With the 3rd week of the 2022 high school football season in the books, we find a number of teams off to a perfect 3-0 start and for some, it’s something they have not experienced in quite a while. Even more exciting, one team has never started a football season at 3-0 until this year!
Let’s break it down by classification beginning with Class A and that is where we find the team in unchartered territory. The Montcalm Generals have defeated their first three opponents and this marks the first time in the history of the school that the football team has played this well to start a season. In fact, you have to go back 11 years to 2012 to find the last time Montcalm had a winning season. Now I am confident the Generals Head Coach Adam Havens would say they still haven’t insured themselves a winning season, however his ballclub is still off to the best start in their school’s history and for me, that is worth celebrating….at least a little bit! Taking a look at other schools in Class A that haven’t started 3-0 in a long time, we find the Tug Valley Panthers celebrating a 3-0 start for the first time since 2015. That year, the Panthers finished the season 7-3 and made it to the playoffs where they lost in the quarterfinals to Moorefield. Also in Class A, the Van Bulldogs are currently 3-0 for the first time since 2003 where then Head Coach Eddie Hendricks led the team to an overall 8-2 season that included a loss in the first round of the playoffs to Wheeling Central Catholic. The other Class A team off to a 3-0 start for the first time in a while is Wahama, where the White Falcons are 3-0 for the first time since 2012. That season was really magical for the White Falcons as Head Coach Ed Cromley and his kids finished at a perfect 14-0 and won an exciting Class A title game that went into overtime before Wahama defeated Madonna 43-42!
In Class AA, Roane County is 3-0 for the first time since 2016 when in that season the Raiders finished 6-5 and that included a first round playoff loss to then Class AA opponent Bridgeport. It’s been quite a while since the North Marion Huskies started a season at 3-0 and the last time that occurred was 1997. In that season, North Marion was a Class AAA team and then Head Coach Gerry White led his Huskies to a 13-1 season and the Class AAA State Championship. That season, the Huskies only loss was in week #6 when they lost to Morgantown at Pony Lewis Field by a score of 27-25. In the Class AAA title game, North Marion defeated Parkersburg 16-6. Also in Class AA, this season the Scott Skyhawks have started 3-0 for the first time since 2014 and in that season, then Head Coach Shane Griffith led the Skyhawks to a 7-4 season and a first round playoff loss to Nicholas County 28-22!
In Class AAA, we have five teams off to a perfect 3-0 start and of those five, two teams are doing so for the first time in a while. The Hurricane Redskins under new Head Coach Donnie Mays are 3-0 after beating Winfield, Capital and George Washington. The last time the young men from Putnam County were 3-0 to start the season was 2016, when then Head Coach Jeremy Taylor saw his ballclub win their first four games and finishing the year with a quarterfinal playoff loss to Morgantown. Also in Class AAA, the Hedgesville Eagles are off to a perfect 3-0 start marking the first time that has happened since 1997! That year, then Head Coach Ron Renner let the Eagles to a 10-3 season and a semifinal loss to Parkersburg.
Coming up in week #4, we have a number of teams looking to improve to 4-0! In Class AAA, Morgantown (3-0) will travel to Hedgesville (3-0)….Hurricane (3-0) will visit (2-0) Spring Valley….Parkersburg South (3-0) will host rival Parkersburg who is undefeated at (2-0)…..and, Martinsburg will travel to Highland Springs, Va. to take on the undefeated (3-0) Highland Springs Springers. An always tough team with a number of Division 1 athletes, Highland Springs lost to Martinsburg last year by a final of 26-25! In Class AA, North Marion (3-0) will travel to Class AAA Brooke (2-1)….Frankfort (3-0) will be at (0-3) Berkeley Springs…Fairmont Senior (3-0) will host Class AAA Bridgeport (2-1) in a game that will be played Thursday night…..Roane County (3-0) is at Lewis County (2-1)…Poca (0-3) will be at (3-0) Logan…..Scott (3-0) will travel to always tough Point Pleasant (2-1)…..and Independence (3-0) will travel to (1-2) Shady Spring. In Class A, there are a number of games involving (3-0) teams beginning with Cameron (3-0) entertaining (0-3) Magnolia….Craig County, Va. (1-0) will travel to (3-0) Montcalm….Petersburg (3-0) will be at (0-3) Pocahontas County….Wheeling Central (3-0) will travel to (0-4) Shadyside, Oh…..East Ridge, Ky (2-1) will be at (3-0) Tug Valley….(0-3) Tolsia travels to (3-0) Van….South Harrison (1-1) will travel to (3-0) Wahama….Greenbrier West (3-0) will be on the road to (2-1) Webster Springs and Ravenswood (1-2) will travel to (3-0) Wirt County!
As you can see, there are a lot of great games scheduled for this weekend across the Mountain State, so if you have an opportunity, go out and watch the excitement of high school football. And, as always, after the games, join Dave Jecklin and me for H. S. GAMENIGHT this Friday night from 9:30 til Midnight. The show is on 48 great radio stations around the state and the live audio and video of the show can be found at www.wvmetronews.com!
Talk with you Friday night!