Spring Valley football at ‘new level’ after runner-up finish

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Spring Valley’s football state runner-up finish in 2016 was the best season in the school’s history — a program that seemingly was due for such a run after building year-in and year-out under head coach Brad Dingess.

“That was big for our program to advance that far and play in the state championship,” Dingess said. “That was a good group and we had a lot of good seniors. That takes your program to a new level and we’ve been riding on that a little bit. But this new group this year has to make a statement on its own and keep that momentum going.”

The biggest hits from graduation came defensively for the Timberwolves as Spring Valley will enter 2017 with eight new starters on that side of the ball. Six starters return offensively.

“We’ll be fine,” Dingess said. “We have a lot of kids coming back who played a lot and we had a really good JV team – they didn’t lose a game last year, so we’ve got some good kids still in the mix.”

The offensive line has typically been a strength for the Timberwolves and that won’t change this season. While Tennessee signee Riley Locklear has moved on, Ohio State commit and 6-foot-6, 285 pound junior tackle Doug Nester will lead the way up front.

Spring Valley quarterback Derek Johnson ran for over 1,400 yards as a junior.

“We’re big up front and we might even be a little bit bigger this year than we were last year,” Dingess said. “Damion Wilson is going to play right guard for us, 6-foot-7 Zach Williamson will be at left tackle and Cleveland Wilder is back at left guard. We’ve got a good core coming back.”

Besides Nester, Spring Valley had two other players make D-I commitments this summer as tight end/defensive end Jacob Cassidy and linebacker/running back Owen Porter both made pledges to Marshall.

It only continued a recent run of D-I production coming out of Spring Valley’s program.

“We’re lucky,” Dingess said. “I think I have one of the best staffs in the state, but you can’t teach genetics – and we’ve just had a string of them. It’s a lot of fun to coach when you have a bunch of Division I guys out there playing for you.”

Porter, 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, finished his junior year with 94 tackles and five sacks for the Timberwolves.

“He’s our alpha wolf,” Dingess said of Porter. “He was our leader on defense last year, he takes charge and he does a good job for us.”

The Timberwolves also return their quarterback, Derek Johnson, who rushed for 1,429 yards and 15 touchdowns a season ago, while throwing for 809 yards and 12 more scores — he threw just three interceptions.

“The kid is first team all-state and he can run,” Dingess said of Johnson. “He’s our guy on offense and he makes us go. We also have a couple of other kids who can play quarterback.

“Sophomore Nate Ellis can sling it and (6-foot-4) junior Will Adkins is a big kid who can throw it all over the place,” Dingess said. “So, you might see Derek (Johnson) come out from quarterback and go to running back or slot at times.”

Spring Valley will have a bye in the opening week and then begin the season at rival Huntington on September 1 as expectations will be just as high.

“As a program, you always want to win a state championship and you keep preaching that and preaching that,” Dingess said. “Coming into last year we had only won one playoff game. So, getting to play in Wheeling last year was something special. Now that we have gotten there, our kids know what it takes.”

SPRING VALLEY
2017 Football Schedule

1 08/25/17 OPEN   
2 09/01/17 7:30 PM A – HUNTINGTON   
3 09/08/17 7:30PM A – ST. ALBANS HIGH SCHOOL   
4 09/15/17 7:30PM H – GEORGE WASHINGTON   
5 09/22/17 7:30PM H – SOUTH CHARLESTON   
6 09/29/17 7:30PM A – HURRICANE   
7 10/06/17 7:00PM A – RIVERSIDE   
8 10/13/17 7:30PM H – RIPLEY   
9 10/20/17 7:30PM A – CAPITAL HIGH SCHOOL   
10 10/27/17 7:30PM H – CABELL MIDLAND   
11 11/03/17 7:00PM H – GREENBRIER EAST   
 wins: 0   lost: 0   ties: 0




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