PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — In the second season under head coach Matt Kimes, Parkersburg increased their win total from four victories to seven and they narrowly missed out on a spot in the Class AAA state semifinals. As the No. 13 seed, the Big Reds upset Hurricane and could not hold a late lead against eventual state runner-up Princeton in the quarterfinals.
“Winning that game at Hurricane solidified what we have been doing,” Kimes said. “The kids realized how close we were to making it to Wheeling last year. We were up nine points in the fourth quarter at Princeton and they went on to play in Wheeling.”
Several new starters will be featured on both sides of the ball as PHS lost their top passer, rusher and top four receivers to graduation.
“They’re hungry to prove themselves. A lot of these guys are going to be first-year starters at the high school level and they are worthy of that spot. We lost a lot of good football players but in a program like this, we hope we just reload.”
Three-year starting quarterback David Parsons has moved on after a 33-touchdown season. Senior Cooper Cancade is ready for his opportunity to step in. Last year’s second-leading rusher, Jakel Shelton will join Cancade in the backfield.
“He is a three-year JV guy. But he was capable last year. We knew he was. If something happened to David, we knew we could still win football games with Cooper. And it is his turn. He is very capable. He is a 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 kid that plays baseball and has a big arm.
“We’ll be different this year. There’s no doubt about that. We don’t have the explosiveness in the passing game that we had last year with four kids that went on to play college football that were all receivers for us.”
Senior Zane Lewis and junior Adam Elder are two of the Big Reds’ most experienced defensive players. They combined for 169 tackles last fall.
“Zane is our leader on defense. He is a guy that is kind of your coach on the field that knows what everybody is supposed to do. He is the one guy right now at the linebacker spot that we have penciled in to play the same position as last year.
“And Adam we are going to move around on the defensive line, inside and outside. He has a great motor. He makes plays.”
With a rich history, expectations remain high for the Big Reds despite heavy graduation losses.
“We want to make that next step. We want to get to Charleston and play for a state championship. That’s what we do this for. And that’s what our guys are trying to get to.”