WHO: Oak Hill (3-1) at Greenbrier East (2-1)
WHERE: Spartan Stadium in Fairlea
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 PM
LAST WEEK: OH (defeated Shady Spring 42-23) GE (Bye)
LAST MEETING: Oak Hill won 21-14 at home in 2024
After a Friday off last week, the Greenbrier East Spartans will get back on the field this Friday night, September 26 at the friendly confines of Spartan Stadium and host a longtime rival, the Oak Hill Red Devils.
The Red Devils will come in flying high after a dominating effort in their 42-23 win over Shady and have won the last four meetings with Greenbrier East, and the Spartans feel like this is a monkey they need to get off their backs. Head coach Davon Marion is in his third year with the Oak Hill program and has compiled a career record of 20-6-1 so far at his alma mater. He led the Red Devils to a 10-win, state playoff appearance last season and has set the bar high from this point forward.
The last time we saw the Spartans, they suffered a 36-26 loss to the Alleghany Cougars in the Battle of the Border. But Greenbrier East is much improved this season and has their eyes set on a state playoff berth as well. Both of the Spartans wins have come against Class AAAA opponents (Riverside and Woodrow Wilson) which has them positioned nicely early in the year with the point system.
Key Players for Greenbrier East:
AJ Godfrey: 82 carries, 426 yds, 6 TDs
Brody Hamric: 25-of-54, 337 yds, 4 TDs, 3 INT
Grant Burdette: 9 catches, 154 yds, TD
Keshawn Bland:
Nate Suttle: 10 receptions, 93 yds, Kick ret. TD, 2 INT (one for TD)
Gage Blevins:
Godfrey has been the workhouse and the most successful offensive weapon for the Spartans. The Alleghany transfer has already made a name for himself in Class AAA with 142 yards per game and hardnosed running. Hamric threw for over 200 yards for the first time this season against the Cougars and looks like he is settling in within the East offense. Helping Hamric, especially in his last outing, is Burdette. The senior tight end caught five passes for 124 yards and a score two weeks ago and showed why he is a sought-after college prospect. Suttle is still waiting to break out on the offensive side, and it feels like it’s just a matter of time before he does just that. The speedy senior is dangerous in space; he just hasn’t gotten a lot of that to run through yet.
Key Players for Oak Hill (No season stats available for Oak Hill)
Luke Ednicott
Carson Treadway
Antoine Hicks
Cade Compton
Zye Lewis
With no stats available for the Red Devils, it’s tough to know who exactly the player is to try and shut down first. However, Carson Treadway has made some huge plays this season and Luke Ednicott, the quarterback, can throw the ball extremely well. Hicks is an athletic option for Oak Hill and if you don’t pay attention to Compton, he can definitely hurt you out of the backfield as well.
Tale of the Tape Outlook:
When reading between the lines, this may be the most even matchup the Spartans have played to date. Both teams have quarterbacks that can hurt you if given time to throw, running backs that can break free and get the tough yards, and big receiving targets who can catch passes and get down the field. East averages 31 points per game. Oak Hill scores just under 29. This seems like a game that will come down to two things: Defense and turnovers. The Red Devils allow 25.7 points per game to their opponents, but that number is a tad inflated because they have played Princeton, arguably one of the strongest offensive teams in West Virginia. Want to see how even the defenses are too? The Spartans are allowing 25.6 points per game. So, turnovers will be the key. Whichever team holds on to the football and keeps possession the most, likely wins the game.
Something to Watch:
With the numbers being almost identical on both sides of the ball for both teams, something has to give. Turnovers seems to be the most likely key, but special teams could creep up to the top of that list too. This is where a player like Suttle can change the outcome.
