HS Football Playoffs: Midland Trail starts its playoff journey against an old colleague

Former D-Coordinator Shane Shockey brings Petersburg to Hico Friday

Friday night will be a family reunion on Roger Eades Field at Patriot Stadium.

Sort of.

Former Midland Trail defensive coordinator Shane Shockey will bring his No. 10-seed Petersburg football team to Hico for the opening round clash with the No. 7-seed Patriots.

The home team is not likely to roll out the red carpet, however.

"It is good to be back in the playoffs. Happy for the kids," Midland Trail head coach Jeremy Moore said. "The game has an interesting dynamic to it. Shane and I know each pretty well. He has done a good job with them"

After a frustrating year in 2024 that ended with the Patriots missing the playoffs, Trail hit the field with a mission led by a senior heavy team.

"We have grown up and gotten progressively better as the year has gone on," Moore said. "That is a bright spot for a coach. You always want to see that."

The Patriots rocketed out of the gate with three wins, outscoring opponents by a margin of 131-13, including two shutouts.

A setback against AAA No. 9-seed Chapmanville only slowed the momentum temporary as Midland Trail responded with six straight wins to close the season.

The strength of the Patriots has been the run game led by senior Jayden Roop who rushed for just under 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns.

"It takes a lot of pressure off of everything else," Moore said. "It was also highly documented that we were starting a sophomore quarterback. It has made Rayce (Dickerson's) job a lot easier."

The strong start allowed Dickerson to settle into his role and as the season progressed, the young gunslinger became a lethal threat.

"He knows when we throw the ball it doesn't have to be a bomb. Rayce knows his job and is doing a great job of reading defenses," Moore said. "In the beginning of the year, he was trying to make the big play instead of taking what the defense was giving him. He has thrown some good balls."

While the guys up front have clearly done their jobs, Moore talked about the work done by his wideouts to expand the run game.

"Our wide receivers have blocked their tails off," Moore said. "They don't get a lot of love in that aspect, but a big reason why Roop is breaking off those long runs is because he isn't getting touched all the way down the field. It is just bunch of kids buying in and it's fun to watch."

The three losses for the Vikings were all to quality teams on consecutive weeks. Class AA No. 5 Doddridge, AA No. 3 Philip Barbour and AA No. 1 Frankfort.

"We will know each other. He knows what I like to do and I know what he likes to do," Moore said. "It's no real secret. They have really good skill players that we will have to keep in check. They have played well against everybody."

Moore is convinced the game will come down to assignment football and being physical.

"That will have to be our M-O from here on out if we should get past the first round," Moore said. "We just have to be more physical. We are not bigger, stronger and faster than a lot of teams in double-A. We just have to hang our hat on 11 guys doing there job."

The winner of Friday's clash will play the winner of Bluefield and Oak Glen in the quarterfinals.