Golden Bears head to Roane County to finish up
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SPENCER -- The Oak Glen football team is looking to end the season on a poitive note, while Roane County is looking ahead to the playoffs.
The Golden Bears and Raiders will meet at 7 p.m. Friday night at County Stadium in the regular season finale. The game will be the final one of the season for the boys from Hancock County, while the hosts will be competing in the West Virginia Class AA playoffs beginning next week.
Oak Glen enters the game coming off a Week 9 bye.
"When you have a bye this late in the year you are usually getting ready for the playoffs, but we are not going to the playoffs," first-year Oak Glen (2-7) head coach Doug Taylor said. "The bye was good for us. It gave us time for guys to heal up. It will help us get guys back in playing condition."
On the other side, the Raiders enter the game undefeated at 9-0.
"They are 9-0," Taylor said. "They are the No. 2 ranked team in the state."
Roane County enters the game coming off a 58-13 victory against Ravenswood.
"We have the opportunity to play the No. 2 team ranked team in the state right before the playoffs," Taylor said. "That's a great opportunity for us. It will show us where we need to be."
So far this season, Roane County has defeated St. Marys (30-20), Lincoln County (36-0), Clay County (36-20), Lewis County (46-14), Buffalo (51-16), Ripley (40-6), Braxton County (49-7), Doddridge County (26-6) along with Ravenswood.
"They definitely want to run the football," Taylor said. "They are probably 85 percent run and 15 percent pass. They use multiple formations. They run power.
"They will use three backs in the backfield. Last week, they used a bit of a double wing. They ran a bit of a Wing-T. That is just something else for us to prepare for. They want to run the football."
The Raiders have the advantage in the size department.
"They are huge," Taylor said. "They have some guys who are 6-2 and 6-4. They are 290-300. They are not heavy, they are just big boys. They move well.
"They had a good year last year. They have built on that this year. They see this as their year. They have a big team out 50-60. That's a high number for them.
"They are excited. They are looking ahead to the playoffs. Hopefully, they overlook us."
Offensively, Roane County wants to run the football, while defensive the Raiders want to stop the run.
"Defensively, it is the same thing," Taylor said. "They are big. They have a lot of size. They load up the line. They try to stop the run. They will also pressure the dickens out of you.
"We like to run the ball. That is going to create some issues for us. We have been working on some things at practice to help us create some offense."
The meeting will be the first between the two teams since Nov. 12, 2011 when Oak Glen – the No. 9 seed – defeated No. 8 seed Roane County, 28-20, in the first round of the playoffs on the road.
"I think that was in 2011 in my first year at Madonna," Taylor said. "Tony (Filberto) took them down. We have met them before in the playoffs. This is a two-year contract. They will be coming up here next year."
The Raiders are coached by longtime head coach Paul Burdette.
"Coach Burdette has had a tenure there," Taylor said. "He has had ups and downs. They are on a roll this year.
"They have a good class. They have decent size. They have what the media says is the best linebacker in the state. They have some good athletes."
Oak Glen has dealt with injuries all season long, however, injuries should not be an issue this week.
"We are the healthiest we have been since Week 4," Taylor said. "Everybody should dress. Everybody should play. Is everyone 100 percent? No, but they are close. I am looking forward to seeing what we can do."
The Raiders played on a grass field when the two teams met in the 2011 playoffs, however, Roane County now plays on a turf field. The number 80 is located at midfield in honor of Alex Miller, who wore the number when he played for the Raiders. Miller, 17, collapsed and died on the field Sept. 13, 2019 in a game at Clay County.
Miller was selected as the winner of the 2020 Doug Huff Award.
"I have friends down there," Taylor said. "It is a little bit of a drive. It's about three-and-a-half hour. We usually travel well. We enjoy it.
"We are going to leave school, and have practice. We are going to have a walk through at Marietta College. Then, we will go to Williamstown and have lunch before heading down to Roane County and playing a football game.
"Anytime you can spend three-and-a-half or four hours with your team I think that is a good thing. It helps build camaraderie. This season will be over, but it will build it up for next year."