SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — After posting its third shutout to complete its regular season with an 8-2 record, Jefferson High School enters the state’s playoffs tonight, in a home game against formidable Wheeling Park High School at 7:30 p.m.

It was a stick-to-the-basics, 48-0, win over county opponent Washington High School that sent the sixth-ranked Cougars to their third consecutive year of playoff games.

Not only did the Cougar defense stymie Washington and keep the 3-7 Patriots off the Marcus Field scoreboard, but it limited them to fewer than 100 yards of total offense.

In all, Jefferson recovered four Patriot fumbles and had forcefully taken a 35-0 lead by halftime of the intra-county game.

Now the Cougars turn their collective attention to Wheeling Park, an offensive-minded team that finished with the 11th ranking and a glossy 7-2 overall record.

Jefferson comes into tonight’s playoff game with the No. 6 ranking in the 16-team postseason.

Jefferson’s end-the-doubt-in-the-outcome-early performance versus Washington saw Keyshawn Robinson score three of the team’s stream of seven TDs. Robinson scored on a 44-yard pass from Dylan Harich in the opening half and then ran for a three-yard score and was on the receiving end of a 67-yard pass/run from Harich to finish the game’s scoring.

Tay’Shaun Roper began Jefferson’s scoring with a 43-yard run through the startled Patriot defense. Later, Harich had a short run for a TD, Jackson Rockwell caught a 30-yard scoring pass and Demarius Wallace also had an 11-yard scoring pass from Harich that completed the first half scoring. Harich had four TD passes on his successful night.

Jefferson’s smothering defense used the tackling and pursuit of Nolan Meehleib, Wyatt Shively, Roper and company to deflate the Patriot chances. In Wheeling Park, Jefferson will see a postseason-experienced team that blasted 2023 playoff entrant Parkersburg South High School, 64-14, and also defeated playoff entrant Morgantown High School, 26-16, during the regular season. The Cougars faced playoff entrants Spring Mills High School, Spring Valley High School, Martinsburg High School and Musselman High School. They defeated them all, save Martinsburg.

This week’s playoff schedule has Musselman at Cabell Midland, Morgantown at Huntington, Parkersburg South at third-seeded Martinsburg, Parkersburg at Hurricane, Oak Hill at Princeton, Spring Valley at Spring Mills and George Washington at Bridgeport.

Should the Cougars shoulder Wheeling Park out of the postseason, they could play at Martinsburg in the next round, which would be the quarterfinals.

Jefferson will take a six-game win streak into tonight’s playoff beginning.