Some teams in the Kanawha Valley will find out quickly where they stack up against the competition with some strong matchups in week one.
SOUTH CHARLESTON AT GEORGE WASHINGTON
The Patriots and Black Eagles will have the honor of being one of only a handful of teams to usher in the 2013 football season on Thursday night when they face one another at Steve Edwards Sr. Field in Charleston’s South Hills.
GW is coming off of two playoff runs back-to-back that ended with losses to eventual state champion Martinsburg – one of those coming in the Super Six. The Patriots need to find new faces and new attitudes after losing three Division I players from 2012, six more to smaller college programs.
“It makes you feel kind of lonesome,” laughed head coach Steve Edwards Jr. “But we’ve got a great group of young men who have worked really hard. You don’t replace those guys, but you do get kids who try to bounce some of that success and grow into their own success.”
Edwards says he’s gone back to basics with a young and inexperienced squad. Jon Alexander will be under center when the Patriots step on the field. Alexander formerly played at South Charleston, then left to spend time at a prep school before returning to the area. Draven Rife is another transfer the Patriots will be looking to emerge as a new force in their offense.
South Charleston head coach Donnie Mays is excited about the possibilities with sophomore quarterback Kentre Grier. Grier entered game five against Capital in the second half a year ago with the Black Eagles trailing 17-0 and engineered a comeback that may never be forgotten at South Charleston High School.
The performance earned him the starting job he never relinquished. His arrival came two quarters after running back A.D. Cunningham’s season ended in the Capital game. Coach Donnie Mays is excited about seeing them together.
“They didn’t get to take a snap (together) last year,” said Mays. “Having those two back there should make a major difference in the run game and how they complement each other. A.D. has great vision and he sees the field very well,”
Added to the intrigue of the Thursday night matchup is a historical dislike of each other. A rivalry game is a great way to start a high school football season.
HUNTINGTON AT HURRICANE
Highlanders head coach Billy Seals is now second guessing his schedule making as he prepares to open the 2013 campaign on the road at Hurricane.
“Whoever made that schedule is an idiot,” said Seals. “That idiot is me, because I made it.”
Huntington lost six veterans from the line and Seals believes that’s the area of deepest concern as his team lines up opposite Hurricane, who comes into Friday with a much improved defense from 2012.
Huntington’s strength is behind that line and a trio of running backs. Paydon Christian, Charles Crawford and Nick Tubbs compiled close to 2,000 yards among the three of them last year. They are expected to help take some of the pressure off first year quarterback Clark Wilson.
Hurricane, for the first time in a while, has no issues with experience. Coach Jeremy Taylor feels he has strength and depth. Leading the Hurricane attack will be quarterback Austin Hensley. The senior has been at the helm for a third straight year and has earned a reputation as one of the MSAC’s most prolific passers.
However, defenses cannot focus completely on Hensley. Running back Zach Pate is a threat to run or catch the ball at any time on offense. As an all purpose threat, Pate could quickly burn opponents on special teams.
“We have to have a balanced attack,” said Taylor. “If Austin throws it 40 times a game, we’re in trouble. We’ve got to establish the running game.”
It should be a good one Friday night at Redskins Stadium.
CABELL MIDLAND AT RIVERSIDE
Riverside Warrior fans will get their first glimpse of the Freeman era in Quincy on Thursday night as the Warriors and Knights open up the season. First year head coach Steve Freeman will find out early what his team is made of as the defending state runners up in Class AAA come calling.
“With the compressed early start back to school in Kanawha County Schools it’s tough,” said Freeman. “With so many inexperienced guys, we really had to go back to teaching fundamentals and basics. It feels like we didn’t practice very much, but our kids did a good job after we put a lot on them.”
Midland returns a number of starters from the massive team which lost to Martinsburg in Wheeling a year ago.
“It’s going to be a good measuring stick for us to see where we go and where we’re at,” said Freeman.
POCA AT NITRO
Although the program says it’s a battle between Class AA and Class AAA, kids playing in this rivalry don’t let that enter into their thinking. Separated almost by walking distance, these two always come ready to play and deliver a hard hitting contest.
Nitro Coach Derrick Midkiff said he’s plenty pleased with how his young team has responded. A number of Nitro’s starters will still be underclassmen, but while they’re young, don’t think they are inexperienced. Many of those who’ll line up Friday played as true freshmen and have now matured into bigger players.
“We started seven freshmen and seven sophomores last year,” said Midkiff. “Last year they were 14 year-olds and now they’re 15, and they’ve put in more time in the weight room. They now look more like high school players, last year they looked more like a middle school team.”
The Dots are being forced to rebuild more than they expected. Jake Payne, who started for two years at quarterback, suffered a back injury during baseball season and decided against playing his senior year. That leaves Coach Bob Lemley to turn to Justin Stewart, who’s never played the position and didn’t play football last year.
Lemley anticipates growing pains with his young squad but hopes to iron out as many mistakes as possible before conference play begins.
OTHER GAMES:
Spring Valley at St. Albans
Beckley at Winfield
Lincoln County at Point Pleasant
Scott at Herbert Hoover
Sissonville at Chapmanville
Buffalo at Parkersburg Catholic (Saturday)