Sometimes when teams meet in the state finals, there is little or no history between their football programs. Like this year's title games in Class AAA (Brooke vs. South Charleston) and Class A (Madonna vs. Man).
But the double-A finals are a different story.
Wayne and Bluefield have played a couple memorable games in recent seasons, and revive that rivalry Friday when they square off in the Class AA championship game at 7:30 p.m. at Wheeling Island Stadium.
The teams met just last season - and it was one to remember. Wayne outlasted the visiting Beavers 41-35 in the playoff quarterfinals, holding off a late drive engineered by Will Cole, Bluefield's Kennedy Award-winning quarterback.
The Beavers, who trailed 41-21 with less than six minutes left, scored twice to come within six points on Cole's 7-yard scramble with just over 11/2 minutes remaining and recovered the ensuing onside kick. Bluefield reached the Wayne 14 before giving up the ball on downs.
Several key players return on either side. Corey Damron of the Pioneers ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns and Austin Mills returned a kickoff 93 yards for a score. Bluefield's Marcus Patterson caught nine passes for 138 yards and a TD.
Neither coach would predict another shootout for Friday's rematch.
"You just never know,'' said Bluefield's Fred Simon. "I didn't think last year was going to be a shootout, but both teams went up and down the field. That's what made it a great game, and that's what makes people want to go to them. You don't know how it's going to turn out.''
Wayne's Tom Harmon likewise doesn't expect a high-scoring game. His team has allowed more than two TDs in just three of 13 games, and the Beavers just five times.
"I'm not a big believer in past performances against teams and how that will dictate the current game,'' he said. "But I do know they have a different kind of team, and they're really more effective from a winning standpoint.''
Bluefield has been forced to make over its offense following the graduation loss of Cole. The Beavers went back to a run-oriented attack, and really went conservative when they lost quarterback Levi Beckett for about five games with a broken collarbone. He has since returned.
Each team was able to move the ball in last year's game, with Wayne gaining 393 total yards and Bluefield 377. However, the Beavers had the game's only three turnovers - all interceptions thrown by Cole to Wayne's Josh Meddings. All three led to Wayne TDs.
Curiously, turnovers were also the big story in the teams' previous meeting, which came in the 2004 state championship game in Wheeling. Wayne suffered eight turnovers and also botched a pair of punt plays, giving the ball to Bluefield at the Pioneers' 1- and 23-yard lines.
The Beavers also scored three defensive TDs in a 69-24 conquest, which set records for most points and largest margin of victory in the AA title game.
Some folks still recall that Bluefield seemed intent on wiping its own name out of the record books that night, as the Beavers had taken a 57-21 whipping from Wyoming East in the 1999 finals. Bluefield's backup QB threw a TD pass against Wayne with 3:15 left.
Harmon said that game isn't being mentioned much this week as his team prepares to again play the Beavers.
"If nothing else,'' he said, "it's on the radar as an experience you learn from. We understand we got beat by a very, very good football team. If anything, you learn how to handle [the trip to] Wheeling a little bit. There's no substitute for that.''
