By: Gary Dove
WN Sports Writer
As if adding an exclamation point to the unprecedented 2020 high school football season in West Virginia, the deadly coronavirus pandemic did so Saturday evening with the unveiling of this week’s Metrics Map that eliminated the necessity of further playoff games to name state champions in all three divisions.
Class AAA Cabell Midland, Bridgeport and Musselman were eliminated from play Saturday and next weekend and South Charleston was declared the largest schools’ division state champ.
In Class AA, what had started Saturday afternoon as one semifinal contest turned into the title game by its conclusion, as both Oak Glen and Robert C. Byrd were eliminated from the other semifinal by the Map, while Fairmont edged Bluefield 21-19 in the first game to capture the title.
In Class A, St. Marys downed Pendleton County in an afternoon match to advance, but the Blue Devils were declared state champions after Ritchie County was banned, again by the covid-19 Metrics Map.
South Charleston added to its trophy case with the title, having garnered the championships in 2008 and 2009.
Fairmont won the 2018 state crown, while this marks the second football title for St. Marys after capturing the 2016 championship.
Getting back to covid-19, only 22 of 45 scheduled playoff games were actually played, with Fairmont participating in three games, St. Marys two and South Charleston only one in this season’s playoffs.
Class AAA had only four of fifteen scheduled playoff games decided on the field, with Class A next with playing eight and AA getting ten of fifteen in.
A recap of the playoff action by week showed:
Class AAA Opening Round
3 Musselman 64 #14 University 26
4 Martinsburg 62 #13 George Washington 0
5 Bridgeport 55 #12 Washington 7
Non-played games
1 Cabell Midland advanced over #16 John Marshall
2 South Charleston advanced over #15 Ripley
6 Spring Valley advanced over #11 Hurricane
9 Spring Mills advanced over #8 Parkersburg
10 Princeton advanced over #7 Wheeling Park’
Class AAA Quarterfinals
2 South Charleston 57 #10 Princeton 18
Non-played games
1 Cabell Midland advanced over #9 Spring Mills
3 Musselman advanced over #6 Spring Valley
5 Bridgeport advanced over #4 Martinsburg
Class AAA Semifinals
Non-played games
2 South Charleston advanced over #3 Musselman
1 Cabell Midland and #5 Bridgeport both eliminated
Class AAA Championship Game
2 South Charleston declared state champion
Class AA Opening Round
2 Bluefield 47 #15 Clay County 0
5 Oak Glen 42 #12 Point Pleasant 0
6 Fairmont 60 #11 Braxton County 34
13 Herbert Hoover 34 #4 Liberty Raleigh 33
16 Elkins 42 #1 Sissonville 27
Non-played games
8 Robert C. Byrd advanced over #9 Poca
10 North Marion advanced over ##7 Keyser
14 Independence advanced over #3 Frankfort
Class AA Quarterfinals
2 Bluefield 33 #10 North Marion 10
5 Oak Glen 53 #13 Herbert Hoover 26
6 Fairmont 43 #14 Independence 15
8 Robert C. Byrd 33 #16 Elkins 6
Class AA Semifinals
6 Fairmont 21 #2 Bluefield 19
Non-played games
5 Oak Glen and #9 Robert C. Byrd both eliminated
Class AA Championship Game
6 Fairmont declared state champion
Class A Opening Round
2 Greenbrier West 58 #15 Madonna 0
7 Ritchie County 16 #10 Wirt County 7
8 Pendleton County 14 #9 Moorefield 7
14 East Hardy 25 #3 Doddridge County 19
Non-played games
4 St. Marys advanced over #13 Wheeling Central
5 Midland Trail advanced over #12 Buffalo
11 Tolsia advanced over #6 Williamstown
16 Tygarts Valley advanced over #1 Tug Valley
Class A Quarterfinals
4 St. Marys 52 #5 Midland Trail 49
7 Ritchie County 38 #2 Greenbrier West 29
8 Pendleton County 41 #16 Tygarts Valley 17
Non-played game
11 Tolsia and #14 East Hardy both eliminated
Class A Semifinals
4 St. Marys 21 #8 Pendleton County 7
Non-played Game
7 Ritchie County eliminated
Championship Game
4 St. Marys declared state champion
Of the 23 total games not played, all were victims of the coronavirus Metrics Map