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Prep Football rankings Week 8: Clay-Battelle continues to climb, others keep sliding

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – No. 14 Clay-Battelle (4-2) has been on the rise since losing in Week 5 to Tygarts Valley, tacking on two-straight wins to climb the Class A state rankings.

Ranked No. 13 heading into the showdown with the Bulldogs in Mill Creek, the 28-7 loss knocked the Cee-Bees down to No. 18. They rebounded from the road loss with a 21-14 win over Calhoun County to jump three spots, and now, after defeating Paden City on the road, have moved up to No. 14. C-B next faces No. 19 Cameron (4-3) in Cameron.

Also in Class A, Trinity Christian (2-4) fell two spots after picking up its fourth-straight loss to Bridgeport (Ohio). The Warriors are now ranked No. 29.

In Class AAA, Morgantown (1-6) dropped one spot to No. 24 after losing to No.6 Wheeling Park on Thursday. The Mohigans next face No. 3 Parkersburg South (6-0) at Pony Lewis Field on Friday. It’s their third-straight top-10 matchup.

University (2-5) fell three spots to No. 19 after losing to visiting Mountain Ridge (Md.) on homecoming. The Hawks return to action on Friday with a road game at No. 25 Buckhannon-Upshur (1-5).

Preston (1-5) dropped one spot to No. 22 after being blown out by Class AA Bridgeport, 49-14. On a five-game skid, the Knights next face No. 13 Washington (2-4) at home.

Class AAA top 10

No. 1 Cabell Midland (7-0) | Last week’s rank: 1 

Cabell Midland remains in the top spot with a blowout win over Princeton Senior, 54-7. The Knights next face No. 20 Woodrow Wilson (1-5) on the road. 

No. 2 Martinsburg (7-0) | Last week’s rank: 2 

The Bulldogs stay in the No. 2 spot after embarrassing Spring Mills 77-0. Martinsburg next faces its fifth out of state opponent, Salem (Va.), on Friday. 

No. 3 Parkersburg South (6-0) | Last week’s rank: 3

Originally tied for second, a change occurred on the WVSSAC website that put the Patriots at No. 3. Aside from the optics, it doesn’t matter, because coming off a bye Parkersburg South is slated for a road game at No. 24 Morgantown.

No. 4 Spring Valley (6-1) | Last week’s rank: 4 

Spring Valley remained fourth with a 19-point road win over Riverside heading into a matchup with No. 26 St. Albans (1-6).

No. 5 Musselman (6-1) | Last week’s rank: 4

The Applemen drop one spot although defeating their neighbor Hedgesville 62-6. They have 8 bonus points compared to Spring Valley’s 14 and are rated 0.43 lower. Musselman next faces Wheeling Park at home Friday. 

No. 6 Wheeling Park (5-1) | Last week’s rank: 6

The Thursday-night win over Morgantown kept the Patriots at No. 6. Their near-perfect record will be challenged this week in Bunker Hill. 

No. 7 George Washington (4-3) | Last week’s rank: 13

One of the biggest jumps this week is due to the Patriots’ 34-21 win over last week’s No. 10 Parkersburg Big Reds. GW now has a bye week before taking on Riverside. 

No. 8 Greenbrier East (4-2) | Last week’s rank: 11

Greenbrier East returned from the bye to down Class AA’s Oak Hill 42-7 and jump three spots. The Spartans next face No. 14 Ripley (3-3). 

No. 9 Huntington (3-3) | Last week’s rank: 7

The Highlanders’ 24-7 loss to Hurricane knocked them down two spots. They have a chance to respond and snap their two-game skid Friday with a home game against Capital (3-3), who shares the No. 9 spot with them. 

The Cougars are also on a two-game losing streak after falling to Spring Valley in Week 6. Last week’s bye gives them an upper hand in Friday’s game.

Class A top 10

No. 1 Doddridge (6-0) | Last week’s rank: 1

The Bulldogs stay No. 1 after defeating Gilmer County 47-0. It marked Doddridge’s second-straight blowout win and third of the year. Next up is a road game at No. 20 Ravenswood (3-3). 

No. 1 Pendleton (6-0) | Last week’s rank: 2 

Pendleton County keeps chasing Doddridge for the top spot and the two teams are locked this week with 8.83 ratings. Coming off a 41-6 win over last week’s No. 3 Tygarts Valley, the Wildcats next face No. 11 Parkersburg Catholic (5-2). 

No. 3 Ritchie County (5-1) | Last week’s rank: 5

The Rebels jump two spots after defeating South Harrison, 38-12. Ritchie next faces No. 24 Webster County (3-4). 

No. 4 Williamstown (6-1) | Last week’s rank: 6

The Yellowjackets stay on Ritchie’s tail, jumping two spots with a 33-27 win over Warren Local (Ohio). Williamstown next travels to No. 13 Tyler Consolidated (4-2). 

No. 5 Greenbrier West (5-1) | Last week’s rank: 7

Another two-spot jump thanks to Midland Trail and Tygarts Valley’s losses, plus a 34-10 win over Pocahontas County, bring the Cavaliers into the No. 5 spot. They next travel to No. 29 Richwood (2-4). 

No. 6 Wheeling Central (4-2) | Last week’s rank: 7

Wheeling Central moves up one spot to tie Midland Trail for the No. 6 spot after the bye week. The Maroon Knights have their second out of state game against Martins Ferry (Ohio) after losing to Fort Frye (Ohio) 42-0 two weeks ago. 

No. 6 Midland Trail (5-1) | Last week’s rank: 4

Midland Trail’s three-game win streak was snapped on Friday by Class AA’s Liberty (Raleigh) who defeated the Patriots 32-20. Midland Trail has a week off before traveling to No. 22 Buffalo (3-3). 

No. 8 Madonna (6-1) | Last week’s rank: 9 

The Blue Dons moved up one spot after defeating Beallsville (Ohio) 33-20. They face another Ohio team, Toronto, to end their 2019 road series. 

No. 9 Tygarts Valley (5-1) | Last week’s rank: 3

The Bulldogs picked up their first loss of the year, a 41-6 whooping to Pendleton County, and plummeted six spots. They next travel to No. 15 South Harrison (3-3). It’s the Bulldogs’ second of three away games before ending their 2019 road series at Trinity Christian in Week 9. 

No. 10 Tolsia (4-2) | Last week’s rank: 10

The Rebels remain No. 10 after their bye. They return to action with a home game against Buffalo. 

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