every kind of defense thrown at them this year.”
When the Flying Eagles look across the line at the Morgantown offense, they might feel as though they are looking in mirror.
“They are a wing-T team and when you look at some of their formations, they are a lot like us,” Sarrett said. “They get in that Maryland-I, they get in the gun-stuff with double wings and double tight. They get wide and run a buck-sweep. They are a run team, so we will have to stop the run. They are very aggressive and big up front. They really get after you.”
If Beckley can slow down the rushing attack for the Mohigans and force them to the air, A.J. Thomas and Preston Clary will be waiting to turn the momentum in favor of the Flying Eagles. Thomas has six interceptions on the year, while Preston Clary has three picks.
The two teams have met five times over the years with Morgantown owning four wins, including a playoff victory in 2002. The lone loss for the Mohigans came in 2021 when they dropped a 28-27 regular season overtime contest to the Flying Eagles in Beckley.
The winner of Friday’s contest will advance to the quarterfinals next week against the winner of No. 2 Spring Mills and No. 15 Hedgesville.
