Win or go home: State football playoffs set to begin for C-B, MHS, UHS
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MORGANTOWN – The 2026 high school football regular season has concluded, and the seeds are set for the postseason brackets in all four classes in West Virginia.
For the second year in a row, all three Monongalia County schools have qualified for the playoffs in Class AAAA and Class A.
In Class AAAA, No. 3 University and No. 5 Morgantown will each host opening round contests on Friday night.
The Hawks finished the regular season 10-0 and will welcome No. 14 Washington to Mylan Pharmaceuticals Stadium for a rematch of their Week 3 meeting, which UHS won 56-7.
UHS features the highest-scoring offense in the state (47.8 points per game). UHS senior quarterback Harrison Helbig has thrown for 2,407 yards and 31 touchdowns in 2026, with only two interceptions, and has added 241 yards and five scores on the ground.
UHS will host a first-round playoff game for the second season in a row, with the opportunity to host the quarterfinals next week if it wins on Friday.
"Our program is excited to return to the playoff atmosphere at University High School," UHS head coach Eric Snyder said. "Our athletes are excited to take their play to the next level after our successful regular season. Being able to play at home is a blessing for the dedication of our players, coaches, parents, and supporters."
Morgantown High will kick off its 2026 postseason campaign at Pony Lewis Field with No. 12 Wheeling Park visiting on Friday night.
This is another rematch of a regular-season matchup played at Wheeling Island Stadium, with the Mohigans winning 47-7 in Week 6.
Morgantown has been consistently impressive on both sides of the ball, scoring 36.4 points per game while allowing opponents fewer than 10 points (9.9).
Wheeling Park running back Hunter Miller has totaled 502 yards and five touchdowns this season. The Patriots will have a hard time against the MHS defense’s front seven.
The lone team to hit the road in Round 1 is No. 12 Clay-Battelle, which travels to Seth to visit No. 5 Sherman.
The Tide present a mixed bag of success on offense, especially for a team in Class A.
Senior quarterback Eli Pauley has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2026 with a 64% completion percentage.
Senior running back Levi Sprouse averages 86.8 yards per game on the ground with 781 yards on 123 carries this season. Six different players have at least one touchdown reception as well.
"It was a pretty magical game last year between us," C-B head coach Aaron LaPoe said. "It'll be a fun experience to go down there to play. Their quarterback returned from last year and they have some good receivers who can go out and make plays at any moment."
University and Morgantown will both kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Cee-Bees elected for a 4:00 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.