The Tug Valley Panthers last reached the West Virginia Class A football semifinals in 2014. They will try to accomplish this feat once again on Saturday when the Petersburg Vikings come to town for a quarterfinal match up at Bob Brewer Stadium in Naugatuck on Saturday at 4 pm.
The Panthers (11-0), coached by Hady Ford, are the top ranked team in Class A and come into the game after beating Tolsia, 48-8.
Sophomore quarterback Preston May will run the show for Tug Valley. Last week, he set a Class A playoff record with 482 yards pass and tied the passing touchdown record with 6. On the season, May has completed 160-of-265 passes for 2,577 yards with 34 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also has 56 carries for 377 yards and 2 touchdowns.
He’ll be joined in the backfield by the dynamic junior Bryson Elia who has 162 carries for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has 31 catches for 371 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Sophomore Cameron Slone has become one of the top wide receivers in Class A. Slone has 64 catches for 1,232 yards and 14 touchdown receptions. Look for Ashton Davis, Brady Brewer, Gavin Fitzpatrick and Derek Jewell to also contribute in the receiving game.
The linebacker duo of Cane Thompson and Adam Slone lead the Panther defense. So far, Thompson has 110 tackles, 1 sack, 9 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. Adam Slone has 90 tackles, 2 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Petersburg (6-5), coached by Shane Shockey, is ranked 8th in Class A and comes into the game after beating River View 49-8 in the opening round.
The Vikings are led by freshman quarterback Payton Metheny. On the season, Metheny has completed 112-of-222 passes for 1,807 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also has 67 carries for 372 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns.
Trace Rohrbaugh will see action at both wide receiver and running back. On the season, Rohrbaugh has 292 yards and 6 touchdowns rushing. He also has 39 catches for 483 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Peyton Tingler is a big play threat at wide receiver. He has 26 catches for 581 yards and 9 touchdowns this season.
Defensively, Rohrbaugh is averaging 13 tackles per game. Clay Arbaugh missed the first 6 games of the season but has averaged 15 tackles per game since then.
This should be a great game with a semifinal berth on the line. You’ll want to be in Naugatuck for this one!
