MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A look back at some of the best high school state tournament games from the 2016-2017 academic year.
MetroNews has broadcast rights for the football Super Six, boys and girls basketball state tournaments and the baseball state tournament – those 54 games were used in compiling this list. Games 20-16 are below:
20 – CLASS AA BASEBALL SEMIFINAL: BRIDGEPORT 4, JAMES MONROE 0
Bridgeport scored three runs in the first inning and went on for a 4-0 semifinal win over the Mavericks.
James Monroe settled down defensively and kept it competitive throughout, but Indians’ starter Gordon Swiger was ultimately too much on the mound.
His complete-game effort was one of the best in the state tournament, giving up just two hits and striking out 12 – part of the overall story line to the Indians’ eventual fourth straight title.
19 – CLASS AAA BASEBALL SEMIFINAL: ST. ALBANS 16, WASHINGTON 6
The final score doesn’t do this game justice. While St. Albans ultimately scored 14 unanswered runs for the win, the Red Dragons trailed 6-2 after two innings and only led 8-6 after five.
The offensive outpouring gave the Red Dragons all kinds of momentum heading into the Class AAA title game where they knocked off top seed Hurricane.
18 – CLASS AA FOOTBALL TITLE: MINGO CENTRAL 32, FAIRMONT SENIOR 7
Mingo Central left no doubt it was the best team in Class AA. The Miners erased an early 7-0 deficit and went on for a 25-point win over Fairmont Senior.
The win capped a perfect season for the Miners as quarterback Jeremy Dillon went on to earn multiple accolades, including the Kennedy Award and MetroNews Player of the Year.
17 – CLASS AAA GIRLS BASKETBALL TITLE: HUNTINGTON 72, BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR 54
Another game where the final score doesn’t represent the whole story.
The two teams were tied 24-24 at the half and Huntington held just a 46-44 lead midway through the fourth quarter. But a 10-0 run, sparked by four forced turnovers, gave the Highlanders separation and ultimately the state championship.
16 – CLASS AA GIRLS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINAL: BLUEFIELD 53, RIVER VIEW 41
Class AA eight-seed River View gave the top seed Bluefield all it wanted, erasing an early 12-0 hole to eventually tie the game at 32-32 in the third.
While the Beavers survived with a 17-9 fourth quarter, this game had plenty of story lines and drama throughout.