A longtime rivalry opens the 2026 season as Grafton visits Philip Barbour for the MetroNews Television Week 1 Game of the Week, sponsored by GoMart.

Philip Barbour enters 2026 following the best season in program history. The Colts finished 10-3 and advanced to the Class AA semifinals in 2025 before falling to eventual state runner-up Bluefield. Head coach Nick Mayle enters his sixth season after transforming a program that went its first 60 years without a playoff victory into one that has won postseason games in three consecutive seasons.

Grafton begins a new era under first-year head coach Bobby Beltner. The Bearcats are looking to turn the corner after five wins over the last four seasons, but their 2025 record doesn't tell the entire story. Grafton lost five games by fewer than two touchdowns and now gets an immediate opportunity to make a statement against one of its biggest rivals.

Watch Grafton at Philip Barbour live from George Byrer Field in Philippi on Friday, August 28. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on MetroNews Television, with Eli Brady and Coach Bartic on the call.

Game produced by: MetroNews Television