photo by: Kim North

Cameron quarterback Kason Angel pulls away from a Meadow Bridge defender en route to a TD run last Saturday in W.Va. Class A playoff action at Dragon Field. The Dragons head to Ohio Valley Bank Field at Point Pleasant High School Friday night to meet Wahama in a rematch of last year’s state championship game.

CAMERON – Cameron took the first step on a second consecutive appearance in the W.Va. Class A state championship football game last Saturday with a 46-8 rout of Meadow Bridge.

Step 2 takes the Dragons (7-3) to Point Pleasant High School’s Ohio Valley Bank Field for a rematch of last year’s state final with No. 2 ranked Wahama (11-0) in a quarterfinal playoff contest.

Kickoff is set for 7 o’clock.

“It’s a different year. We’re a different team. They are a different team,” Cameron head coach Tim Brown assessed. “We know what they like to do. They know what we like to do. It should be another exciting game.”

Junior tailback Marshall Holland was a dominant force for the Dragons last weekend. He carried the ball 24 times for 275 yards and had touchdowns runs of 22 and 9 yards. Cameron piled up 336 yards on just 30 carries as quarterback Kason Angel had two scoring runs (16 and 7) and Gunner Lilley ran three times for 47 yards, which included a 26-yard scoring jaunt.

Angel only completed 4 passes, but one went 26 yards to Soier Reed for six points.

“I thought we did a good job of mixing it up. We caught some short passes, but our run game was on,” Brown added. “You’re going to win games in the trenches and I thought our offensive and defensive lines played really well.”

The offensive front includes Carter Paczewski and Brody Hill at tackles; Greyson Bonar and Kaiden Chapman at guards; and Colin Magers at center.

“Marshall is a really good running back,” Brown noted. “He has gotten better and better. His vision once he gets to the second level is outstanding.

“He just needs to keep getting better from here on.

“My coaches are doing a fantastic job of getting some of these young replacement guys in there,” Brown added. “The young guys have had to play because of all the injuries we’ve had, but the last 3 of 4 games they’ve really stepped up.”

On the season, Angel has passed for 862 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 54 of 107. He has run for 278 yards and five scores on 48 carries. Holland has 1,455 yards and 15 touchdowns on 188 carries. He averages 145.5 yards per game and has run for more than 100 on seven occasions. He has also caught seven passes for 126 yards and three more TDs. Soier Reed is the top pass catcher with 25 for 397 and four touchdowns. Magers had caught three passes – all for touchdowns.

Paczewski leads the Dragons with 86 tackles and three TFLs. Gunner Lilley has 56 stops, while Angel and Soier Reed have three picks each.

Wahama has won 25 consecutive games, including 29-22 in last year’s state championship game at Laidley Field in Charleston. They dispatched Man, 48-22, last week.

The White Falcons possess an explosive offense that has totalled nearly 5,000 yards. They have run for 3,548 and 61 touchdowns while passing for another 1,444 and 18 scores.

Junior tailback Reezin Stitt leads a stable of running backs with 1,425 yards and 26 six-pointers on 123 carries in just eight games. He has seven games of 100 yards or more. Treyvon Bearhs has picked up 748 yards and reached the end zone 11 times on 78 totes, while Trace Simpkins has 65 rushes for 559 yards and a dozen TDs. Four other backs have between 150 and 315 yards.

Simpkins, in eight games, has passed for 834 yards and 12 touchdowns on 42-of-58. He has thrown one interception. Cooper Roush, in 11 games, has completed 22 of 38 for 610, six TDs and one pick.

Bearhs leads the receiving corps with 23 receptions for 461 yards and three TDs. Alden Young has six touchdowns among his 15 catches for 400 yards and Roush had landed 15 passes for 279 and four scores.

Austin Chadwell leads the defense with 99 tackles and six caused fumbles. Bearhs has nine interceptions.

Hunter Miller is 30 of 39 on PATs.

GAME NOTE

The contest is being played in Point Pleasant due to poor field conditions at Bachtel Stadium in Mason.