Red Riders look to bounce back
Weir High back at home to host Albert Gallatin, make playoff push
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WEIRTON -- The Red Riders knew last week's trip to the top Class A team in the state was going to be a test.
It was a hard test with a lot of lessons learned, as Williamstown pulled away and dropped the Red Riders to 4-3.
"It was exactly what we thought we were going to be in for," Weir High head coach Frank Sisinni said. "We approached it like any other game, but we also knew the magnitude of it, because when you play a team like that, it tells you a lot about where we're at.
"We are in a situation where we need to win a couple games here at the end to get in. The Williamstown game, we had opportunities in the second quarter after we dug ourselves a hole … we got to a 14-13 game and unfortunately let them go down and score, then an interception set them up for a touchdown with no time left. It left us reeling and we never really recovered."
Being tight there with the Yellowjackets for much of the first half, though, is something to potentially build upon.
"Other than the last five minutes of the first half, we did hang with a very good football program for almost a half," Sisinni said. "When you see the losses we've had, they're to very good teams. We still have a lot of our goals in place and have things still ahead of us that are out there for us to abtain.
"We have to get back on track this week, and we have shown the ability to come right back and do that. We have come back the next week after our losses and got wins, so that's what we're looking to do this week."
To Sisinni's point, the Red Riders are indeed 2-0 coming off a loss this season, and they'll look to make it 3-0 when Albert Gallatin comes to Jimmy Carey Stadium on Friday night.
"They're coming off a loss to University and sitting at 2-4, they're looking to get back in the win column and rebound just like us," Sisinni said of the Colonials. "They're a team that's a downhill team that runs the football and are going to get after us up front. They're going to challenge us physically, offensively and defensively. We're going to have our hands full with a hungry team."
Though his Red Riders have seen teams that run the ball well, the Colonials do it in a unique style that will provide a challenge for the Weir defense.
"They run a little bit of the Wing-T concept, but it's more of a single wing," Sisinni said. "They do a lot of direct snaps to their backfield. It's unique and its own animal. They're physical up front with how they come off the ball. They are not a spread team, they are a ground and pound type of team and that's going to be a unique challenge."
The meeting is the initial one between the clubs after last season's scheduled clash was cancelled because of the pandemic.
"Last year I had come down with COVID and we got shut down and unfortunately we didn't get to play last year," Sisinni said. "We're excited to finally get to play them. They are independent now, they used to be in WPIAL, but now they play a lot of West Virginia teams. It's something different, a team that's a bigger school on our schedule -- they're AAA equivalent in West Virginia. We're looking forward to the challenge."
Adding to the excitement for Sisinni and company is the fact that the Red Riders will be celebrating their seniors.
"Senior night is a big night for us," Sisinni said. "We've seen the football players and young men these guys have grown and become over the last four years. You talk a lot about how fast things go by, all of a sudden you blink and you go from seeing them come in as freshmen and all of a sudden it's their senior night. Gage Hawkins, Cam Jones, Kanye Green Damarr Tuner and Jamari Bass have been instrumental to our program.
"I have a special bond with them because they were part of my first year coming in here. We're looking to get a big win for them in what will probably be the last game they play on this field."
The loss last week also bumped the Red Riders out of a playoff spot, as they fell to 20th in the Class AA rankings, with the top-16 making it to the dance.
With three games to go, the push to get back in will have to start on Friday.
"It's now or never, it's a three-game season for us now," Sisinni said. "We had that discussion with the team, it's time for us to make that push and play our best football now.
"For us to be talking about a possible playoff spot is very big for the program because we haven't been talking about playoffs here for a few years."