Hurricane vs. Paintsville

By now most know that the Hurricane Redskins vs. Paintsville Tigers contest has been moved up to Thursday night at 7pm due to the lasting effects of Hurricane Harvey. A Hurricane game altered by a hurricane thats weird!

So this strangest game on the Redskins schedule against an unusual opponent located out of state.....just got a little weirder.

Due to the day and time change, rumor has it that the cheerleaders, band, and dance team will not be traveling to the game. Let's hope the team shows up ready to play.

What do we know about Paintsville? The are off to a 2-0 start to the season. They have outscored their opponents by a combined 78-14. They had a perfect 11-0 regular season in 2016 and won 2 playoff games in Kentucky 1A before losing to Hazard in the semi-finals.

Yes it has been awhile since Hurricane has played a game on a Thursday night. However it was not unusual back in the day. In fact when GW and Capital shared Laidley Field, and Huntington and Huntington East shared Fairfield Stadium, it happened quite often.

I can tell you that it will probably be the first time this millennium that the Redskins strap up the chin straps on a Thursday.

YES NOAH we play tomorrow.

Adding to the unique nature of tomorrow's game is that by all indications it will be the first time that Hurricane has EVER traveled out of the great state of West Virginia to play a football game.

Here is a bit of what we may know about Paintsville:

Paintsville graduated quarterback Darren Morris and running back Kent Phelps, who combined for 2,789 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns — 32 of them Phelps’ — last season.

Senior Tanner Smith, who completed 5 of 7 passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns last season, is bidding to replace Morris at quarterback. Freshman Jake Hyden is also in the running in a quarterback situation.

Sophomore John Walker Phelps will be trying to pick up where his brother left off in the backfield. The younger Phelps is Paintsville’s leading returning runner, having rushed for 266 yards and a touchdown last season.

Senior defensive lineman Tyrese Allen may get the ball in short-yardage situations. He piled up 184 yards and two TDs last season. His younger brother, sophomore Jaylyn, will compete for carries, too, along with senior Silas Stambaugh (68 yards, one touchdown last year) and senior Dalton Daniels (38 yards).

Paintsville’s passing philosophy: throw the ball in the direction of somebody named Allen. Junior twins James and Chris Allen combined for 842 receiving yards last season and 19 TDs (James 11, Chris eight). Tyrese Allen caught three passes for 65 yards and a TD.

So the Redskins travel to a strange place to face an unknown opponent on a Thursday night, with no band and perhaps no cheerleaders? Could this game get any weirder?

As much as we love our Redskins, weird may be a good choice in describing the likes of J.T. Cooper, Cameron Kimble, Payton Lunsford, Noah Craddock, Matt Hartleben, Tommy Butler, Steven Shine, Michael Watson, Charlie Womack and the rest of the Skins defense.

Is anyone else convinced that this group thrives on weird and they will be ready??