The West Virginia high school football playoffs are officially set. The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission has posted its final ratings after the last week of the regular season, locking in a 16-team field in each classification.
George Washington finished 10-0 and is the No. 1 seed in Class AAAA, just ahead of Martinsburg after one of the closest races at the top of the ratings: an 18.9 mark for the Patriots and 18.89 for the Bulldogs, who closed the regular season at 9-0. Herbert Hoover (9-1) is No. 1 in Class AAA, Frankfort (9-1) leads Class AA, and Tug Valley (9-1) sits atop Class A. University High (10-0) and Sissonville (10-0) also finished unbeaten.
First-round games pair No. 1 against No. 16, No. 2 against No. 15, and so on through each bracket. The commission said dates and times would be released Sunday.
In Class AAAA, George Washington opens against Parkersburg South (1-9). Hedgesville and Parkersburg South finished with matching 8.7 ratings in the final standings, and Parkersburg South earned the No. 16 seed. The rest of the AAAA first round: No. 2 Martinsburg (9-0) vs. No. 15 Hurricane (3-7); No. 3 University (10-0) vs. No. 14 Washington (3-7); No. 4 Cabell Midland (9-1) vs. No. 13 Buckhannon-Upshur (4-6); No. 5 Morgantown (8-2) vs. No. 12 Wheeling Park (3-7); No. 6 Huntington (7-3) vs. No. 11 Woodrow Wilson (4-6); No. 7 Musselman (5-5) vs. No. 10 Parkersburg (4-6); and No. 8 Spring Mills (5-5) vs. No. 9 Jefferson (3-7).
Class AAA sends Herbert Hoover (9-1) against Grafton (4-6). South Charleston (8-2) plays Capital (4-6), Elkins (9-1) plays Keyser (6-4), and Bridgeport (8-2) draws Chapmanville (7-3). North Marion (9-1) plays Fairmont Senior (3-7), Winfield (8-2) plays Ripley (6-4), Princeton (6-4) meets John Marshall (7-3), and Robert C. Byrd (7-3) faces Spring Valley (5-5).
In Class AA, unbeaten Sissonville is the No. 2 seed behind Frankfort. Frankfort (9-1) opens against Logan (7-3), Sissonville (10-0) plays Mingo Central (6-4), Bluefield (8-2) plays James Monroe (6-4), and Independence (7-2) meets Moorefield (6-4). Williamstown (9-1) plays South Harrison (6-4), Philip Barbour (7-3) plays Clay County (7-3), Roane County (9-1) plays Liberty (Raleigh) (7-3), and Doddridge County (8-2) faces Lincoln (5-5).
Class A is headlined by Tug Valley (9-1) against Tolsia (4-6) and Wahama (9-1) against Tucker County (4-6). Wheeling Central Catholic (6-4) plays Montcalm (6-4), East Hardy (9-1) plays Webster County (6-4), Sherman (8-2) plays Clay-Battelle (7-3), Pendleton County (7-3) plays St. Marys (6-4), Ritchie County (7-3) plays Cameron (6-4), and Meadow Bridge (9-1) meets Greenbrier West (8-2) in an opening-round matchup of two of the class's strongest finishers.
From the Ohio Valley to the southern coalfields, Friday nights just got bigger. The ratings are final, the brackets are set, and the next win is the only one that matters.