By Wes McKinney
SPRING VALLEY AT ST. ALBANS
Fresh off its first playoff win in program history, Spring Valley enters the 2013 campaign with elevated expectations.
The Timberwolves will make the trip across Interstate-64 Friday night to battle St. Albans, which is coming off of a 2-8 season. Spring Valley will be looking to get off to a better start than last year.
“We started 0-2 last year and played with our backs against the wall the whole season,” Spring Valley head coach Brad Dingess said. “We preach to them every day about how important each game is.”
And there’s no doubt his team will be ready to get the season underway on Friday.
“I don’t know if you can really keep their emotions in check,” he said. “I think the kids understand what’s at stake for us. We expect to win. We have instilled that into our kids’ heads. Every time they step out on the field they expect to win. We teach them to have a winner’s mentality.”
Spring Valley and St. Albans will present a clashing of styles as the Timberwolves center around a heavy rushing attack, while the Red Dragons will be looking to put the ball in the air.
“It’s concerning for our secondary because we don’t throw the ball a lot so they don’t see a lot of action in practice,” Dingess said. “It worries us a little bit, but with us being run heavy and them being pass heavy they don’t see a lot of run heavy stuff. Everybody has some matchup problems. I think we stack up pretty well with them.”
CABELL MIDLAND AT RIVERSIDE
Cabell Midland will begin the season having won 17 of its last 18 regular season games, including a perfect 10-0 record last season.
That unblemished campaign gave the Knights a No. 1 seed in the state playoffs, which led to a Class AAA runner-up finish.
Gone from Cabell Midland is the two-headed rushing attack of David Gaydosz and Lowell Farley.
Even with the loss of the two all-state players in the backfield, the Knights had strong August practices in year three under head coach Luke Salmons.
“Instead of just teaching on how to get lined up, we’re teaching things that make us really good,” he said. “They have done a good job. The (practice) window in West Virginia is short and you can’t afford to have bad practices. We’re getting better each day and they are looking forward to the first game.”
Not only will the Knights be learning about themselves in game one, but also about their opponent, as Steve Freeman is in his first year as the head coach at Riverside.
“Anytime you have a new coach, it’s an exciting time and those kids will play hard and be tough,” Salmons said. “Riverside always has tough kids. I’m sure they will be ready to play us. Our mindset going into week one is they will be well-coached and ready to compete. We got to bring it.”
As a tune-up for Riverside, the Knights scrimmaged South Charleston and Johnston Central (Ky.)
LINCOLN COUNTY AT POINT PLEASANT
Year one back in Class AAA turned out to be a success for Point Pleasant, as the Big Blacks went 8-2, picking up the No. 12 seed in the state playoffs.
Pt. Pleasant worked heavily on its passing game during the preseason to continue to move up the Class AAA ranks.
“Last year, as the season went on, we got better at throwing the ball,” Point Pleasant head coach David Darst said. “In the playoffs, we attempted 20 passes. We have made a commitment to the passing game. Obviously we still like to run the ball.”
As for the anticipation of opening week?
“We don’t jack it up and make it some big, exciting game for us,” he said. “We try to treat it like another game. We know the kids are going to be excited about it anyways. They are kids and it’s going to be difficult to keep them from being jacked up. We know there will be a few mistakes. You don’t tell 15 to 18 year-olds not to get excited about the home opener.”
Schematically, Lincoln County will present a couple of challenges for the Big Blacks on both sides of the ball.
“They run a lot of play action and a lot of screens,” Darst said. “Defensively, they have a 3-3-5 stack just like WVU used to run. They are well-coached.”
TOLSIA AT WAYNE
Class AA bragging rights in Wayne County will be on the line when Tolsia and Wayne take to the field. The Pioneers have owned Tolsia over the last few years, as the Rebels have failed to beat Wayne since 2006.
After playing this annual rivalry game in mid-October, Wayne finally got its wish to move the game to week one.
“We’ve been trying to get this game moved to week one for years,” Wayne head coach Tom Harmon said. “There’s a lot of anticipation this time of year. Everybody feels pretty good about their team this time of year. We would like to see a nice crowd and get this season underway.”
Wayne, of course, begins the 2013 season as the two-time defending Class AA state champions, and winners of 23 straight games. The key to getting win number 24 in a row?
“They spread you out all over the field,” Harmon said of Tolsia. “We all know we will have to discipline defensively. They can get to the ball pretty much anytime. They play off blocks and swarm to the ball. If you don’t block well and tackle well, they can give you some problems.”
HUNTINGTON AT HURRICANE
Huntington coach Billy Seals continues to elevate the Highlanders football program.
Last season, Huntington made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs after going winless in Seals’ first season as coach back in 2009.
However, to begin this season, the Highlanders will have to navigate through some tough early games on the schedule, beginning with the Redskins.
“The last two senior classes have set the bar for us as to where we want to be,“ Seals said. “We need to take it to the next step. We want to be the first team in Huntington High history to play in the semifinals and possibly play in Wheeling.”
Hurricane signal caller Austin Hensley, though, could present matchup nightmares for Seals’ club.
“Everything he does is precise,” he said. “He’s an intelligent quarterback. He throws a great ball.”
As for where his team could ultimately go this year? That will all be a little more clear after Friday night.
“That first game as a coach you don’t really know what to expect,” Seals said. “We think we have a good idea of what we do well and what we need to improve on, but you never know until you get out there in a game situation. This is my 14th year of coaching and every year this first game is gut-wrenching as a coach because you’re not sure what’s going to happen.”
OTHER GAMES
Hannan at Valley (Wetzel)