WEIRTON — Weir High was hoping to get off to a fast start last week coming out of a bye week and searching for its first win, and appeared to do so against Harrison Central, but the first of 13 penalties negated a long touchdown.

The Red Riders did not get much going the rest of the way on the way to another tough loss, and through four games, the self-inflicted errors have added up for the youthful Red Riders.

This week, first-year coach Quincy Wilson is hoping they finally put some of those miscues in the rear view and establish some confidence as Weir welcomes Keyser to Jimmy Carey Stadium.

“I was extremely disappointed with the penalties, obviously with 13 penalties, you’re not going to beat anybody doing that,” Wilson said. “We played behind the chains most of the day on offense and defensively, we played well on first or second down, but we just can’t figure out how to get off the field on third and long, we’ve given up the big play over the top or we’ve let the quarterback leak out.

“With a young team, as generic as it sounds, we just have to get back to work, get back to the fundamentals. Breathe confidence in the guys, say, ‘Hey, when we executed, we had an 87 yard touchdown because we did this right, we’ve been able to run the ball when we do this,’ so I think the biggest thing is keeping the confidence and keep working.”

Confidence is key with a young group, and getting a few things to go right early can go a long way in the Riders being able to turn the corner.

“I think it’s all of it,” Wilson said of the team needing to gain some confidence. “I think these guys have to see the ball go through the hoop to give a basketball analogy, they have to see what we’ve been working on work. We’ve been telling them believe in this. I think eventually it comes down to we have to play a good half, or we have to play a full game, and they’ll see it. I think it’s coming.”

Keyser will be a challenging opponent to try and do that against, as the Golden Tornadoes come to town with a 3-1 record having won three-straight after losing on opening night. They are ranked No. 8 in Class AAA.

They also bring a different challenge to prepare for as they run a wing-T style offense, the first one the Red Riders will have seen this season. Keyser averages better than 42 points per game, but they are allowing 23 per game on defense.

“They’re a wing-T offense, their formations are kind of compacted so we can kind of squeeze in and simplify,” Wilson said. “Creek had all kind of formations and Harrison was five wide, so there’s not as much thinking this week, it’s more fundamental football. It’s more eye discipline and physicality. It’s different to prepare for a wing-T, but again, I think it might be a positive for our guys to prepare for it, to just line up and play football. I think it suits us better and we play better when we can line up and play football and we’re not having to overthink, we can just play fast and free.”

Offensively, the Red Riders will make a few changes looking to kick start things. Senior Matt Geer, one of the former Madonna players on the roster this season, will see some more time at QB after leading two scoring drives late in the game at Harrison Central last week.

“We’re going to play play Matt Geer at quarterback a little bit, to try to get a spark on offense this week,” Wilson said. “He adds a little bit more of the run aspect. I think he can help keep us ahead of the chains and continue to try to establish the run.

“I think we’ve been close to being able to do that. We get a couple holding calls and it’s hard to run on second or third and 15, so we’ve had to get away from it. Staying in front of the chains is very important for us.

“I think if we can stay ahead of the chains, we can move the ball against these guys. I think we also have to be prepared to attack them in the passing game as well so we can try to have some balance.”

The opening kick is set for 7 p.m.