Bluefield – The anticipated words from the PA system cut through the chilling wind at Mitchell Stadium.
“For the 17th time, your Bluefield Beavers are heading to the state championship game!”
No. 2 Bluefield forced three turnovers in the first half, building a 28-0 lead in an eventual 56-27 victory over No. 3 Philip Barbour in a Class AA semifinal matchup at Mitchell Stadium Saturday evening.
The win send the Beavers to the state title game for the first time since 2019 where they’ll face No.1 Frankfort on Saturday at noon at Laidley Field in Charleston.
The title game appearance is the 13th under head coach Fred Simon who’s in his 40th year at the helm, but by all accounts the Beavers are a year ahead of schedule. Simon admitted in August he thought this team was talented but anticipated they’d hit their stride in 2026.
“We’re very happy to be where we are,” Simon said. “We thought we could be in the playoffs, we never thought we might host throughout. Again, we all believed in them with the way they worked in the offseason but they deserve everything that’s coming to them. They deserve everything they’ve got.”
Playing in its first semifinal game, Philip Barbour had the look of a newcomer while Bluefield, a blue blood program with an underclassman core, struck from the jump.
It was Jaleel and Jeremiah Jones who led the way on what turned out to be a record day for sophomores.
Jaleel intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble in the first half while Jeremiah rushed for a season-high 153 yards and three touchdowns. The two set the tone for a Beaver team that scored three times in the first 11 minutes of the game, capitalizing on early takeaways.
“We know if you don’t have a really good defense you don’t have a chance to win a state championship,” Bluefield head coach Fred Simon said. “I’m very proud of how, again this week, we set the tone early and made plays and it was great.”
Jaleel jumpstarted the charge with a 21-yard interception return on a third-and-9 pass attempt by Colts QB Robbie Jones, returning the ball to the PB 44. Battling the sub-freezing temps and wind, the Beavers took to the ground on all five plays of their first scoring drive, drawing blood when Jeremiah Jones reversed field from left to right for a 21-yard score.
The Colts began to answer with five-play drive but a fumble recovery by the Beavers at the PB 49 proved to be another chip in the dam. Bluefield QB Max Simpson chipped even more with a 12-yard completion to Pax Calhoun and an 18-yard strike to Jamarius Smith, setting up a 15-yard scoring run by Jeremiah Jones.
Sensing its season slipping, Philip Barbour rolled the dice on fourth-and-1 at the Bluefield 40 on its following drive but was stuffed. Two plays later the hosts found the end zone for a 21-0 lead when Simpson found a streaking Jaleel Jones down the left sideline.
The Beavers effectively crushed all remaining hope for the visitors when Simpson threw a perfect 20-yard fade to Calhoun for a score and a 28-0 lead. While largely deciding the game, the touchdown also pushed Simpson to the top of the single-season passing touchdown leaderboard, breaking Carson Deeb’s previous record of 34 (2019) in a season.
“It means a lot,” Simpson said. “It mean we came in during the offseason and locked in and bought in to what coach Fritz (Simon) was telling us and I’m so thankful for him changing the culture here.”
The Colts pieced together a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive before the half to make it a 28-7 contest but never cut the deficit below 21 points the rest of the way with two off their four scores coming on kickoff returns.
In total the visitors rushed for 142 yards on 35 carries while completing just 5-of-19 passes for 112 yards.
Bluefield in comparison dominated again, rushing for 239 yards and passing for 299, good enough for 538 yards of total offense.
“I can’t say enough about the OG, offensive genius (offensive coordinator Fritz Simon),” Simon said. “He just sees so much up top and he knows what to do when we have to do it and then after that I know the players have to make plays but they also have to believe in the system and what we’re doing and they believe in him and what we’re doing offensively.”
Landyn Carpenter led the Colts with 122 yards rushing while Jones collected all 112 of Philip Barbour’s passing yards.
Simpson completed 22 of 31 passes in the win with Calhoun grabbing six passes for 91 yards and a pair of scores.
Jaleel Jones finished with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and touchdown reception.
About the Author
