Preston duo enters record books, playoff scenarios wide open entering final week of football regular season

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Nov. 6—MORGANTOWN — Preston High played a historical contest last week against Buckhannon-Upshur in a shootout that saw the Knights fall 60-57 on the road.

Despite the loss, the Knights had something to celebrate as senior duo Slaton Manko and Aidan Schmidl combined for one of the most impressive offensive performances in state history.

Manko, the Knights' senior quarterback, completed 43 passes in the game while tallying 603 yards and six touchdowns. He also ran for 88 yards and another pair of scores. His 43 completions tied the single-game record from 1998 when Nitro's J.R. House threw for 43 completions against Morgantown High in the Class AAA state title game. Manko's 691 total yards is also believed to be a state record, which has yet to be verified by the West Virginia Sportswriters Association.

Schmidl caught 21 of Manko's 43 completions for 417 yards and all six touchdowns. The 417-yard mark set a single-game record for the state, ahead of former Nitro standout Jeff Clark, who set the previous record of 413 yards in 1999.

"Words can't express how proud I am of Aidan, " Preston head coach Mark Deep said. "I have watched him grow in the last four years as a receiver, and it is a pleasure to be his coach. Now he's in the record books and arguably the best wide receiver in the state. I wouldn't trade him for any other wide receiver in the state. Friday night was almost surreal when you look back at the numbers."

The Knights will host Class AAA Elkins at 7 p.m. today, needing a win to sneak into the Class AAAA playoff picture.

Playoff scenarios The final week of the regular season has the potential to shake up the playoff picture in all four classes.

Morgantown High holds on to the top spot in Class AAAA and can enter the postseason No. 1 with a victory over No. 10 Musselman on Friday. The Applemen are winners of three of their last four games after a 1-4 start. MHS will hold home-field advantage through the semifinals with a top-2 finish in the state.

University High has completed its regular season schedule and will stay sixth if both George Washington (#5) and Jefferson (#4) pick up victories in Week 11. The Hawks would host an opening-round playoff game before potentially hitting the road against the No. 3-seed in the quarterfinals.

Clay-Battelle is sitting firmly in third in Class A, and mathematically can't gain on second-ranked Wahama, even with a win against Magnolia on Friday. But the Cee-Bees can secure the 3-seed with a victory and the right to play at home for the opening two rounds of the playoffs. It would be the highest ranking in program history for head coach Aaron Lapoe and his club.

If the Cee-Bees were to lose, the potential would be for them to drop at least two spots, possibly three.

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