August should be spelled “F-0-0-T-B-A-L-L”
It is indeed a great time of the year…the hot summer months will soon be just a memory and we will all have football to look forward to. The 2011 high school football season officially got underway at 12:01am Monday, August 1st when a few teams around the state hit the gridiron with their version of midnight madness. From all reports, the schools that did begin their season at that very early hour of the morning, had a great time in the cooler weather and the crowds that showed up proved West Virginia is ready for some football.
I know everyone at the MetroNews Radio Network is excited about another high school football season. As you can see, our special high school page on wvmetronews.com is up and running and we invite you to visit this page many times throughout the season to stay up to date on what is happening with high school teams across the state. And, of course something I am very excited about is the return of High School GAMENIGHT ! Hard to believe, but when the show begins on Friday night, August 26th, it will be the start of our 10th year with the program. Believe me, Dave Jecklin and I will be working hard once again this year to bring you the scores and highlights from every game played each week!
Now, before we look ahead to 2011, let’s look back at 2010 and, let’s be honest, it’s tough to look back and not remember the way the year ended. I’m confident everyone that was involved in the way the Class AAA playoffs took such a nasty turn wish they could go back and have a “do over”. And, even though the Class AAA Championship game had to be postponed for a week, no one can deny a great and very deserving champion was finally crowned! And, speaking of champions, to refresh your memory, the Class A title was won by the #6 seed Wheeling Central as they defeated the No. 1 seeded White Falcons of Wahama, 28-14. In the Class AA game, the No. 2 seeded Blue Eagles of Magnolia outlasted the top-seeded Red Devils of Ravenswood 28-13 and then in that delayed Class AAA title game, the No. 2 seeded Bulldogs of Martinsburg shutout the 8th seeded Bruins of Brooke.
Now, when we look ahead to this season, a lot of folks are very high on the defending champs in each class. While a lot of very talented seniors played their last game on the Island last December, all three teams that won gold in 2010 have a lot of great players returning to try and repeat. When I personally think back to the Class AAA title game from last year, I remember that defensive unit the Martinsburg Bulldogs put on the field and since they will return almost everyone on that side of the ball, I find it hard to believe Dave Walker’s squad will give up a lot of points this fall. But, how about a couple of teams that always are in the playoffs, but did not win the title in 2010. Certainly, the Black Eagles of South Charleston come to mind and all Head Coach John Messinger has to do is replace superstar quarterback Tyler Harris, who in three seasons accounted for over 8,650 yards and 116 touchdowns! Rumors are seniors Drew Orcutt-Rosen and Trai Gordon will compete with sophomore Jon Alexander for the signal calling duties at the AAA power. How about another Class AAA power in the Kanawha Valley?—George Washington. Head Coach Steve Edwards, Jr. will face the same task as Coach Messinger because his two year starter at quarterback, Nick Britton also graduated and now the head Patriot is said to be toying with the idea of possibly moving star receiver Tino diTrapano to the signal calling role. Coach Edwards is quick to point out however, that the backup to Nick Britton last year, junior Trever Bell is more than capable of leading the team this year. Coach Edwards says he will make the decision on what is best for the team. For the Mohigans of Morgantown, who have won four Class AAA titles since 2000, Head Coach John Bowers must replace some very talented players from last year including Chris Glover and Joey Musick. The head coach knows he will have to rely on juniors Conner Leone and Alex Weidman to lead the way. Another nice addition to the Mohigan backfield will be Pennsylvania transfer Tim Prince who has really impressed Coach Bowers with is quickness.
There are many other teams in all three classes that certainly have their sights set on reaching that final game on Wheeling Island in December and throughout the year, we will follow every team in the state to keep you up to date on their season is progressing.
Isn’t August a great time of the year?