MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — When Cabell Midland and Martinsburg square off Saturday at noon for the Class AAA state championship, the Knights will have to contend with a lengthy list of weapons on the Bulldogs.
At the top of it is senior wide receiver Jarod Bowie, who at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, has proven to be as explosive as any player across the state.
Despite the Bulldogs regularly using four wideouts and being plenty comfortable targeting any of them, Bowie is the only one to surpass 1,000 receiving yards this season with 1,005. He also has a team-best 15 receiving touchdowns.
“He’s the best offensive player in the state,” veteran Martinsburg head coach David Walker said. “All these awards, I know coaches talk about this kid and that kid. I let our kids promote themselves.
“He’s a great player. He may be the best that we’ve had at that position and we’ve had some really good ones here over the years. We probably don’t get him the ball enough, but we have other guys, too. It’s not a one-man show.”
For as dangerous as he is on offense, Bowie’s impact on special teams is nearly equally important.
Entering last Saturday’s semifinal against Parkersburg South, Bowie had scored on six of 12 punt returns this season, inlcuding three in a regular season win over Spring Mills.
He was also averaging 44 yards per punt return, a number that decreased slightly following his 37-yard runback into the red zone that helped set up the first of the Bulldogs’ 11 touchdowns against South.
The Patriots rarely punted to Bowie the rest of the contest, which often led to shorter punts going out of bounds.
“I just wait for the ball. If they kick it out of bounds, I really can’t do anything about it,” Bowie said. “I push myself a good bit to get to where I need to be.”
What Bowie lacks in size he makes up for with his speed, work ethic and mindset.
“When we’re practicing, he gets on scout team and does every rep,” Walker said. “He loves to play football. He’s a big-time talent. He’s a little undersized, but he’s a tough kid. No doubt about that.”
Bowie’s play has led to several offers from Mountain East Conference schools. Before deciding on the next level, Bowie looks to finish off an unbeaten high school career and bring back a fourth state championship.
Martinsburg, winners of 55 straight, last lost when Bowie was in eighth grade.
Each of the last three times the Bulldogs have won the state championship, they faced Spring Valley, which suffered a season-ending loss to the Knights a week ago.
“No letups,” Bowie said. “We can’t take them easy. We expect them be the same as us since they’re 13-0.
“We’re up there every year. Nothing really changes. Just work our hardest, execute, listen to our coaches and hopefully everything goes great.”