A Hurricane is headed to Beckley, and the eye of the storm will be centered over Van Meter Stadium at Woodrow Wilson High School.

The Hurricane Redskins (2-0) visit Woodrow Wilson (2-0) in a battle of Class AAA undefeateds tonight at 7:30 p.m., and like any good Hurricane, this club brings in a great deal of power. The Redskins have posted more than 1,100 yards of total offense and 95 points in its first two games, wins over area rivals Winfield and Nitro.

The Flying Eagles’ two victories didn’t come quite as easily, but shutting down a powerful Princeton offense, fired up to win for its new coach in the opener, and then pulling out a win against a determined Greenbrier East club on the road in a rivalry game, is impressive in its own right.

Will Hurricane continue to run like there are only eight defenders on the field, or will the adversity that Woodrow Wilson has seen prove to be beneficial in another tight contest?

We’ll find out in tonight’s Register-Herald Game of the Week.

Last time they played

Hurricane defeated Woodrow Wilson 21-14 last season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Woodrow Wilson

Andrew Johnson, QB — The multi-threat signal caller has thrown for 212 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 246 yards and four more scores. He’s also the kicker and punter, averaging 25.6 yards per punt. He’s made 4 of 8 extra point attempts.

Ramon Edwards, RB/WR — Edwards is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the football. He’s averaging 15.3 yards per carry on 11 attempts. He’s also caught four passes for 4 yards and is averaging 31.7 yards per kickoff return.

Cole Williams, RB/WR — A combination of speed and power, Williams has 144 rushing yards on 12 carries. He’s also caught three passes for 73 yards.

Hurricane

Zach Pate, RB — Pate nearly had 500 yards of total offense last week in a win over Nitro. He rushed for 252 yards on 10 carries, caught four passes for 153 yards and totaled 86 yards on a pair of kickoff returns. He found the end zone five times. For the season, he’s averaging 21.5 yards per carry. He also had an interception on defense

Austin Hensley, QB — Last week against Nitro, Hensley threw for 242 yards. He has a strong arm and is sure to test the Woodrow Wilson secondary, which really hasn’t faced a strong passing team this season.

Steven Handley, RB — Pate isn’t the only threat on the ground. When he needs a breather, Handley is more than capable. Last week he had just five carries but racked up 83 yards rushing.

WHAT THIS MEANS

Both teams are off to a good start, but both need a signature victory to gain respect on a state level.

Hurricane is ranked No. 10 in the Charleston Daily Mail high school football poll, voted on by West Virginia sports media, while Woodrow Wilson is in the “others” category, receiving eight votes in 13th place. The winner tonight should see a solid climb, depending on what happens in front of it.

In West Virginia high school football, though, the only poll that really matters is the WVSSAC rankings, which will be released for the first time on Sept. 11.

A win over a Class AAA squad that’s sure to pick up some more wins as the season goes along would be huge for both teams in those rankings, which paint the postseason picture.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Greenbrier East rushed for 249 yards last week against Woodrow Wilson. Hurricane racked up 377 yards on the ground against Nitro. If the Redskins don’t try to test the Flying Eagles’ run defense, they haven’t been paying attention.

Beckley doesn’t have to shut Hurricane down on the ground, it just needs to slow the visitors’ progress and force it into a couple of mistakes. If the Flying Eagles can create a couple of turnovers, like they did last week in Fairlea, they’ll greatly increase their chances of sending the home fans home happy, no matter what the rushing statistics show at the end of the night.

On offense, the key for Woodrow is holding onto the football. A couple of early turnovers last week kept Beckley from putting the game away much sooner and resulted in a nail-biter on the road. With weapons like Johnson and Edwards, the Flying Eagles are going to score points. But they have to stay patient and avoid giving Hurricane any help it doesn’t need.



OTHER AREA GAMES

Fayetteville at Richwood

Picked to be a major player in Class A before the season started, Fayetteville is now 0-2 and coming off a loss to Midland Trail. If the Pirates have any hope of getting to the playoffs, they desperately need a win tonight.

Richwood (1-1) got off to a strong start with a dominating performance against Webster County, but the Lumberjacks were outclassed last week against Greenbrier West. Like Fayetteville, Richwood needs this one to start racking up playoff points.

Grafton at Summers County

This is one of the most intriguing games in Class AA. The Bobcats (2-0) and Bearcats (1-1) are both knocking on the door in the Charleston Daily Mail high school football poll, each receiving one vote in the latest rankings.

If Summers County is going to continue its climb — after going from 0-10 two years ago to 5-5 last year — this is a game it needs to win. If it does, the playoffs could be within reach.

