NAUGATUCK — With back-to-back games against winless

opponents, Sherman coach Shann Elkins had the same game plan for his high school football team the past two weeks: avoid injuries and record victories.

Mission accomplished for the Tide, which needs only two more wins to complete an undefeated regular season.

Sherman (8-0) posted a 50-0

victory over Class AA Tug Valley (0-8) on Friday, a week after it

posted a 36-6 victory over Class A Midland Trail (0-8).

“It’s a different approach,” Elkins said of preparing for and playing against overmatched opponents. “Just go in and do what we need to do and get out of there healthy. We are just glad those two are behind us.

“We are starting our big push now. You can’t wait to get physically and mentally ready to play in that

atmosphere when the playoffs begin. You have to get ready now.

“We talked to our kids before those games. We told them, ‘Don’t create any bad habits. Do the right things.’ We wanted to make sure we are fundamentally sound. A lot of times, you can get sloppy and start creating bad habits.

“We tried to make sure that didn’t happen, and I think we were

successful.”

Senior quarterback Colby Treadway completed 7-of-12 passes for 92 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Treadway also carried eight times for 116 yards and three scores.

Junior tailback Jake Halstead added 80 yards on nine carries and 15 yards on two catches.

Senior wide receiver Jake Rollo had three catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. Senior wide receiver Tyler Boulet made two receptions for 29 yards and one score.

Junior kicker David Chapman made six of his seven extra point attempts.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Parsons misfired on all three of his passes. Freshman tailback Justin Clark ran four times for 9 yards and one touchdown. Junior tailback Brandon Harless had 20 yards on four carries.

The Tide scored two

touchdowns in the first quarter — a 40-yard run by Treadway on a fake punt with 4:07 remaining and a 20-yard pass from Treadway to Boulet with 1:32 remaining.

Sherman added three scores in the second quarter — a 60-yard punt return by Rollo with 9:43 remaining, a 2-yard run by Treadway with 3:53 remaining and an 11-yard pass from Treadway to Rollo with 1:56 remaining.

The Tide tacked on two touchdowns in the third quarter — a 6-yard run by Treadway with 6:20 remaining, a safety with 6:03 remaining and a

2-yard run by Clark with 4:29 remaining.

“We made some mental errors in the first quarter, mostly on special teams, but nothing that was going to beat us,” Elkins said.

“We executed really well in the second and third quarters, which allowed us to open it up.

“We took the same approach as the week before. It’s not who we are playing, but how we are playing. Kids have to show maturity in games like that.”

Sherman limited Tug Valley to 77 total yards (15 passing and 62 rushing) and four first downs. It is the second consecutive week the Tide has held its opponent under 100 total yards and five first downs.

“Another impressive effort,” Elkins said. “We played well defensively.”

Senior linebacker Jonathan Bowman led the Tide with 11 tackles. Senior lineman Eric Davis and junior linebacker Mattlee Bassham each had seven stops.

Chapman and senior linebacker Codie Santonio added five tackles. Santonio made two of his stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Sherman is one of only nine unbeaten teams in West Virginia, including one of only three in Class AA. The others are Brooke, Fairmont Senior and Bridgeport in Class AAA; Wayne and Magnolia in Class AA; and Richwood, Madonna and Clay-Battelle in Class A.

Next up for Sherman is its annual showdown against Boone County rival and Class AA counterpart Scott.

The No. 2 Tide will visit the No. 19 Skyhawks on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Scott (4-4), which was idle last week, comes into the contest after facing two of the best teams in the state – a 14-0 loss to No. 1 Wayne (8-0) three weeks ago and a 36-8 loss to No. 9 Bluefield (6-2) two weeks ago.

“It really challenges you as a coach and as a team when you play these kind of games,” Griffith said after the Skyhawks’ loss to the Beavers. “If you face an opponent at this time in the season and you have a great game and things go good, but it only happens because of who you are playing, then you might go into ‘The Game’ without ever addressing any problems. Sometimes, this is a healthy pain.”

Despite back-to-back games against winless opponents, Elkins believes the Tide is

battle-tested and prepared to face its nemesis.

Scott has won six of the past nine meetings, including four in a row, but Sherman still leads the series 45-38-5.

“There is a fine line you have to walk with your schedule,” Elkins said. “You want enough tough opponents to get you ready for the playoffs, but you don’t want so many that you don’t make it to the playoffs or you are so beat up that you can’t make it to the playoffs.

“At the time we played Herbert Hoover, Liberty Raleigh and Shady Spring, those were all playoff-type games against playoff-caliber teams. To our credit, we did what we had to do to come out with a victory each time.”

There will be playoff

implications when the teams renew their rivalry.

Sherman was expected to drop to No. 3 in the playoff ratings, which were announced after the Coal Valley News’ deadline Tuesday. Scott was expected to rise to No. 17, putting the Skyhawks only one spot out of the 16-team field.

The Tide is playing for home-field advantage in the first, second and third rounds, which it will receive if it finishes in the top two in the playoff ratings.

The Skyhawks are aiming for their seventh consecutive postseason appearance, but they probably need to win their final two games to attain that goal. Scott will host Lincoln County in its regular-season finale next week.

“Obviously, it’s a rivalry, but there are bigger things at stake for us and them,” Elkins said. “The good part for fans is, this is the first time in years that this game has had more meaning than just the rivalry.

“There are things we are playing for. We are trying to get home-field advantage. Our kids want to be No. 1 (in the playoff ratings). We have two good teams remaining on the schedule. Both of those games will have a playoff atmosphere.”