MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Wheeling Central Catholic heads to Charleston Friday night seeking the program’s 13th state championship since the 1979 season. Clay-Battelle is making their first trip to the state’s biggest stage. The Cee-Bees secured a spot in the Class A final after avenging their lone loss with a 24-12 win over 2024 finalist Cameron in the semifinal round.
“Surprisingly, it was real calm in the locker room,” said Clay-Battelle head coach Aaron LaPoe. “It was like, hey, we’ve got one more. Let’s go to the next one. It really was a job is not finished mentality. I think there will be a chance to celebrate everything we have done. It is just not time for that yet.”
Following their season-opening loss to the Dragons, the No. 3 Cee-Bees (12-1) have run off 12 consecutive victories. Back-to-back one-score wins over playoff teams Sherman and Oak Glen late in the regular season were instrumental in the Cee-Bees earning the No. 3 seed.
“The moment of, hey we can win a state championship, was probably after we beat Sherman. I was pretty ecstatic in the fashion and winning that game in the last second. That moment was like, OK, this is real.”
Junior quarterback Corey Coen has accounted for 37 total touchdowns with 22 of those coming through the air. LaPoe highlighted the work of senior Braden Ponceroff. He leads the squad with ten receiving touchdowns and seven interceptions.
“He has elite hands. He made a one-handed catch on a fourth-and-4 pass [Saturday] to put us in the lead, which was a huge play. We didn’t just win with his athleticism. His heart, his soul and his leadership, he is leading that team.”
LaPoe is in his second season leading his alma mater and he remains the program’s all-time leading rusher. LaPoe succeeded his head coach, Ryan Wilson, who guided the program for 29 seasons prior to his retirement following the 2023 season.
“I looked at Coach Wilson and I saw him loving being a football coach. I saw him with his family and I wanted to be just like him. I am living my childhood dream of being a football coach and we are being successful at it. I am getting to see our community be proud of our football team.
“It is how the world ought to be, the way this season has been. It is a huge blessing to get to play a part in that.”
No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic (9-2) is back in the championship game for the first time since 2019. National High School Football Hall of Fame inductee Mike Young is 8-0 as the head coach of the Maroon Knights in state title games. Central scored the game’s final 22 points in a 23-point win over Pendleton County in the semifinals.
“We rallied in the second half and it was a close game up until then,” Young said. “We were able to get that two-point conversion, which helped and put a two-score advantage on us. I think that was a factor somewhat. Our defense played lights out picking off passes that they did and getting to the quarterback.”
The Maroon Knights went 6-2 in the regular season and six of their eight opponents posted records of .500 or better. Central had open dates in the final two weeks of the regular season, but Young believes the time off was time well spent.
“Through that lapse and through that time where we weren’t playing, we played a physical schedule and a challenging schedule, going 6-2 overall and going into the playoffs. I think it has helped us playing good, quality games in the playoffs,” Young said.
Senior Kade Koroneos is the leading rusher and receiver for the Maroon Knights. He has accounted for 1,760 yards from scrimmage and 30 touchdowns. Second-year starting quarterback Nico Kusic has racked up 20 total touchdowns. Young says the success of the team goes beyond the numbers that can be displayed on the stat sheets.
“Team chemistry is huge, especially with high school kids.” Young said. “They bond together and they play harder together. We have been able to cause that to happen, especially over the last few weeks. I think they have built their confidence up. We are looking forward to getting off the ball and playing hard every play.”
Wheeling Central has the unique opportunity to hold state titles in boys basketball, baseball and football in the same calendar year. Many of their athletes, like Koroneos and basketball standout Max Olejasz, contribute in multiple sports.
“We have kids playing all three,” Young said. “We’re proud of what they have accomplished and we want to see the same thing for the football program.”