PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — All four Wood County high school football teams advanced to postseason play last fall and that group included the Patriots from Parkersburg South. PSHS posted a 4-win improvement last fall, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2014 with a 7-3 record.
“We have a whole new expectation,” said Parkersburg South senior receiver/running back/defensive back John Kinnaird. “Playoffs are a must. Freshman and sophomore years we just wanted to have a winning season. Now we have to go to the playoffs and go far. Maybe even make it to December.”
Nathan Tanner was hired to replace Mike Eddy as the Patriots’ head coach in March. Tanner has previously been the head coach at Summers County and Martinsville High School in Virginia.
“My wife’s family is from Spencer (Roane County) and we have a nine-month old son. Where we were in Martinsville, Virginia, we were about three hours away from our nearest family. We made a group decision that this would be a great opportunity. It has paid dividends and it has been great being here so far.”
Tanner has had almost a full offseason to get to know his players and he certainly made an impression on Kinnaird early on.
“The first time I met Coach Tanner, it was at morning lifting. He was my lifting partner. So I got to learn first hand how intense he was. Ever since then, he has proven to be a great coach,” Kinnaird said.
“It is a lot of fun. I love to coach but I love to teach more than anything,” Tanner said. “In order to teach kids, you have to know how they tick. You have to earn relationships with those kids. As time has gone by, that has improved.”
South is replacing their starting quarterback and running back. Nick Yoho rushed for 1,095 yards and eighteen touchdowns in the regular season last fall. He is now a walk-on in the WVU football program.
“The skill positions are going to be a strength of our team,” Tanner said. “We have probably five to six receivers that can play. Brandon Penn is going to be our starting quarterback. In the backfield we have two or three guys that we feel really good about. We will be really balanced with who is touching the football.”
“The first 7-on-7 is when I found out that the offense will be running really smoothly,” Penn said, “We came here on the first week of practice and we cleaned everything up and now I feel really confident going into the season.”
Williamstown transfer Donathan Taylor will be in the mix at the running back spot. He was a second team all-state selection as a junior, helping the Yellowjackets to the Class A championship game.
“The cupboard is definitely not bare,” Tanner said. “We have a lot of kids that are going to contribute. And we have some young kids that need some growth but that is going to come over time. I think the program is in a really good place. Coach Eddy and his staff did a really good job getting the culture to where it is right now.”
“We are still trying to get deeper into the playoffs,” Penn said. “We were disappointed last year by losing in the first round (to Hedgesville). We always think about that and hope to be better each year.”