MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A new all-sports athletic conference was announced on Thursday as six Class AAA schools have come together to form the Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference.
The league includes Hedgesville, Martinsburg, Musselman and Spring Mills out of Berkeley County, along with Jefferson and Washington out of Jefferson County. The new league had been in talks for about five years, ever since the new Spring Mills High School was proposed.
“We were just biding our time to create our own league,” said Martinsburg athletic director Greg Reed. “Our goal was that when Spring Mills opened its doors, that we would be ready to go — and that’s what we’ve done with these six schools.
“We’re all within 20 miles of each other, so the location is great for us,” Reed continued. “Even though we’re far away from the center of West Virginia and kind of on an island by ourselves, at least we have six large schools that bring something positive to the table to form an all-sports league. ”
The schools in the past have been a part of several different leagues, including most recently the Potomac Valley Conference. However, the opportunity to have an eastern panhandle West Virginia league consisting of just Class AAA members for all-sports was the ultimate goal.
“We’re not going to open up our league to Virginia or Maryland schools, we’re going to keep it as a Class AAA conference,” Reed said. “If Berkeley Springs or Keyser would ever go to Class AAA in three years, they would also be welcomed to join this league. But unless we got some new schools in Berkeley or Jefferson County, we’re happy and content to keep it with our six right now.”
One absence from the league in that area of the state, however, is Hampshire. The school is already playing four of the league’s six teams in Spring Mills, Washington, Hedgesville and Jefferson on the football field this fall.
“They have an open invitation, but I’m not sure they’re willing at this point to compete in all-sports,” Reed said. “We understand — they’re 65 miles away from us, which isn’t real far away, but as far as travel to play all six of our schools in all-sports it does kind of make it difficult for them.”
“We’re all within 20 miles of each other, so the location is great for us. Even though we’re far away from the center of West Virginia and kind of on an island by ourselves, at least we have six large schools that bring something positive to the table to form an all-sports league. “ – Martinsburg athletic director Greg Reed
The league, which is off and rolling immediately this academic year, will have team championships, all-conference teams and a coach of the year for each sport, boys and girls.
Perhaps, though, the biggest story coming out of the league in year one could be Martinsburg’s quest for a fourth-straight Class AAA football championship, something that hasn’t been done in the state of West Virginia before.
“We try not to talk about that a whole lot, but obviously it’s a goal,” Reed said. “The significance of that and to be in the history books would mean a great deal to our community and to our school. It’s kind of sentimental and would have a lot of value for us. But we have some good teams on our schedule and our first five games will let us know if we will be in the running or not.”
In terms of enrollment, the addition of Spring Mills to Berkeley County dropped Martinsburg down about 300 students to around 1,300-1,400. Hedgesville, meanwhile, took the brunt of the transition, losing close to 600 students going to Spring Mills.
“We’re okay with being 1,300-1,400 strong,” Reed said of Martinsburg. “I’m anxious to see what kind of an affect it has on our athletic programs, but I think we’re still going to be very, very solid.”