Parkersburg South head coach Nate Tanner gives his players a signal during a preseason practice at the Erickson All Sports Facility. (Photo by Kelly Patrick)
PARKERSBURG — In addition to the football rivalry between Parkersburg South and Parkersburg, Patriot coach Nate Tanner has been involved in plenty of games where bragging rights weigh heavily.
Tanner, playing against the Big Reds for the fifth time, gives Friday’s matchup at Erickson All Sports Facility an edge when it comes to the amount of passion that goes into this one game.
South and PHS did not play during the 2020 COVID season.
“I’ve been here six years and everyone talks about the South vs. PHS game.” “What’s at stake is a year of bragging rights,” Tanner said. “This game means a lot more to both communities. People who come to this game may not come to another game during the season.”
“It’s a great environment for kids to be in. Where I grew up there was a rivalry. I can confidently say the South-PHS rivalry is different than others. There’s a lot of passion and emotion. People care about it a lot more. It’s real. There are some places where there’s a rivalry and it doesn’t mean as much. People here are tied up in the stakes.”
PHS holds the edge in the head-to-head series, 39-17. Under Coach Tanner, South is 2-2 against the Big Reds, with both wins coming as the home team. Last year, the Patriots lost 43-35 at Stadium Field.
“In terms of the process, it’s the same at PHS.” “We’ll talk to the kids about the rivalry and what’s at stake,” Tanner said, “but it’s no different than any other game. There’ll be anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 people there and just a different level of enthusiasm overall.”
“The teams that control their emotions and play clean football will be the most successful.”
Since a season-opening loss at home to Wheeling Park, South has turned things around with wins over University and Woodrow Wilson.
After a scoreless first quarter in last week’s game at Beckley, South scored its first 14 points of the game in a span of just 10 seconds.
The Patriots led by as many as 24 points (35-11) and won 35-19 to improve to 2-1.
South had no problem with turnovers, with Woodrow Woodrow losing the ball three times. Patriots quarterback Collin Hayes rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns, and Dedrick Riggs, filling in for injured starter Eli Bartley, rushed for another 87 yards and scored his first varsity touchdown.
“I’m pleased with how we were able to establish the run game even without Eli.” Hayes said. “Dedric and Collin did a great job. We picked up where we left off against University. Our offensive line was tested a little more than last week.”
The Woodrow Wilson running game produced 142 yards, but no player ran for more than 17 yards.
“Our defense was solid.” Tanner said. “We imposed our will physically on the other guy. Woodrow Wilson likes to play phone booth football on offense and shove it down their throats. We responded. We conceded two goals in the air, which we shouldn’t have allowed. The kids will learn. It was a good away win. More confidence. It was a good test for the kids. They proved they can get it done.”
PHS entered Friday’s game with a 1-2 record after losing 49-14 to the Hurricanes at home last week.
“Defensively, we have to stop their running game. We have to slow them down and make the quarterback nervous.” Tanner said.
“Their running back (Jakel Shelton) is pretty dynamic. Their offensive line blocks well as well. Quarterback Cooper Cancade has impressed me on film. I watched him in 7-on-7 over the summer. He’s strong, he moves well and he throws the ball really well. You can see he’s put in work in the offseason. They have some pretty good receivers that run hard and run good routes. You can see they’ve been coached by (PHS coach Matt Kimes).”
“Offensively, we just need to find our rhythm and play our best, just like we do every week.”
Contact Kelly Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com.
