Riders ready for another measuring stick
Weir High set to travel to Williamstown to take on top-ranked Class A team
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- At certain points in a season, a team has a game that it views as a chance to measure its growth.
The Red Riders had one of those such games a couple weeks ago against Union Local, one that did not go the way it had hoped, and this week, after a bounce back performance, have another on Friday night when they travel to Williamstown.
"It's a huge challenge for us," Weir High head coach Frank Sisinni said. "Chris Beck does a great job with his program. Last year they were playing on Wheeling Island (for a state championship) and you see they have carried that over into 2022. It's a testament to his staff and the program he has built."
The undefeated Yellowjackets are the No. 1 ranked team in Class A, providing the 4-2 Red Riders a chance to see how much they learned from the loss against Union Local.
"There were definitely issues we worked on and addressed after the UL game," Sisinni said. "It was hard to truly gauge it last week because Richard Wright was so young, but we are a team that is more aggressive than what we showed in the UL game, we saw it in the John Marshall game, so we're looking to get back to that brand of football.
"This is a game where we're going to see if we are back to that point."
It's also a big matchup for Weir High in terms of the standings, as the Red Riders sit at No. 16 holding the final playoff spot in Class AA as the second half push for the post season gets into full swing.
"When you look at the whole breakdown, you can see there are definitely some points available to us in terms of bonus points," Sisinni said. "There are some bigger schools ahead of us at the end of our schedule that can help us in the rankings, too. We're at No. 16, so these next few games are going to tell us a lot about where we're at.
"I told the team there is nothing like October football leading into November football if you make it. We're going one at a time, and this one holds a lot of points for us if we are fortunate enough to get a W.
"We're aware of what's ahead of us and it starts this week."
The Yellowjackets are a high-powered offense that averages more than 50 points per game in its five outings, scoring at least 46 points in every game so far.
That will provide a handful for the Weir defense, which is allowing just 16.5 points per outing.
"They have a lot of weapons and they can score from anywhere, which is what they have been doing to everybody," Sisinni said. "Last week they had 400 yards of offense on the ground. It all runs through Maxwell Molessa, who is a very effective passer and runner. Their running game is comparable to what we saw from Union Local. They have a good back, Rickie Allen, who had 280 yards and four touchdowns against St. Mary's.
"There are some things they do that we are concerned with preparing for them this week. You can try to take away their run game, but the problem is they are effective with their pass game, too. Molessa is very efficient passing. They take what the defense gives them and they're very unselfish.
"The way their system works, if you take one kid away, another steps up."
The Williamstown defense averages less than 10 points against, while the Red Rider offense, which re-gained confidence and found its footing against last week against Richard Wright, averages a little over 27.
The Yellowjackets took a 31-6 victory at Jimmy Carey Stadium in last year's meeting.
"They have a system and it's a lot of the same kids that we saw last year, so there is a lot we can take learn from last year's game," Sisinni said.
The game will be played at Marietta College's Don Drumm Stadium with the kick set for 7:15 p.m. on Friday.
"We're looking forward to the trip," Sisinni said. "With the way West Virginia is set up, you always have to make a long trip sometime. We always try to make at least one per year. We are familiar with the area having played Marietta two years ago.
"We're looking forward to going on the road and playing some football."