MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The 2022 high school football season will cross the midway point following this weekend’s game. A dozen Class A teams remain undefeated. That list includes such traditional power programs as Wheeling Central Catholic, Williamstown and Doddridge County.
Montcalm is off to their best start in program history. The Generals are 4-0 entering Friday’s home game vs. Hundred. Montcalm features a very young roster and head coach Adam Havens says the group is playing beyond their years.
“They have embraced the fact that we have talked to them about everything being hard. Everything is going to be difficult and you have to make hard look easy. That’s just something that we preach and talk about,” Havens said. “They have come together as a team collectively. They have embraced the start and they are hungry. They are so young that they don’t know any better.”
In their 28th season, the Generals are still seeking their first playoff appearance. Montcalm’s best season came in 2005 when the Generals went 8-2.
“All of those — you never have done this or we have not competed with this team well or beat this team — those are all motivational things that we can use, have used and will continue to use. Our kids are up to those challenges.”
North Marion leads ratings in Class AA; Polar Bears await Friday
North Marion’s steady climb continues on the Husky Highway in Rachel. Daran Hays’ club is seeking their fourth consecutive playoff appearance and they advanced to the Class AA quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons.
The Huskies (5-0) have posted three consecutive shutouts heading into Friday’s contest against the two-time defending state champions from Fairmont Senior. North is No. 2 in the MetroNews Power Rankings and No. 1 in the WVSSAC ratings.
“I like this group a lot because they don’t let the moment get beyond them very much,” Hays said. “We strive to do great things because our program has had great moments. We are not naive. We may be numerically number one. But right now, I think everybody is chasing Independence and Fairmont Senior. Fairmont Senior I don’t think has lost a regular season game to a Class AA school since 2016.”
The Huskies are averaging 34.4 points per game under first-year starting quarterback Casey Minor.
“He is a dude. He is a physical, tough kid. Sometimes, he is competitive to a fault, which I can sympathize with. He reminds me of myself as a 17-year-old sometimes. He is the ultimate competitor. He is a guy our kids have a lot of faith in because they know nobody wants to win more than he does,” Hays said.
“There’s times we are in the film room going, ‘Buddy, I know it is not in your DNA but that one yard wasn’t worth taking that shot. Step out of bounds’. Sometimes we really have to twist his wrist on that.”
Martinsburg and Musselman march on at the midway point
Martinsburg bounced back from a Week 4 loss to Highland Springs, Va. with a 63-6 win over Hedgesville. The Bulldogs improved to 4-1 and they have seen a number of lineup changes throughout the first half of the season due to numerous injuries.
“We’ve played a lot of different players offensively and defensively this year. We’ve had as many as 10-to-12 guys out and 5-to-6 varsity guys at a time this season,” said Martinsburg head coach Britt Sherman. “I think one of the things that has maybe been a positive with that is that we have established a little bit of depth. We are definitely not peaking. We have been back to the basics and fundamentals. Hopefully, we will be peaking around the Week 11 or Week 12 mark.”
Martinsburg’s county rivals from Musselman are also off to a 4-1 start. In 2021, the Applemen suffered three losses by six points or less. This fall, Musselman has defeated Jefferson by one point, Sherando, Va. by four points and Morgantown by three.
“Last year, we lost those tight ball games. We couldn’t finish games and we couldn’t fight back. We just couldn’t get over the hump,” said Musselman head coach Brian Thomas. “This year, I have never seen anything like what we are doing. Not only have we won these three straight one-possession games, but the three wins we have are by a combined eight points. Not only have we won those games, combined they are by one possession.”
Beckley building on 2021 postseason appearance
Woodrow Wilson (4-1) is enjoying their best start to a season since 2012. The Flying Eagles own victories over Riverside, Greenbrier East, Bluefield and Lincoln County. Their lone loss came against unbeaten Parkersburg South. Beckley secured their first playoff appearance since 2014 last fall.
“Last year’s improvements have made this year a success. Those kids were excited to go to the playoffs,” said Woodrow Wilson head coach Street Sarrett. “They got hot there towards the end. We beat Morgantown in an overtime game, lost to Princeton by a score, beat Oak Hill and then beat South Charleston on the road. They got to the playoffs and got a little taste. It fed into the offseason. They got right back in the weight room.”