Partly cloudy early followed by scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High around 90F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Cabell Midland and Capital took on perennial powers in their respective first football games of the season last Friday, and each came away in defeat.
The Knights lost to Kentucky Class A state title contender Pikeville on Saturday in the Pike County Bowl, 38-7, while the Cougars lost to 2024 Class AAA semifinalist Princeton 28-7 on Friday in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.
Capital and Midland face each other on Friday at 7 p.m. at The Castle in Ona in a Mountain State Athletic Conference contest. Both coaches said they are looking to correct mistakes by both the staff and the players.
Capital coach Jon Carpenter said after the loss to the Tigers that he didn’t have the Cougars ready to play. This week, Carpenter said he’s looking to diversify the play calls.
“We have to get more people the ball,†Carpenter said. “We got kind of jumbled up in there.â€
Much of the offense for Capital (0-1) involved getting the ball in the hands of junior running back David Robinson. The Cougars got 89 rushing yards from Robinson, of which 60 came on the Cougars’ only touchdown, a third-quarter run.
Cabell Midland coach Eric Fetty said the Panthers – annually one of Kentucky's small-school powers – were a difficult opponent to face, with only four players returning to the Knights who had any varsity experience.
"We had new faces on the field and took on a good opponent right out of the gate," Fetty said. "We made some mistakes, but it's nothing we can't fix."
Under Fetty, Midland (0-1) doesn’t look much different on film than it did under former coach Luke Salmons, Carpenter said. Salmons left Ona for Corbin (Kentucky) before the 2024 season.
That isn’t something the Capital coach said gives him any comfort.
“It’s hard to get ready for. It’s old-school,†Carpenter said of Midland's approach. “It’s simple, but it works for them.â€
The challenge for Fetty and the Knights for this week will be stopping Robinson and Capital’s other skill position players.
"He's a solid running back," Fetty said of Robinson. "They're good in the skill positions. They're going to win a lot of football games."
Capital and Cabell Midland represent the new divisional format for the MSAC this season, in which the Cougars play in the Gold Division – along with Riverside, South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, Spring Valley and St. Albans -- the smaller half of the MSAC's 10 schools, and all of which are in Class AAA except for the Warriors. The Knights are in the Blue Division, with Huntington, Hurricane, George Washington and Parkersburg. All are in Class AAAA.
Parkersburg South and Woodrow Wilson are set to join the MSAC but not eligible for the league title this season.
The Cougars hold a 19-14 edge in the all-time series. However, the Knights have won the last five meetings, including a 40-19 victory over Capital at University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Stadium at Laidley Field in 2024.
The last time Capital won in Ona was 2017, when the Cougars won a shootout, 55-49.
Rick Elmore covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-5122 or relmore@hdmediallc.com. Follow @ElmoreSports on Twitter/X.
