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Roane County receiver Aaron Atkinson reaches back for a pass as Ritchie County defender Alan Snodgrass tries to get a hand on the ball. DREW HARDMAN/SPENCER NEWSPAPERS

Where they are is — the Roane County Raiders have qualified for the Class AA playoffs for only the second time in school history.

“We’re in the playoffs, period,” Raider head coach Tom Hardman said. There are 25 AA teams that aren’t practicing and Roane County is. I’m not apologizing to anybody.”

Hardman’s Raiders, No. 16, will take on the undefeated and No. 1 Bluefield Beavers of coach Fred Simon Friday at Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Roane (5-5) earned the final playoff berth by beating Ritchie County 41-27 last week. They also got a lot of help when No. 15 Ravenswood lost to Ripley and Sherman upset Westside, which had been tied with the Raiders at No. 17. Winfield actually finished in a tie with the Raiders for the last spot, but came up on the short end of a comparison of bonus points (wins by defeated opponents), 16-13.

The unlikely postseason trip for the Raiders came during a season of high expectations that began with three straight losses. Four straight wins followed, including one over No. 12 Sissonville, before disappointing losses to Calhoun County and Herbert Hoover.

“We were out, then we were back in, then we were out and now we’re in,” Hardman said. “We’ve come a long way.”

Roane will travel a long way Friday to face a talented team. Bluefield (9-0) and Roane have one common opponent, Scott. The Raiders fell to the Skyhawks 40-18 in the season opener while the Beavers won 35-25 last week at UC Stadium.

“I told the guys it’s all downhill after this one,” Hardman joked.

Bluefield uses several variations of the spread offense and will also line up in the more traditional T-formation. Speed is the number one weapon for the Beavers.

“Everything they do, they do it very quickly,” Hardman said.

Will Cole (6-1, 189 junior) is the Bluefield quarterback. Hardman said Cole does a good job directing the attack and has a strong arm.

“But he’s not the most mobile quarterback we’ve faced,” he said.

Cole throws to several speedy receivers, mainly on short passes designed to gain yards after the catch. Ansel Ponder (6-2, 170 senior) is the most dangerous Beaver, both as a receiver and a kick returner.

“He’s got good speed and size,” Hardman said. “We don’t want him to touch the ball.”

A strong offensive line will try to pave the way for talented backs including Shaun Brooks (6-2, 185 senior) and Jake Lilly (5-11, 185 sophomore).

“You get concerned with their off-tackle (plays) and then they’ll hand it to that fullback (Lilly) and he’ll hurt you.

“Basically, if they’ve got offense beside their name, they’re good.”

The Beavers’ 3-5 defense is also pretty good. Hardman singled out two-way linemen Aaron Bowes (5-7, 165) at nose guard, Christopher Harris (6-1, 243 senior) at one tackle and Michael Miller (6-3, 259 senior) at the other tackle as key players.

“Those three guys are dangerous because of their penetration,” Hardman said. “They may have a weakness on defense off tackle on the edge.”

The Raiders are led by players including senior Josh Drake (1,181 passing yards and 638 rushing, 18 total touchdowns), junior Eric Jarvis (527 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 107 tackles), junior Chris James (91 tackles), senior Brad Parsons (four sacks) and senior David Miller (three interceptions).

“I feel we need to play darn near perfect on offense,” Hardman said. “We need to take care of the ball, manage the clock and strike when we have the opportunity.

“On defense, we’ve got to contain them and not give up the big play. That’s a tall order.”

But it’s one Hardman and his Raiders are happy to take on. After all, they could already have packed their equipment away until next year.

“We have struggled some this season, but now we’re going to the state playoffs for the second year in a row. We’re excited.”

RAIDER RAP: Roane and Bluefield have never met in football. The winner of Friday’s game will play the survivor of Saturday’s game at Frankfort between No. 8 Keyser and No. 9 Chapmanville…

Bluefield had three victories by single digits during a perfect regular campaign. The Beavers beat Virginia schools Campbell (14-7) and Richlands (16-3) and handed No. 3 James Monroe its only loss (14-7). Other wins came over Graham, Va. (26-12), Princeton (20-0), Oak Hill (40-14), Shady Spring (54-8), Mt. View (62-0) and No. 5 Scott…

The Beavers share Mitchell Stadium with cross-town rival Graham. Built in 1936, it seats more than 10,000, with standing room for 2,000 more and has an artificial FieldTurf surface. The stands were renovated seven years ago as part of a $1 million project…

Bluefield is a member of the Coalfield Conference. The Beavers finished the regular season 6-3 a year ago and were ranked No. 5 heading into the playoffs. They won their first-round game against Liberty Harrison before falling to Tolsia in the quarterfinals. Roane was No. 14 a year ago and lost to eventual state champion Wayne 34-8 in the first round…

Bluefield has won seven state championships, five as a AAA school, and two in AA, the most recent coming in 2004…

The Raiders plan to leave the school at 1 p.m. Friday on two chartered buses. They will stop in Beckley for a pregame meal and return to Spencer after the game.