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Fred’s Commentary Archives


MondayNovember 15, 2021

2021 Seedings Are A Little Misleading!!!

It always happens……there is always an “upset” or two in the first round of the high school football playoffs!  However, in 2021 there were six!  Six games in which the “favorite” came up on the short end when the final score was posted on the scoreboard!  Running down those upsets, we had one in Class

MondayNovember 8, 2021

48 For 6!

The second season has begun for the top 48 teams in the state and that number will start to rapidly shrink when playoff play begins this Friday night!  And, it will be an exciting weekend of high school football this Friday and Saturday as several key games are slated! We begin in Class A where

MondayNovember 1, 2021

Last Week of the Regular Season and 51 Games!

Ten weeks down and just this one final week remains in the regular season of high school football in WV!  I can remember many times over the past several years when we reached the last week of the regular season, the number of games played on that final weekend would be far less than 51! 

MondayOctober 25, 2021

Two Weeks To Go, And Still A Lot of Ifs!

As we enter week number ten of the high school football season, we have a lot of teams wondering if they will have football to play after November 6th! As we all know, 2021 has not been nearly as bad as 2020, however this year and this football season has certainly had it’s ups and

MondayOctober 18, 2021

If the Playoffs Started This Weekend……

This is week #9 of the 2021 high school football season and with only three weeks remaining in the regular season campaign, there is still quite a lot of football left to be played. And while it matters little how the playoff standings look entering week #9, it is still fun to take a little

MondayOctober 11, 2021

Week #8 – Who’s Probably In & Who’s Probably Out!

With week #7 officially in the scorebooks and Covid 19 or 20 or whatever number you want to use still playing havoc with some teams, the playoff field of sixteen is starting to play itself out. With teams still having four weeks remaining in the regular season, there is time available for those teams that

MondayOctober 4, 2021

Is This Really Week #7???

It is amazing to me how fast the high school football season goes by!  This week will constitute the 7th week of play for a lot of teams across the state and for me, that is so hard to believe! However, the good news is of the 120 schools in WV that play high school

MondaySeptember 27, 2021

Football and Academics!

West Virginia certainly likes its football!  Whether at the college level…..the high school level….junior high school level……or, pee wee and midget football……it’s all important to a lot of youngsters around the state! However, to play football the athlete must first earn the right and that “right” must be attained in the classroom!  In order to

MondaySeptember 20, 2021

Almost To The Halfway Point…….

I seemingly say every year, “the high school football season flying by”!  And, 2021 is no different!  Case in point, it seems as if we just started the 2021 season and a lot of teams will play game #5 of their 10 game schedule this weekend. And then there is Richwood…..you honestly have to feel

MondaySeptember 13, 2021

Week #4 Brings SSAC Rankings and Big Time Games!

Is this possible?  Week #4 in the 2021 high school football season is already here which means we are very close to the halfway point of the year!  And, as we enter week #4, it has certainly been a trying season for a lot of the teams around the Mountain State.  Take for example the

WednesdaySeptember 8, 2021

Covid Is On The Scoreboard; Local Teams Fighting Hard To Win!

As we enter week #3 of the high school football season, we cannot ignore the fact that Covid is still playing a huge part in high school athletics across the state.  And, even though this column is devoted mostly to high school football, I am fully aware of the fact that Covid is certainly entrenched

MondayAugust 30, 2021

2021 Friday Night Lights – Great Opening!

Fifty Six games played in week #1 of 2021!  Now, that’s a great start!  And, yes I know, we did have a few games cancelled/postponed because of Covid, however I will be the last person that let’s a handful of not played games put a damper on the many games that were played!  And to

MondayAugust 23, 2021

High School Football Returns This Week!!

I am not one of the many that believe “if you don’t talk about it, it will go away!”  However, I do believe you can talk about something way too much!  So, with that said, here’s hoping we don’t have to deal with Covid and that despised “map of many colors” this fall!  To the

MondayNovember 23, 2020

Super Six or Super Four?

The high school football championships are less than two weeks away and still a lot of questions remain!  But, before we look ahead, let’s take a quick look back! Last weekend, the quarter-finals were much like the 1st round with several games lacking opponents!  In Class AAA, only one game was actually played out of

MondayNovember 16, 2020

First Round of Playoffs: 12-12!!

Last weekend, the 2020 high school football playoffs got underway and once again it was the Coronavirus making the headlines.  Of the 24 games scheduled in the 1st round last week, 12 games were played and 12 had to be forfeited because of the wrong color on the Covid map!  In Class AAA of the

MondayNovember 9, 2020

Typical 2020 – 24 Playoff Games – 12 Could End in Forfeit!!

It is a weekend that almost wasn’t and even though the matchups for the first round of the football playoffs are set, we could be looking at half of the games never kicking off! It is certainly no secret Governor Jim Justice toyed with the idea last week of cancelling all post season play in

MondayNovember 2, 2020

It’s Time For A Big Pat on the Back!

It certainly is no secret, 2020 has been a very lamentable year!  However, high school athletics is much like show business…..and that is, the show must go on! This year, more so than any other, Athletic Directors around the state have been busier than ever just trying to give their high school football players and

WednesdayOctober 28, 2020

Covid Continues To Reign Supreme!

As we enter week #9 of the high school football season this week, one thing is for certain……the playoff field is going to look unlike anything we have seen since the number of playoff teams was increased to sixteen back in 1991! One major change in the playoff field, because of the coronavirus, is the

MondayOctober 19, 2020

Covid Map Strikes Again…..How Many More??

I am confident I was with the majority this past Saturday evening at 5p when I ventured on to the website of the WV Board of Education to check out the Covid 19 colored map!  For you see, that colorful map of West Virginia is our go to……it is the piece of document we all

MondayOctober 12, 2020

Six Weeks Down – With Fingers Crossed, Four Weeks to Go!!

Last Wednesday night (October 7th), WVSSAC Executive Director Bernie Dolin was gracious enough to appear on High School Sportsline and I thought his most profound statement was “we plan to start the football playoffs on time”!  That would mean we have four weeks left in the regular season, already shortened by one week, and the