Parkersburg South Wins Tiebreaker to Secure 16th Seed in Class AAAA

Parkersburg South and Liberty Raleigh secure playoff seeds through WVSSAC tiebreakers

The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) has finalized the football ratings for the 2026 postseason, using a complex series of tiebreaker protocols to determine several critical seeding positions. Following the conclusion of regular-season play, the WVSSAC released the official results late Friday, revealing how teams with identical records or ratings were separated to fill the remaining playoff slots.

The decisions, which rely on a multi-tiered mathematical system, have immediate consequences for the bracket structure in Class AAAA and Class AA. Because several teams finished the season with identical statistical profiles, the commission had to move past head-to-head results—which were unavailable for the tied pairs—and into deep-level point differentials and bonus point calculations.

Parkersburg South edges Hedgesville in Class AAAA

In Class AAAA, the battle for the 16th seed came down to a comparison of bonus points after Hedgesville and Parkersburg South failed to meet in head-to-head competition. According to the official WVSSAC ratings report, the tiebreaker moved to “Tiebreaker B,” which evaluates the most bonus points earned within the ratings plan.

Parkersburg South secured the final seed with 72 bonus points, leaving Hedgesville with 57. This margin officially awarded the 16th seed to Parkersburg South and resulted in the elimination of Hedgesville from the postseason race.

Liberty Raleigh wins statistical battle for Class AA 10th seed

The Class AA seeding process proved significantly more complex, requiring the WVSSAC to exhaust nearly every available tiebreaker tier to separate Clay County and Liberty Raleigh for the 10th seed. The two teams were initially deadlocked across multiple metrics, including total bonus points and win/loss percentages.

The teams shared a 7-3 record (.700 winning percentage) and identical ratings of 43.6 bonus points. Because the teams had no common opponents to serve as a basis for further comparison, the commission moved to “Tiebreaker F,” which examines the difference of points scored versus points allowed against defeated opponents. The statistical divergence between the two programs was stark:

Team	Total Point Differential (vs. Defeated Opponents)
Liberty Raleigh	-173
Clay County	-655

While both teams saw negative differentials in their games against defeated opponents, Liberty Raleigh’s performance against its wins was significantly more efficient. Liberty Raleigh’s ability to maintain a narrower margin allowed them to claim the 10th seed, relegating Clay County to the 11th seed.

James Monroe secures 14th seed over Mingo Central

A final tiebreaker resolution occurred in Class AA regarding the 14th seed. Mingo Central and James Monroe entered the tiebreaker phase with no head-to-head matchup on their 2026 schedules. The WVSSAC applied “Tiebreaker B,” measuring bonus points, to resolve the deadlock.

James Monroe earned 52.4 bonus points, surpassing Mingo Central’s 46.4. This result awarded James Monroe the 14th seed, while Mingo Central was placed in the 15th seed position.

The reliance on these mathematical tiebreakers highlights the razor-thin margins that define high school football postseason qualification. For the programs left on the outside of these specific seeds, the difference between advancing and elimination often rests not on a single game, but on the cumulative scoring efficiency maintained throughout the entire season.