North-South notebook: Burdette, Agosti grateful for opportunity to coach; Hartman readies for final football game

INSTITUTE, W.Va. — Eight months ago, Roane County football coach Paul Burdette and Van football coach Mark Agosti helped lead their respective programs to unbeaten regular seasons.

Both are now in the midst of preparing teams for Saturday’s North-South Football Classic, which will kickoff at noon at South Charleston High School.

The honor isn’t something Burdette, head coach of the North Bears, takes lightly.

“It’s huge. These guys are the best of the best in West Virginia,” Burdette said of a game designed to feature the state’s top senior football players. “To be able to get them here and let them showcase what they are and do is a huge deal. I know there are some other all-star games, but I played in this game in 1998 and it is the all-star game of all-star games in West Virginia.”

For Agosti, who helped guide the Bulldogs to the the program’s first unbeaten regular season in 2022, the opportunity to spend a week preparing the South Cardinals for Saturday’s showdown is something he’s long longed forward to. 

Van’s Mark Agosti (beside microphone) will guide the South Cardinals. Photo by Greg Carey

Bob Mullett serves as the all-star game’s director, a role he’s held since 2007. That provides even more significance for Agosti. Mullett, who took over Buffalo’s football program before the 2022 season, has an extensive 49-year coaching career that also included stops as a head coach or assistant coach at Van, Scott, Gauley Bridge, Sherman and Nitro.

“In many ways, he’s made me who I am,” Agosti said of Mullett. “There’s not many men I respect more than that guy. I remember my senior year, we had a practice jersey and it said, ‘God, family, football.’ That’s how he lived his life and how he wanted us to win our lives.”

Agosti praised Mullett and others associated with the game for doing their part to ensure the players enjoy the experience throughout the week.

“Coach Mullett and his guys and girls have something for these kids to do — movies, a baseball game, bowling, swimming — there’s something forward to look into every evening. The week itself is fun,” Agosti said. “They have fun at practice. Myself and coach Burdette both want to win the game, but it’s more laid back and a fun atmosphere when kids get to joke around. Our guys are having a lot of fun. It’s about these kids. A lot of people work hard all year to give these kids the opportunity to experience this.”

— — —

Both Burdette and Agosti touched on the challenges associated with putting together a roster for the annual all-star event.

Because the North-South Football Classic is a weeklong commitment requiring players to report Sunday to West Virginia State, where they practice and stay leading up to the game, each side’s roster is in flux until the week of and sometimes leading up to the game.

“Getting them prepared is not as big of a deal as getting a roster together,” Agosti said. “That’s work and it isn’t easy. We were still getting one together one as of Sunday. Getting kids to commit, show up, you call and get calls back — that part has been tough. This is the fun part, but leading up to this took a lot of effort.”

The effort to put together rosters began more than four months ago, and even after they’re compiled, the work isn’t done.

“We start late January trying to put rosters together and it’s been a work in progress all the way through,” Burdette said. “Kids will commit, but plans change and then we have to find somebody else. We were all looking forward to Sunday because we knew they’d be here. If someone didn’t show up, then OK, we’re going to get ready with the ones that are here. Preparation is the fun part. Each one of these guys has their own personalities.”

— — — 

Musselman quarterback Bayden Hartman enjoyed one of the more decorated 2022 seasons of any player in the state. 

Suiting up for the North, Hartman believes this week will be his final time playing competitive football. He hopes to play baseball at Frederick Community College (Md.) starting next year.

Musselman quarterback Bayden Hartman fires a pass. (Photo by Christopher C. Davis/@EP_BigCameraGuy)

“This summer, I’ve just been mainly focusing on baseball, because since high school baseball has been over, I go straight to summer ball,” Hartman said. “This week has kind of been rough because this is my last one ever. My last time putting on pads. It’s definitely a weird feeling knowing that it’ll be my last one ever, but the last game of the season was a rough one, too. I had this to look forward to so I could boost my emotions a little bit.”

Also a standout baseball player for the Applemen, Hartman helped guide Musselman to an 8-4 football season that included a first-round playoff victory over Wheeling Park — a team MHS lost convincingly to in the regular season.

“I definitely considered playing college football, but I feel like baseball is the better route because it’ll be a lot better on my body,” Hartman said.

The younger brother of 2020 MetroNews Football Player of the Year Blake Hartman, Bayden Hartman missed out on playing for Musselman head coach Brian Thomas by one year in this event as Thomas manned the North sideline last year.

“It’ll be different knowing coach Burdette’s terminology and picking up on it,” Hartman said, “but as the week goes by it’ll get a lot easier to pick up on.”

Hartman’s roommate this week is Martinsburg wide receiver/defensive back Jameer Hunter, a player who wreaked havoc upon Musselman during their regular season matchup.

“He’s been talking about the game we played against them and he’s like, ‘I had four touchdowns against you guys.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know, we couldn’t guard you.’ We played a couple of the dudes from Wheeling Park, too,” Hartman said. “Brett Phillips, he’s another quarterback, a good dude and a tough competitor. And defensive lineman Charlie DiSaia from Wheeling Park was like, ‘I should’ve sacked you a few times.’ It’s all in good fun.”





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