Weir studies up on playoff opponent James Monroe

WEIRTON - Weir High football coach Eric Meek has watched a lot of films recently.

Eleven to be exact.

All are game footage of the James Monroe Mavericks who will battle the Red Riders at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the West Virginia Class AA quarterfinals at Jimmy Carey Stadium in Weirton.

"We watched all 11 games," the former Wellsville coach said. "We've had some long nights. We were fortunate to have an extra day with the game being on Saturday. We've looked at everything; personnel, formations, matchups. There is a lot that goes into game planning that people don't realize."

While Meek is no stranger to playoff football - he guided Weir to the state title in 2005 - he might be in for one of his biggest tests with James Monroe.

The Mavericks (8-3) are making their eighth straight playoff appearance, and won three postseason games last year before falling to Bluefield, 20-12, in the championship game.

That team graduated 18 seniors, prompting some to believe a rebuilding effort would be necessary. The Mavericks, however, didn't rebuild, they just reloaded.

"From what we've seen, they've improved tremendously from Week 1," Meek said. "They have a veteran coach and they have a lot of weapons. They don't just have one threat."

One reason the Mavericks are playing their best football of late is due to the resurgence of senior running back Taylor Robertson. In 2007, Robertson ran for 1,877 yards and 28 touchdowns. In Week 2 of this season, Robertson was injured, but still managed 778 yards and six scores and appears to be "back to his old self" according to Meek.

If Robertson weren't enough, Nick Kisiel picks up the slack for James Monroe by doing a little bit of everything. Kisiel has gained 523 yards rushing and six touchdowns, 190 yards receiving and three scores and totaled 80 tackles, including 15 for a loss on defense.

"We played super," James Monroe coach Donnie Jackson told the Charleston Gazette about last week's game. "This was one of our best games. We've been getting better every week."

Last week James Monroe, the No. 12 seed, defeated No. 5 seed Chapmanville, 33-0.

Mavericks quarterback John Ballengee led an efficient James Monroe offense, going 6-of-7 for 160 yards and three touchdowns. Ballengee also rushed for a score and intercepted one of his team's three interceptions.

The defense also recovered a fumble and allowed Chapmanville only 37 rushing yards.

But don't count out the Red Riders just yet.

Weir (9-2), the No. 4 seed, has also been on a roll of late, not having dropped a game since Oct. 10.

In the last four games, the Red Riders have run over opponents to the tune of 1,354 yards rushing on 215 attempts (a 6.3 yard average). Last week in a 23-14 win over Independence, Weir's jumbo backfield of quarterback Bryant Davidson and running back Derrick Rovira combined for 372 yards on the ground. Davidson moved into ninth place on the all-time career rushing list at Weir and has 1,787 this season.

"All year we relied on a physical style of football," Meek said. "We run out of the 'spread-read' offense. Everything's out of the shotgun. Derrick has always been a lineman and Davidson never really played quarterback, but we've had to put people in the best position to win and they've done extremely well."

The Red Riders have also displayed a knack for winning the tight games, winning three contests by a total of five points.

"We've won all the close games," Meek said. "We've been able to find a way to win."

Much credit is due to Weir kicker Justin Horstman, who has seven field goals on the season, but none bigger than the three he nailed last week against Independence. Horstman accounted for 11 points in Weir's nine-point victory.

"We practice kicking every day," Meek said. "Special teams is a focus all week, not just one day. (Horstman) has had huge kicks all year. He had the winning kick against Oak Glen, Brooke and Claymont."

Weir-James Monroe has all the makings of a classic high school playoff game, two veteran coaches, two powerful ground games and two teams playing their best football at exactly the right time.

"We're expecting a lot of our own kids to come back to watch this one," Meek said. "The community is really excited. It's been a great year for football in Weirton."

NOTES: Meek, who graduated from East Palestine, coached Wellsville from 1995-2002 and has also spent time with Toronto, YSU and Robert Morris. ...The winner of tomorrow's game will play the winner of tonight's matchup between No. 1 Keyser and No. 8 Magnolia. ...Weirton also has another team in the Class AA playoffs, Madonna, who will take on No. 2 Pocahontas County tonight in a matchup of 11-0 teams.