School is back in session….summer is over (almost)….and the best news of all, it’s time for high school football! Teams all across the state will head into action in week number one and the good news right now is everyone is undefeated and eligible for the playoffs!
Speaking of playoffs, it is time for a little refresher as we take a quick look back to 2013 and remind you of the teams that left Wheeling Island Stadium last year with state titles in hand. In Class AAA, the broadcast team from MetroNews was treated to one of the best games in memory as the Bulldogs of Martinsburg outscrapped the Highlanders of Huntington 9-7 to win their fourth straight Class AAA championship. That marked the first time in the big school’s division that one team had won four titles in a row. That feat occurred two times in Class A as Moorefield won the title in 1996 – 97 – 98 and 1999 and Wheeling Central also won four in a row between 2004 and 2007. No team has ever captured five straight state titles and Martinsburg will have that opportunity this year! In the Class AA division last year, the Bridgeport Indians and the Wayne Pioneers also treated the crowd in Wheeling to an outstanding championship game as the boys from Harrison County upset the previously undefeated Pioneers 14-13. And, in Class A the Blue Dons of Madonna capped off a perfect season by defeating the Cavaliers of Greenbrier West 24-14. The combined record of the six teams that played for the titles last December in Wheeling was 78-6 proving without question the cream did indeed rise to the top last season.
However, that was last year…..what does this year hold? Well, if you look at all of the pre-season polls, including the one just recently revealed by the MetroNews Networks, a lot of those familiar faces should be in the mix when we head to Wheeling in about 15 weeks. In Class AAA the favorites once again seem to be Martinsburg, Huntington, Capital, Wheeling Park and Cabell Midland. However, noise will be made by a lot of other teams including the Black Eagles of South Charleston, the Black Knights of Point Pleasant, the Mohigans of Morgantown, the Patriots of George Washington and the Hawks of University. In Class AA, most polls like the Wayne Pioneers and the Bridgeport Indians and those two schools are certainly easy picks because they are in the mix every year. 2014 could also be the year football fans will be impressed with the likes of Robert C. Byrd, Bluefield, Sissonville, Frankfort, Keyser, Mingo Central, Fairmont Senior and Wyoming East. In Class A, the favorites will once again be the Maroon Knights of Wheeling Central, the Yellow Jackets of Williamstown, the Blue Dons of Madonna and the Cavaliers of Greenbrier West. Also look for noise from Moorefield, St. Marys, Bishop Donahue, Wahama, Magnolia and the Man Hillbillies.
Another reminder, as we head into week number one of the high school football season, a couple of radio programs dedicated to high school sports returns to the air waves of radio stations all across the state. On Wednesday nights from 7 to 9, the High School Statewide Sportsline will return and I will be joined by Dave Jecklin and Garrett Cullen to talk about everything that is high school sports. From football to soccer…..golf to swimming….we will cover the coaches and athletes on High School Sportsline. And, then of course on Friday nights it’s GAMENIGHT….back for the 13th year and Dave and I are looking forward to talking with you every Friday night about the high school football games being played across the state.
High School Football…….it is indeed a wonderful time of the year!!