It’s the final week of the regular season as the playoffs near.
Teams will be looking mainly for momentum as postseason matchups have been decided come November 8. As the calendar turns to November, so will the weather come Friday night at kickoff.
Football weather is officially here as we look across the area at Friday night’s contests:
Greenup County at Mason County
Who: Greenup County Musketeers (3-6) at Mason County Royals (5-4)
When: Friday 7:30 p.m.
Where: Mason County High School, Maysville
Previous Meeting: Mason County won 55-27, on Oct. 29, 2010
Series since 1998: Mason County leads 7-1
Outlook: The Royals are coming off of a pair of district wins against Lewis County and Powell County to secure a home playoff game come November 8. Quarterback Carson Brammer has rattled off two solid games in a row, throwing for 381 yards, seven touchdowns and just four incompletions. His 1,728 total passing yards for the season are the second-most by any player in all of class 3A, also adding his 26 touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns on the year. He’ll be without his lead receiver once again, Jeremiah Jones out with an injury. Jayden Riggs stepped up in his absence last week, hauling in seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Jones isn’t the only injury as several Royals are expected to miss Friday’s contest due to injuries suffered last week in the win over Powell. Greenup County has had a back and forth season, currently with three losses in a row, looking to end their regular season on a high note. Eli Sammons has performed at a high level for the Musketeers at quarterback and will need to be at his best to outscore Mason County. The Marshall University football commit has racked up 1,671 total passing yards throughout the season to slide him right behind Brammer for the third-highest spot in the class.
Harrison County at Fleming County
Who: Harrison County Thorobreds (4-5) at Fleming County Panthers (7-2)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Fleming County High School, Flemingsburg
Previous Meeting: Harrison County won 47-6, on Aug. 17, 2018
Series since 1998: Harrison County leads 4-1
Outlook: It will be a contrast of styles come Friday night in Flemingsburg. While Fleming County has enjoyed high scoring games, coming in to the contest averaging 35 points a game, Harrison County allows just 14.1 points per game, including two shutouts. The Panthers have had their moments defensively as well. After forcing three turnovers last week in a win over Lewis County, they’re up to 26 turnovers forced on the season, good for nearly three a game. Fleming was able to establish a more balanced rushing attack in last week’s 61-8 win over the Lions, eight different guys getting carries for 210 yards and five touchdowns, quite the difference from prior weeks when quarterback Jonathan Maher has carried the rushing load. Speaking of running, that’s primarily what the Thorobreds do. Harrison has run it 379 times on the year compared to just 59 pass attempts. Tyler Hudgins leads that role but will change things up with five others getting at least 40 carries on the season. On top of not allowing many points, Harrison surrenders just 170.2 yards per game to opposing offenses. It’s the last game of the regular season for both as playoffs loom next week.
Lewis County at Fairview
Who: Lewis County Lions (0-9) at Fairview Eagles (2-6)
When: Friday 7:30 p.m.
Where: Fairview High School, Ashland
Previous Meeting: Lewis County won 52-0, on Sept. 14, 2018
Series since 1998: Fairview leads 13-4
Outlook: Lewis County is hoping to grab their first win of the year during their regular season finale matchup with Fairview. The Lions have struggled to find a consistent point of attack throughout the year and have flipped between Moses Jackson and Dylan Hardy at the quarterback spot. The duo has thrown with a similar accuracy as Jackson is 16-for-34 on the season and Hardy is 14-for-30. Despite the similar completion numbers Jackson’s 220 total passing yards for the season are over twice as many as Hardy’s 83. The Lions will need a little more production from whoever ends up starting for them this week to get the offense moving if they want to snag that elusive first win. Fairview has had a tough season as well and have been outscored 345-120 in their matchups so far this season. Despite some of the losses quarterback Jack Roy has been the driving force behind their offense all season long. He’s put up over 1,000 passing yards this season and has also been the team’s leading guy on the run with 494 total rushing yards. The Eagles will need Roy at his best to breathe some life into their offense against Lewis County.
Hillcrest at Manchester
Who: Hillcrest Rams (2-7) at Manchester Greyhounds (1-8)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Manchester High School, Manchester
Previous Meeting: Hillcrest won 70-0, on Sept. 28, 2018
Series since 2008: Manchester leads 4-2
Outlook: Manchester closes out its 2019 season on Friday as they host Hillcrest. The Rams handed the Greyhounds a 70-0 defeat last season, so the Hounds will look to improve off that performance. The two have not played any common opponents while Manchester’s lone win came two weeks ago against West Union, Hillcrest’s two victories coming at the hands of Miami Valley Christian Academy and Gamble Montessori. If the Greyhounds are to secure their second victory, the key will be defensively as they’ve allowed 42.8 points per game.
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