Morgantown, West Virginia – In exactly 7 days, the West Virginia high school football season will kick off for 2022 with some very good matchups in week 1. With a hot summer of 7 on 7 camps, weightlifting, and conditioning, players are ready to hit the gridiron for a much-anticipated season. We will be featuring the game of the week for each classification, with a breakdown of each team, and also showcasing our rankings for each week.
AAA
Week 1 in class AAA will feature a matchup between the defending state champion Martinsburg Bulldogs versus the class 4A Salem Spartans from Roanoke, Virginia. The Bulldogs have won the last two matchups at Salem; however, this will be the first year for Salem to make the trip up I-81 to play in the Eastern Panhandle. Salem is coming off a solid 2021 season making it deep in the class 4A playoffs losing to Broad Run, Va by 4 points to move on to the state championship. Salem brings back a very talented group (Preseason #4 in Virginia) that will try to make another deep run in the Virginia playoffs. The #1. Martinsburg Bulldogs will look to defend their AAA Title in 2022 and they return a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they have weapons everywhere with pre-season Kennedy award front runner Murphy Clement leading the Martinsburg high octane offense at Quarterback. Defensively, they will be led by senior linebacker Kam Shallis who led the team in tackles last year. Along with EJ Hendricks and Rashad Reid this Bulldog team is absolutely stout on defense. This game will be televised on the TV 10/WRNR YouTube channel at 7pm Friday, August 26th live from Cobourn Field at David M. Walker Stadium in Martinsburg, WV.
Other Class AAA games to watch in week 1
#2 Huntington @ #5 Spring Valley (The Highlanders edged the Timberwolves last year 9-6)
#4 Cabel Midland @ #7 George Washington (MSAC matchup of two playoff teams in 2021).
Class AA featured games week 1:
Bluefield @ Graham, Va. (Annual border matchup returns to its Week 1 slot for first time since 2019)
#5 Point Pleasant @ Greenbrier East (AAA) (Big Road test out of the gate for Point Pleasant facing a AAA team on the road)
Class A featured games week 1:
#2 Williamstown @ Waterford, OH (The Yellow Jackets are looking for revenge after an 18-12 2OT loss in 2021)
#5 Ritchie County @ Tyler C. (Upset in week 1?)
VOM Top 5 West Virginia High School Football Rankings Week 1
AAA
#1. Martinsburg
#2. Huntington
#3. Bridgeport
#4. Cabell Midland
#5. Spring Valley
AA
#1. Fairmont Sr.
#2. Herbert Hoover
#3. Independence
#4. Pt. Pleasant
#5. Bluefield
A
#1. Wheeling Central
#2. Williamstown
#3. St. Marys
#4. Ritchie County
#5. Doddridge County
