MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Looking back at the past five seasons of high school football playoff success in the Mountain State, the typical names will be no surprise. Martinsburg, Wayne and Bridgeport headline the list with eight combined titles.
Below is a look at the top 20 programs in the state in terms of postseason success from 2010-2014. Reclassification kicked in after 2011, so some schools have adjusted to their new classes, or had success somewhat slowed.
Schools received five points for winning a state title, four for a runner-up finish, three for a semifinal berth, two points for reaching the quarterfinals and one point for a one-and-done in the playoffs. Tiebreakers went to schools that advanced the furthest in the postseason among schools they were tied with.
Only 12 schools have made the playoffs in each of the last five years: Bridgeport, East Hardy, Greenbrier West, Hurricane, Martinsburg, Meadow Bridge, Point Pleasant, Robert C. Byrd, Spring Valley, Wahama, Wayne and Williamstown.
Spring Valley, Hurricane and Meadow Bridge didn’t quite make the top 20 on this list as none of them have had playoff runs that advanced further than the quarterfinals.
High school football postseason success 2010-14
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
MARTINSBURG (AAA) |
23 | |
| Championships: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2014 Quarterfinals: – Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: Martinsburg won a record four straight Class AAA championships, a run that included a 43-game winning streak against in-state opponents and a streak of 18 playoff wins. | ||||
| 2 |  |
WAYNE (AA) |
19 | |
| Championships: 2011, 2012 Runner-up: 2013 Semifinals: 2014 Quarterfinals: 2010 Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: Wayne won back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012, but then saw Bridgeport begin its own run in 2013. Still, the Pioneers have been a Class AA playoff lock and put together one of the most impressive five-year runs in the state. | ||||
| 3 |  |
BRIDGEPORT (AAA/AA) |
18 | |
| Championships: 2013 (AA), 2014 (AA) Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2011 (AAA), 2012 (AA) Quarterfinals: 2010 (AAA) Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: The Indians have flourished since moving to Class AA in 2012. Bridgeport previously had plenty of success at the Class AAA level, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2010 and the semifinals in 2011. | ||||
| T-4 |  |
WAHAMA (A) | 15 | |
| Championships: 2012 Runner-up: 2010 Semifinals: 2011 Quarterfinals: 2013 Opening Round: 2014 |
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| Notes: Wahama won its first football championship in 2012, part of a three-year run that included a runner-up finish in 2010 and semifinal trip in 2011. The White Falcons tied with Williamstown for the fourth spot on this list, with one each of a championship, runner-up, semifinal, quarterfinal and opening round appearance. | ||||
| T-4 |  |
WILLIAMSTOWN (A) |
15 | |
| Championships: 2014 Runner-up: 2011 Semifinals: 2013 Quarterfinals: 2010 Opening Round: 2012 |
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| Notes: Williamstown has been a power program in Class A for a while now, capped off with its triple-overtime win in last year’s state title game. It’s no surprise the Yellow Jackets would be this high. | ||||
| 6 |  |
WHEELING CENTRAL (A) | 12 | |
| Championships: 2010, 2011 Runner-up: – Semifinals: – Quarterfinals: – Opening Round: 2012, 2013 |
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| Notes: Had this list gone back 10 more years, Wheeling Central would find itself even higher. But after back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011, the Maroon Knights have faced first-round playoff exits in 2012 and 2013, along with missing the playoffs outright in 2014. | ||||
| 7 |  |
MADONNA (A) | 11 | |
| Championships: 2013 Runner-up: 2012 Semifinals: – Quarterfinals: – Opening Round: 2010, 2011 |
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| Notes: Madonna had a rough 2014 in defense of its 2013 title, but the Blue Dons’ championship and 2012 runner-up finish put them just ahead of Magnolia, Capital, Greenbrier West, Huntington and George Washington on this list. | ||||
| 8 |  |
MAGNOLIA (AA/A) | 11 | |
| Championships: 2010 (AA) Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2012 (A), 2013 (A) Quarterfinals: – Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: Magnolia won a Class AA title in 2010 and eventually dropped to Class A in 2012. Back-to-back semifinal appearances in Class A ended with the Blue Eagles missing the playoffs in 2014. | ||||
| 9 |  |
CAPITAL (AAA) | 11 | |
| Championships: 2014 Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2013 Quarterfinals: 2010 Opening Round: 2012 |
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| Notes: Capital owns the distinction of being the team to end Martinsburg’s dominance of Class AAA. Winning that 2014 title gives the Cougars the tie-breaker over George Washington and Huntington on this list. | ||||
| T-10 |  |
GEORGE WASHINGTON (AAA) |
11 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2011 Semifinals: 2012 Quarterfinals: 2010, 2013 Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: George Washington was left out of the 2014 playoff mix, but the Patriots still had four playoff runs in the past five years, including a runner-up finish to Martinsburg in 2011, 35-27. | ||||
