Wheeling Island Stadium, with its waiting wind and artificial surface, awaits the three West Virginia state championship football games starting this evening. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Wheeling Island Stadium, with its waiting wind and artificial surface, awaits the three West Virginia state championship football games starting this evening.

The Class AAA three-time defending champion Martinsburg Bulldogs come back to the Ohio River field with a bumptious 55-game winning streak and three raucous playoff wins this season. Martinsburg owns seven state titles in the past nine seasons.

Now 13-0 and having run through three straight 14-0 seasons, the Bulldogs will face unbeaten Cabell Midland in this year’s title game.

Martinsburg drubbed Preston County, blanked county rival Spring Mills in the quarterfinals and then ran roughshod over visiting Parkersburg South, 77-20, in last week’s semifinals.

Cabell Midland is equally unbeaten at 13-0 and posted a 31-0 shutout win over Spring Valley in the semifinals. Cabell Midland had previously dealt Spring Valley its lone loss of the 2019 season. Spring Valley had lost three straight state championship games to Martinsburg.

In the Class AA ranks, it will be the Beavers of Bluefield meeting Bridgeport’s Indians in the state finals.

Bluefield handled Fairmont Senior, 40-24, in one semifinal game while Bridgeport disposed of Oak Glen, 38-7, in the other semifinal match.

Both Bluefield and Bridgeport have loads of experience when it comes to playing in state semifinals and finals.

It’s been 41 years since Class A Doddridge County has been able to earn its way into a state championship game. Doddridge County chased long-time state contender Williamstown out of the playoffs last weekend with a 27-3 victory.

Wheeling Central Catholic with its four losses finds itself back at Wheeling Island Stadium after defeating Pendleton County, 27-7, in one small-school semifinal. The Maroon Knights will be defending titles they won in both 2017 and 2018.

Martinsburg is averaging 77 points a game in its three playoff successes. All three of its runaway wins have seen the game officials use a running clock in the fourth quarter. In fact, the Bulldogs led Preston, 84-0, at the half and used a slew of freshmen in the rapidly disappearing second half.

Bluefield and Bridgeport know each other well, having been in late-season playoff scenarios many times.

Doddridge’s severe lack of experience in any game this late in the season is the direct opposite of Wheeling Central Catholic, which sees the hometown site of championship games as almost a matter of fact.