By: Fred Persinger II
Riverside at Woodrow Wilson
A new era has begun at Woodrow Wilson this season. For only the third time since 1977, the Flying Eagles will start the year with a new head coach. Street Sarrett has taken over the Beckley program, vacated by John Lilly who stepped down after last season and is now the QB coach at Bluefield College.
Last year, the Flying Eagles struggled through a tough MSAC schedule and suffered multiple injuries to finish the year at 3-7. This year, a lot of those skill players return, including senior running backs Meeko Harris and Noah Norman, junior quarterback Sutton Radford and sophomores Micah Hancock and Logan Cook.
The offensive line returns two starters in Ellis Lilly and Austin Henderson, but will feature some good young talent including 6-foot-3, 214 pound freshman Ian Pomeroy who has worked his way into the starting lineup at center.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Jordie Hancock returns after an injury sidelined him for a lot of the 2015 season. There will also be some new names to help on the defensive side, including junior Tyree Swafford and cornerback Peyton Thomas. Thomas played as a freshman, but did not play last year – he collected an interception last week in scrimmage action.
Riverside starts the 2016 season with a 24 game losing streak, but second year coach Zach Davis has seen a lot of improvement so far in the preseason. Riverside will be led by sophomore running back Quisean Gray who rushed for 725 yards and seven touchdowns last year as a freshman. Riverside will also welcome back four receivers and quarterback Mark Scites. The Warriors are looking to take a step offensively after only scoring more than 24 points one time in the 2015 season.
Beckley and Riverside have become solid rivals in the MSAC with some good hard hitting games in the past. This will be the 13th meeting between the two schools as Beckley has won seven of those meetings, including the last four games.
The Beckley football program overall, meanwhile, has a brand new weight room and locker room, brand new scoreboard and play clocks — a new press box installed very soon as well.
Going back to 1921, every new coach in Beckley history has won his first game. Coach Sarrett will try to keep that tradition going this Friday Night against Riverside. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Friday night. The game can be heard on The Big Dawg 99.5 WJLS. WJLS.com and on the Iheart radio app.
Bluefield vs. Graham, Va.
There are a lot of great rivalries across the state: Morgantown vs. University, Parkersburg vs. Parkersburg South, Martinsburg vs. Hedgesville, Wyoming East vs. Westside to name a few.
But the biggest rivalry crosses states with the annual Bluefield and Graham, Va. battle. The tailgating begins on Thursday and over 12,000 fans will pack Mitchell Stadium to watch the battle of the Bluefields.
The matchup this year could be one of the better recent contests between the two schools. For Bluefield, a lot of speed and talent returns from the playoff team from a year ago, led by junior running back Mookie Collier who rushed for over 1,300 yards last season.
Collier, though, is questionable for this game as he injured his toe in a scrimmage last week against Giles, Va. It will be a game time decision for Collier if he is able to play.
Bluefield does return two other talented backs in Carlos Reed and Truck Edwards. The Beavers will have a new starting quarterback this season as senior transfer Cody Fuller will step in to fill that role.
For Graham, the G-Men are led by running back Jamorya Cousin, who is a physical runner and has received some D-I looks. He spent some of the summer working with former Graham standout and Indianapolis Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw to help him improve on his running style.
It is one of the great rivalries in the country and it takes place this Friday night at Mitchell Stadium in Bluefield. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Other Games:
Princeton at Shady Spring: Game can be heard on 560 WJLS and at WJLSAM.com
Mingo Central at Wyoming East
Greenbrier East at James Monroe
Fayetteville at Clay County
Midland Trail at Independence
Westside at Liberty-Raleigh
Summers County at Pikeview
Mount View at River View
Nicholas County at Greenbrier West
Hannan at Montcalm
Webster County at Richwood
Tug Valley at Sherman
Clay Battelle at Valley Fayette
Meadow Bridge at Van
Bye: Oak Hill