MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two of the state’s most tradition-rich programs share the stage at Pony Lewis Field Thursday night when Morgantown hosts Parkersburg in the WVSSAC Kickoff Classic Sponsored by the West Virginia Army National Guard. The game will be broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh and the MetroNews TV app. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
PHS has won eleven state championships since 1938. Morgantown has won five state titles since 1983.
The Mohigans check in at No. 4 in the Class AAAA MetroNews preseason poll. MHS went 8-4 in 2024, falling by seven points at Spring Mills in the quarterfinal round. Sean Biser is entering his sixth season leading Morgantown.
“I think we probably have one of the more complete teams we have had. We’ve got a really good group of offensive linemen that have some experience. Last year, we started out a little rough with them because they have all really played JV and freshman football. It took them a little while to get their sea legs,” Biser said.
“It always starts up front. I don’t care who you have throwing the ball or who you have carrying it, in football it is blocking and tackling. We make it too complicated but that’s what it is.”
Veteran returners can be found on Morgantown’s offensive line. The group is led in part by 6-foot-4, 315-pound junior tackle Konnor Mott. He holds a pair of Division I offers.
“I call him ‘Baby Huey’ because he is baby-faced. He smiles at you. You look at him and he smiles down at you and grins. But when the lights come on and he crosses that white line, he is a different cat. He wants to put you through the ground when he is blocking you. He does have some ability. At the next level, I think he is a center.”
The Mohigans have been on a steady ascent since the 2020 season. They have increased their win total in each season since Biser’s first year.
“When I first got here, I think they told me that the year before there were 45 kids left playing football, [grades] 9-12. My first year, we had about 85. Then my second year, we were at 120 and we have been in the 120’s.”
Morgantown’s offense will be led by sophomore quarterback Maddox Twigg. The 6-foot-2 signal caller picked up a scholarship offer from Marshall during the summer. He will also play defensive back.
“He is a really good football player and he is going to put us in a bind. They are going to put us in a bind with some of their schemes and make us make plays in the open field. We’ve got to tackle,” said Parkersburg head coach Matt Kimes.
Parkersburg is coming off a 4-7 season. Kimes is entering his fourth season leading the Big Reds.
“We have a senior-heavy lineup and guys that have been with us since they were freshmen. Some of those guys played a lot as sophomores, so they have a lot of experience,” Kimes said.
“These guys like each other a whole lot, man. They are fun to be around. They are always encouraging each other and they are always picking each other up. That goes a long way, especially in the dog days of summer.
“There’s a lot of tradition and a lot of success in this program. We’re working really hard to get back to it. Nothing would go further than a win against another perennial, top program in Morgantown.”
PHS welcomes back two of their top three tacklers from the 2024 season.
“Devin Widman was our leading tackler last year. He plays middle linebacker for us,” Kimes said. “And our free safety, who is just going to be a sophomore this year, started nine games for us last year — Javel Chandler. He was our third-leading tackler last year.”
Kimes says his squad made significant progress in between the teams’ two scrimmages. PHS faced Marietta before hosting Wheeling Park last Friday.
“Friday night against Wheeling Park, we really showed what we are made of. We put a really complete game together on both sides of the football and had some success against those guys. They are always a really good team,” Kimes said.
Morgantown and Parkersburg are meeting each other in the season opener for the second consecutive season. Last year at Stadium Field, the Mohigans prevailed, 24-13 despite a number of statistical advantages for PHS. The Big Reds had a 22-5 lead in first downs and they ran 83 plays compared to 25 for Morgantown.
“It still hurts,” Kimes said. “When you look at the boxscore and you go back and say, ‘How in the world did you lose that game?’ It was just a couple plays here and there. We didn’t capitalize on our opportunities in the red zone. We had a couple special teams miscues that they took advantage of. And then they big-played us a couple times.”
“From 20-to-20, there were dominating us, I am telling you that right now. But we bowed our back when it got close. It was crazy. Plus we had a lightning delay and it was definitely different,” Biser said.
“I think [Kimes] may be the best offensive coordinator we face all year. He does a great job with his kids. He keeps you off-balance.”