MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Four years after leading Parkersburg South to the Class AAA championship game, Nathan Tanner will once again coach on the state’s biggest stage. In his first season leading Princeton, the Tigers are 13-0 and are four quarters away from their first state championship.
“If you would have told me back in April, ‘Nate, you are going to go 13-0 and you are going to play for a state title’, ‘Alright, here we go’. I am just grateful and thankful to be in the position that we’re in,” said Tanner.
“I think our kids are playing good ball right now and we are looking forward to the next 48 minutes.”
Tanner incorporated the bulk of his offensive and defensive schemes from his years at South while adding in some elements that had been successful for the Tigers in recent years.
“When I was at South, we never ran much inside zone. But Princeton in the past six-to-eight years, to my knowledge I know since Coach [Chris] Pedigo coached there, they have been running inside zone. I did a little tinkering with that and that is one of our base run plays.”
Look up and down the Princeton roster and you will find some of the best skill players in the state. Senior Brad Mossor is one of the favorites for statewide honors. He has scored 43 touchdowns this season and he has racked up 2,179 yards from scrimmage. Tanner believes that Princeton’s work on the offensive and defensive lines are a major reason the Tigers have arrived in the championship game.
“I think our toughness has enhanced a great deal since the first flex practice that we had. I think that is just part of the maturation process and through our process within the program.”
When he arrived in Princeton during the spring, Tanner immediately built a connection with senior and three-year starting quarterback Chance Barker. Barker has passed for 3,126 yards and 30 touchdowns.
“He’s a football guy. And I am a football guy. He’s a country boy. I am a country boy. It has been a match made in heaven. It has been a lot of fun working with him.”
Nitro defeated previously-unbeaten Chapmanville by 23 points in the semifinal round to clinch their first trip to the title game since 2005. Fifth-year head coach Boom McKinney says his team’s toughness was on display in that contest.
“We have a physical team,” McKinney said. “A lot of people don’t seem to realize how physical we are. But we’ve got a big, physical team.”
Much like the Tigers, Nitro has elite skill players throughout their offensive lineup. Chris Radcliffe has rushed for 14 touchdowns. Fellow senior and future WVU wideout Malachi Thompson has reeled in 19 touchdown passes and he is averaging over 22 yards per reception.
“That kid is amazing,” McKinney said. “It is no wonder he is a [Division] I kid. He’s a hard worker. He is a 6-foot-5, 200-pound receiver, man. He is hard to deal with.”
First-year starting quarterback Eian Duffy has averaged 250 passing yards per game and he has thrown for 38 touchdowns.
“We had a pretty good idea he was going to be a real good quarterback,” McKinney said. “He’s not a real big kid. But he can move, he’s mobile. He’s got good timing with our receivers. He has really worked hard and he is a great kid.”
It is possible that Nitro’s wealth of talent on offense, which includes Division I prospect and offensive lineman Da’Ron Parks, overshadows a defense that is allowing just over 12 points per game. Senior Cohen Lusher has 24 sacks and 53 tackles for loss.
“That kid, I call him a silent assassin,” McKinney said. “He comes to practice and works hard. He doesn’t say much and leads by example.”
Princeton and Nitro will share the field on Saturday night for the second time this season. The two teams met in a scrimmage back in August.
“They have some really dynamic players,” Tanner said. “They are pretty good up front too. They are a good team. We’re going to have our hands full.”
“They’re big up front with big linemen,” McKinney said. “They’ve got some skill and they’ve got a great quarterback. We’re going to have to come up with a good game plan.”