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NEW MARTINSVILLE - For most teams that score nine points in a football game, that usually spells a long afternoon.

For the Magnolia Blue Eagles, it's a nine-point cushion.

One of the most dominant defenses in West Virginia was at it again Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field. On a day when the offense had trouble getting going, defensive coordinator Bob Ripley's defense was its usual self as Magnolia shut out Keyser for a 9-0 victory that puts the Blue Eagles into the state semifinals.

Magnolia will play host to Bluefield next week at a date and time yet to be determined.

''Our kids played real hard, especially on defense shutting Keyser down,'' Magnolia coach Mark Batton said. ''We lacked a little execution offensively and that is something we've got to correct. You can't come into these big games like that and not execute. But we came out of there with a big win and we get to play next week.''

Justin Fox kicked a 28-yard field goal in the first quarter and Stingray Bates ran on a toss from 4 yards out in the second quarter to provide all the scoring.

Bates and running mate Dillon Jackson had off days by their standards, with Bates leading the team with 63 yards and Jackson, the school's all-time leading rusher, going for 45.

What the two backs did do, as well as the powerful offensive line, was chip away yardage with runs of 1, 3, 4, and 5. The plays were enough to move the chains and move the clock, keeping the ball away from the Golden Tornado.

''We tried to shorten the game up and our offensive line did a great job,'' Batton said. ''Our backs run hard. Stingray and Dillon picked up some tough yards and picked up some crucial first downs.

''Anytime you can shorten the game and keep the ball out of their hands, that's a big plus.''

When a team only has a few possessions against the Magnolia defense, that isn't usually a good sign.

''They crowd the box and crash in on the edges,'' Keyser coach Sean Biser said. ''They make it hard for you to do some things. We adjusted to it and did some of the things we needed to do. We had two chances to score and when the time comes, you have to make the plays. We didn't.''

The Golden Tornado had just four possessions in the second half.

The first was a three-and-out that Magnolia turned into a 5-minute drive before punting.

Then Keyser reached Magnolia territory - for just the second time - but stalled out on the 46-yard line when Scott Kittrell's third-and-1 plunge and Tyler Biser's quarterback sneak on fourth-and-inches were stuffed.

After another Magnolia 5-minute drive that resulted on a botched fourth-down play deep in Keyser territory, the Golden Tornado had their best drive, getting the ball all the way down to the Blue Eagles 13.

Fox intercepted a pass in the end zone, but it was called back for pass interference, putting the ball at the 6. The next play was a sack of Biser (which also came with an illegal forward pass to an offensive lineman) that pushed the ball back at the 23.

The next play, Fox jumped in front of Kadeem Garland on a fade pass at the 5 for an interception that stood up.

''It doesn't seem to bother them,'' Batton said of his defense's reaction to tight situations. ''Keyser started to figure a couple things out and started to pick up some first downs and the ball gets down there on a couple penalties.

''They get first-and-goal from the 6 before Justin picks that one off. They always rise to the occasion. Hopefully, they will rise again next week.''

Magnolia killed nearly 5 more minutes off the clock before giving the ball back to Keyser with little time to spare, ensuring the Blue Eagles will play Bluefield for the first time in the school's history for the opportunity to play in the Class AA title game Dec. 4 at Wheeling Island Stadium.

''We've faced two good teams in the playoffs and have another excellent one coming up next week in Bluefield,'' Batton said. ''It's that time of year and we are playing with a lot of confidence, just not real smart right now.

''They know you have to win to survive. They never look past the game coming up. They didn't look past Roane County, they didn't look past Keyser, and they sure aren't going to look past Bluefield.''

Wayne 27,

Ravenswood 0

WAYNE - Top-ranked Wayne forced turnovers to stop a pair of first half scoring threats by Ravenswood and then limited the No. 8 Red Devils to just one first down and 24 total yards in the second half en route to a shutout win in the quarterfinal round of the Class AA playoffs.

Wayne (12-0) will host fourth-seeded Frankfort (11-1) in next weekend's semifinal round.

Ravenswood finished 9-3 with the loss. The Red Devils were bounced in the quarterfinal round for the second straight season.

Wayne took a 7-0 lead on its first possession of the afternoon when Austin Mills capped a 10-play, 69-yard march with a 17-yard touchdown run at the 4:56 mark of the opening quarter.

Ravenswood threatened twice later in the half, but came away empty-handed both times thanks to turnovers deep in Pioneer territory.

Wayne recovered a Jeremy Lawrence fumble at the 27-yard to end one threat.