| T-10 |  |
HUNTINGTON (AAA) | 11 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2013 Semifinals: 2014 Quarterfinals: 2011, 2012 Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: Huntington came up a field goal short of winning a state championship in 2013, falling to Martinsburg 9-7. The Highlanders have had a resurgence under head coach Billy Seals, which continued with a semifinal run in 2014. Huntington ties with George Washington on this list as the two teams have an identical resume with one runner-up, one semifinal and two quarterfinals in the past five seasons. | ||||
| 12 |  |
GREENBRIER WEST (AA/A) | 11 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2013 (A) Semifinals: 2010 (AA) Quarterfinals: 2012 (A) Opening Round: 2011 (AA), 2014 (A) |
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| Notes: Greenbrier West has had success at both the Class AA and Class A levels over the past five years, including a runner-up finish to Madonna out of Class A back in 2013. | ||||
| 13 |  |
CABELL MIDLAND (AAA) | 10 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2012 Semifinals: – Quarterfinals: 2011, 2013, 2014 Opening Round: – |
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| Notes: Like rival Huntington, Cabell Midland has re-emerged as a Class AAA power over the last five years under head coach Luke Salmons. The Knights have made at least the quarterfinals of the playoffs in each of the last four years, including a runner-up finish to Martinsburg in 2012. | ||||
| 14 |  |
POINT PLEASANT (AA/AAA) | 10 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2011 (AA) Semifinals: – Quarterfinals: 2013 (AAA), 2014 (AAA) Opening Round: 2010 (AA), 2012 (AAA) |
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| Notes: Who knows how Point Pleasant’s most recent run of success would have gone had the school stayed in Class AA – after a runner-up finish in AA to Wayne in 2011, Point Pleasant still has fared exceptionally well at the Class AAA level with back-to-back quarterfinal runs, despite being near the bottom of the classification in enrollment. | ||||
| 15 |  |
MORGANTOWN (AAA) |
10 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2010, 2011, 2012 Quarterfinals: – Opening Round: 2013 |
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| Notes: Morgantown couldn’t quite get over the hump as three straight semifinal appearances ended without a trip to the Super Six. Still, the Mohigans remain one of the typical Class AAA powers, despite missing the playoffs in 2014. | ||||
| 16 |  |
ROBERT C. BYRD (AAA/AA) |
10 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2012 (AA), 2013 (AA) Quarterfinals: 2014 (AA) Opening Round: 2010 (AAA), 2011 (AAA) |
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| Notes: The reclassification from Class AAA to Class AA has worked out quite well for RCB. The Flying Eagles have gone from opening round playoff exits (in AAA) to Class AA title contenders. Still, two recent trips to the semifinals have ended without a trip to Wheeling for the Super Six. | ||||
| 17 |  |
EAST HARDY (A) | 10 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2011 Quarterfinals: 2010, 2012, 2014 Opening Round: 2013 |
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| Notes: Probably the surprise team out of Class A on this list would be East Hardy. The Cougars have been all about consistency, making the postseason in each of the past five years as a 2011 semifinal run highlights the list. Moorefield is often the more recognized program statewide from the eastern panhandle in Class A (and deservedly so with past championships), but it’s East Hardy that has actually had the slight edge in postseason success over the past five years. | ||||
| T-18 |  |
FRANKFORT (AA) |
9 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2014 Semifinals: – Quarterfinals: 2010, 2012 Opening Round: 2013 |
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| Notes: Frankfort has put together a pretty successful five-year run, including a tremendous 2014 season that led to a trip to Wheeling for a runner-up finish to Bridgeport. | ||||
| T-18 |  |
ST. MARYS (A) |
9 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: 2014 Semifinals: – Quarterfinals: 2012, 2013 Opening Round: 2010 |
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| Notes: St. Marys has come on strong over the last couple of seasons, which includes a runner-up finish to rival Williamstown in 2014. The Blue Devils are tied with Frankfort for the No. 18 spot on this list with an identical resume of a runner-up finish, two quarterfinals and an opening round exit over the last five years. | ||||
| 20 |  |
BLUEFIELD (AA) |
9 | |
| Championships: – Runner-up: – Semifinals: 2010, 2013 Quarterfinals: 2012 Opening Round: 2014 |
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| Notes: If you go back a decade, Bluefield would be much higher on this list. The Beavers, though, haven’t quite been able to get over the hump for a trip to back to Wheeling since winning the 2009 title. An opening round playoff loss to Ravenswood served as a surprising early postseason upset in 2014. | ||||
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