Where: Mason County, Point Pleasant High School
When: Friday, August 27 at 7:30 PM
About the Opponent:
Point Pleasant will be celebrating its 100th year anniversary for the football program so this game will be sort of a monumental occasion. PP coach David Darst is in his 15th season and the Big Blacks have made the state playoffs in 12-of-the last 14 seasons under him.
According to Darst, Point Pleasant’s strength is their defense, especially their front five. That is where the most experience is on the team. In the secondary, the Big Blacks return all four starters as the coach is confident in his team’s defensive ability.
On offense, Point Pleasant is very young and inexperienced. They will be a team that controls the tempo and pace of the game with ball control. They lack proven explosive playmakers, but if there is one guy they will count on to help get points, it’s quarterback Evan Roach. Last season, Roach played running back all year until the postseason when he stepped in at quarterback due to an injury to starter Hunter Bush.
Roached gained 475 yards on the ground and scored four touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown pass and hauled in 12 receptions for 108 yards. Other than last year, Roach has been a quarterback since the seventh grade so he is back in familiar territory.
Other players on the offensive side for the Big Blacks include Trey Peck, Preston Taylor, Cody Schultz and Gavin Jeffers.
What Will Happen?:
The first game of the season is always a tough one to predict as neither team has played a real live game yet with hundreds of people in the stands outside of a couple scrimmages. Point Pleasant has turned itself into a traditional power and a consistent state playoff contender. Before the game, they are holding a big ceremony to accommodate to the 100-year anniversary, so there is a chance the Spartans can catch them off guard.
East has plenty of weapons to go around with quarterback Monquelle Davis leading the charge. Ian Cline is a fast, elusive player out of the backfield, and the offensive line should be a strength for the Spartans as well. East’s defense is also experienced with multiple year starters at most positions.
This game could come down to how well Davis performs. The Big Blacks defense is good, but their offense may have trouble scoring. If Davis can be the dual threat he is known for, and he gets some help from his receivers, the Spartans may just have a shot to start the season 1-0. However, with all the unknowns at this point and Point Pleasant playing at home with all the festivities, this one will be close, but I think the Big Blacks pull out a victory due to that early home field advantage.
Score Prediction:
Point Pleasant- 33
Greenbrier East- 26
