Familiar faces as quarterfinals on deck

CLASS AAA

NO. 8 BRIDGEPORT (10-1) AT NO. 1 CABELL MIDLAND (10-1)

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Bridgeport all-time playoff record: 66-32

Best finish: Champions, most recently in Class AA in 2019

Previous trip: 2022 (quarterfinals)

First round one-liner: Wes Brown blocked an extra point to preserve a 28-27 victory for the Tribe over George Washington, while Zach Rohrig churned for 199 yards and a TD on the ground.

Cabell Midland all-time playoff record: 22-22

Best finish: Runner-up twice, most recently in Class AAA in 2019

Previous trip: 2022 (first round)

First round one-liner: The Knights lanced Musselman, 63-22, as Curtis Jones Jr. shone with nine carries for 112 yards and two touchdowns and a 63-yard receiving TD on a screen pass.

Series history: 2-0, Bridgeport (41-8 in 2011 Class AAA quarterfinals, 41-13 in 2022 Class AAA first round)

Two notes: Last year’s Bridgeport team is the only one since 2018 to hand Cabell Midland a loss in the Knights’ playoff opener. Zach Rohrig is fourth in school history with 3,458 career rushing yards and needs 126 to pass Corey Wagner for third.

CLASS AA

NO. 9 HERBERT HOOVER (8-3) AT NO. 1 NORTH MARION (10-1)

Saturday, 4 p.m.

North Marion all-time playoff record: 23-16

Best finish: Champions, most recently in Class AAA in 1997

Previous trip: 2022 (semifinals)

First round one-liner: Casey Minor had 370 yards of offense (230 passing, 140 rushing) and passed for a TD and ran for another as the Huskies dispatched Lincoln for the second year in a row in the first round, 35-14.

Herbert Hoover all-time playoff record: 13-17

Best finish and previous trip: Runner-up, 2022

First-round one-liner: A 14-all tie through three quarters at East Fairmont was broken by a pair of Dane Hatfield touchdown runs and the Huskies took a 28-14 victory home.

Series history: 1-1; after only meeting in the 1994 playoffs, a 25-14 Herbert Hoover win, before this year, this will be the second meeting in four weeks after North Marion pulled out a 21-14 result on Oct. 20.

Two notes: Herbert Hoover has played all three Marion County schools in the playoffs the last three years, losing a 30-28 thriller at home to Fairmont Senior in 2021 before beating the Bees last week. North Marion has won playoff games in three consecutive years, the longest string since 1980-1982.

NO. 10 PHILIP BARBOUR (9-2) AT NO. 2 FAIRMONT SENIOR (8-2)

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Philip Barbour all-time playoff record: 1-6

Best finish: You’re looking at it…the Colts are in the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.

Previous trip: First round, 2017

First round one-liner: Nate Hulver had 119 yards and the game-winning 1-yard TD and Kaden Humphreys scored on the ground (1 yard), with his arm (14 yards to TD Bodkins) and on defense (22-yard, game-tying interception) as the Colts mined new program ground at Mingo Central, 28-21.

Fairmont Senior all-time playoff record: 32-25

Best finish: Champions, most recently in 2021

Previous trip: 2022 (quarterfinals)

First round one-liner: The Polar Bears rallied on Brody Whitehair’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Damani Johnson and preserved that 31-27 lead on a Cannon Dinger interception.

Series history: Fairmont Senior leads 28-1-1. Technically in the same conference, the two schools only have played twice (2002 and 2003) since Philip Barbour got its lone win, 28-14, in 1990. The tie was a 0-0 result in 1967.

Two notes: Hulver needs 14 yards to break the PB single-season rushing record. Philip Barbour has only scored more than 16 points twice in the 30 previous meetings, 21 in 1983 and 28 in 1990.