FROSTBURG — There is no time like the present and there is no time like Homecoming to gain your first win of the season, and since it is presently Homecoming at Mountain Ridge High School that is what the Miners aim to do tonight.
The Miners (0-4), riding a five-game losing streak dating back to last year’s playoff loss to Boonsboro, will have a difficult task at hand, however, as they will host undefeated Frankfort (4-0), who, conversely, is riding a five-game winning streak dating back to its win over Hampshire in the final regular-season game of the 2011 season.
Fort Hill (2-2), in the meantime, looks to go over .500 again when it returns home to Greenway Avenue Stadium to host Carrick (0-4) of Pittsburgh. Elsewhere, in a match-up of a pair of 3-1 teams, Keyser will host Hampshire, while undefeated Bishop Walsh (4-0), also on a five-game winning streak dating back to last year, will be in Clarksburg, W.Va., trying to open its season with a fifth consecutive win it plays Notre Dame (3-1).
Other action tonight features Clear Spring (2-2) at Northern (0-4), Southern (0-4) at Tucker County (5-0), Berkeley Springs (0-5) at Moorefield (2-3), Phillip Barbour (3-2) at Petersburg (3-1) and Pendleton (3-2) at East Hardy (4-0).
The high school football weekend wraps up tomorrow afternoon, 1:30, when the undefeated Allegany Campers (4-0) travel to Washington to play St. Albans (2-2).
• After its 34-9 victory over Northern, Frankfort finds itself tied for fourth in West Virginia Class AA. Damian Morgan rushed for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns against Northern, leading a ground game that gained 291 yards.
Mountain Ridge fell to Hampshire last Friday, 49-14, leading briefly when Ben Hadra scored on a 23-yard run to make it 6-0. Michael Strietbeck hit Matt Whetstone for the other Mountain Ridge touchdown.
Mountain Ridge defeated Frankfort last year, 35-7.
• Fort Hill fell behind right off the bat in its 54-16 loss at North Hagerstown, yielding an 85-yard return for a touchdown on the opening kickoff, then surrendering 27 third-quarter points. Fort Hill got on the board when Travis Bush took in a 16-yard pass from Hunter Squires. Zac Elbin scored from four yards out and Chris King kicked a field goal and an extra point.
This will mark the second time Fort Hill has played Carrick, the Sentinels winning last year at the stadium, 51-8.
• Keyser came up a bit short in what has been the area’s game of the year thus far, losing to undefeated Allegany, 14-12, at Greenway.
In a hard-hitting defensive game, the Golden Tornado’s Danny Fife rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries, bringing Keyser to within 14-12 on a 20-yard TD run with 3:05 to go. Keyser had been within 7-6 early when Cody Eversole found Garrett Crites for an eight-yard touchdown. The Tornado defense, led by Josh Coffman, held Alco to 2.9 yards per rushing attempt.
Hampshire continues to get big gains and big games from running back Denard Hartwell. The senior running back gained 198 yards and scored two touchdowns on nine carries in the Trojans’ 49-14 win over Mountain Ridge. Dalton Clower scored three touchdowns, one coming on an 81-yard kickoff return.
Keyser dipped to No. 9 in the West Virginia Class AA ratings, while Hampshire stands 12th in the Class AAA ratings. Keyser won last year’s meeting, 41-14, and leads the series, 32-16.
• The Bishop Walsh Spartans can do no wrong these days, moving to 4-0 last weekend with a 46-28 win over Baltimore Lutheran. Terrell McGraw returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, then rushed for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown to lead the attack. Trenton Sawn rushed for 64 yards and three touchdowns, and Quincy Redmon returned from a knee injury to catch a 19-yard touchdown pass.
Notre Dame likes to run the football and is rated No. 11 in West Virginia Class A. The Fighting Irish opened with wins over Grafton, Cameron and Valley, before falling last week to Bishop Donahue, 59-21.
BW and ND did not meet last year.
Mike Burke is sports editor of the Cumberland Times-News. Write to him at mburke@times-news.com
Mike Burke - Sports
Mountain Ridge hoping for happy Homecoming
Miners hosting unbeaten Frankfort this evening; Fort Hill entertains Carrick; BW visits Notre Dame
- Mike Burke - Sports
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Together, we can eliminate the fake score
As I sat in front of the lonely reflection of my computer screen formatting five youth softball games for publication, I marveled at what great hitters we are producing here in the area.
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Mort the Sport
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way
— As performed
by Frank Sinatra -
Harper just needs to stop scoring the wall
• Happy birthday, Brooks Robinson. No. 5 will be 76 tomorrow.
Remember, in the words of Gordon Beard, “Brooks Robinson never asked anybody to name a candy bar after him. In Baltimore people name their children after him.” -
Rowley proof of experience breeding opportunity
When Bob Rowley learned of the fund-raising efforts to help provide Fort Hill football player Zac Elbin the opportunity to play in the Down Under Bowl this summer in Australia, it became a mere reflex for him to make a significant contribution on Elbin’s behalf. For while very few area high school football players have followed in his footsteps, Rowley, the former Fort Hill great from the late 1950s, had certainly walked in Elbin’s, having faced similar circumstances following his senior year in high school. And thanks to the support of the community, Rowley says he was able to realize an opportunity of a lifetime.
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Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown
Defending champion Burke’s Mom filled out her March Madness bracket the other day, which, I assure you, took longer for her to do than it did to give birth, toiling with pencil in hand to beat Thursday’s noon deadline.
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They come as guests, and leave as family
They’ve come from as far west as Utah, as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas. Yet for every third week of March and forevermore, the players, coaches and teams that experience the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament are from here.
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Young and making you restless
You’ll forgive Maryland basketball coach Mark Turgeon if he’s feeling like Pop Fisher these days — New York Knights manager Pop Fisher before Roy Hobbs showed up, that is.
Let’s forget for just a sliver of a moment that there is no serviceable point guard on the Terrapin roster — there is no leader on this team of any kind. To wit, the Terps are 2-6 on the road this season; 1-6 in the ACC, which means they lose road games ... in EMPTY GYMS! They’re losing games to teams that aren’t good enough to warrant their own fans getting out to see them play. -
Racecar is still racecar spelled backwardzzzz
I am so excited about today’s Daytona 500. Not.
Can’t wait to see Dale Jr., Danica and the rest of the gang back on the track. Not. -
Mike should stop being like Mike
The month of February, proof that God enjoys a little sarcasm as much as anybody (that’s why it’s only 28 days), is more than half over. Hockey is again in full swing, March Madness approaches, the NBA playoff picture is beginning to take shape, and baseball is back, as images of spring training splash beautifully across the sports pages of America.
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Preachers in glass pulpits ...
The Big Ten has agreed to no longer schedule Football Championship Subdivision opponents (prior to 2006, known as NCAA Division I-AA opponents) during non-conference play.
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