Greenbrier West at Independence

The Cavaliers (2-0) are off to a strong start with a win over Class AA Nicholas County and a thrashing of Richwood under their belts. They’re ranked No. 7 in the Daily Mail poll.

Independence (1-0), though, had a week off after beating Midland Trail in the season opener, and with West visiting Coal City, the Patriots are confident that they’ll be ready to make some noise of their own.

James Monroe at Glenvar (Va.)

The Mavericks (1-1) started well with a 33-8 win over Narrows (Va.), but they fell on the road at Summers County last week and still don’t appear to be back to the level of dominance they enjoyed for so many years. A win back across the Virginia line this week, though, could help get things back on track.

Liberty at PikeView

The Raiders (1-1) were flying high after knocking off Westside in the opener, but the home fans went home unhappy last week after a lopsided loss to Sissonville.

Which Liberty team is the real one? We’ll find out this week as a winless group of Panthers (0-2) makes the trip to Raleigh County.

Midland Trail at Meadow Bridge

On paper, this is an interesting one. Meadow Bridge is 2-0 and has the reigning Register-Herald Player of the Week, Jake Parker at running back.

Midland Trail (1-1), though, is playing with more confidence than it has in years after a 32-26 victory over Fayetteville last week. Are the Patriots for real? The answer should come into focus tonight.

Montcalm at Parry McCluer (Va.)

The Generals (2-0) have outscored opponents 88-20 through the first two games. They’ll play their second of five games against teams from outside the Mountain State’s boundaries tonight, trying to stay perfect and gain some more respect.

Mount View at Tug Valley

The Golden Knights (0-2) are still looking for their first win, but they will face a Tug Valley (1-1) team that gave Meadow Bridge fits last week. The Mount View defense hasn’t been bad, but it needs to find a way to put points on the scoreboard.

Nicholas County at East Fairmont

The Grizzlies (1-1) rebounded from a loss to Greenbrier West in the opener with an impressive 27-7 victory over Poca last week.

Now they’ll face East Fairmont, which is 1-0 and is ranked No. 9 in the Class AA poll. With a tough schedule ahead, this is one Nicholas County needs to help its playoff hopes and perhaps climb in the polls, where it received five votes this week.

Oak Hill at Princeton

If you plan on keeping statistics in this one, bring a few extra pens. The Red Devils (1-1) have put up 97 points in two games, while the Tigers (0-2) scored 44 last week against Bluefield. Head coach Randy Peek will be looking for his first win as the Tigers’ coach. The defense that creates a couple of turnovers, will likely lead its team to victory.

Shady Spring at Greenbrier East

Both teams suffered losses last week, but the reaction was much different. The Tigers (0-1) were blown out on the road at Logan in their debut as a Class AAA squad, losing 33-7, and many are convinced that the jump, as well as the loss of some key players from last year’s strong AA team, were just too much.

Greenbrier East (0-2), meanwhile, put up a strong fight against Woodrow Wilson that was encouraging to many Spartan fans. Now it’s looking to take the next step.

East, which is still trying to get the first win for new head coach Ray Lee, has proven that its defense has some holes, so Shady is likely to score points. The key to the game will be stopping the Spartans on the ground. If they can’t, the Tigers may be looking at 0-2.

Valley at Van

The Greyhounds (1-0) have had two weeks to prepare for this one, after opening up with a 35-7 win over Hannan and then taking a week off. Coming off an 8-2 regular season last year, Valley has big expectations and a stable full of running backs that know how to find the end zone.

Van (1-1) was no test for Meadow Bridge in the opener, but the Bulldogs bounced back with a 44-18 thrashing of Paden City and will bring some confidence into tonight’s game.

Westside at Man

The Renegades (1-1) came back from a loss to Liberty in the opener and put that memory in the rear view mirror with a 22-20 win over rival Wyoming East. Quarterback Justin Cogar has been a huge threat on offense, both running and passing.

Man (1-1) didn’t start well with a 33-0 loss to Logan, but the Hillbillies responded last week, knocking off Mount View 20-12.

This could be a defensive battle with points at a premium.

Wyoming East at Sherman

The Warriors (1-1) have played two nail-biters, knocking off Mingo Central 19-16 in the opener and then falling to Westside 22-20 last week. Quarterback Aaron Griffith has done his best to keep his team around in every game.

Sherman (0-2) was outscored 72-32 in losses to Tug Valley and Calhoun the first two weeks. The Tide clearly aren’t the best team on the Wyoming East schedule, so the Warriors need to find a way to win this one to gain some momentum for some difficult tests ahead.