MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — This is the first part in a two-part story highlighting the top West Virginia sports stories in 2025.
We begin by acknowledging the life and work of veteran West Virginia sportswriter Chris Johnson. Johnson passed away in September at age 52 after a brief illness. Johnson was a high school sports writer at several West Virginia newspapers and online publications, including the Record Delta, The Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram and most recently, Connect-Bridgeport. Johnson was an integral leader in the West Virginia Sportswriters Association and he worked tirelessly to coordinate All-State rosters and to expand high school football postseason awards. Johnson also co-hosted a weekly high school football pregame show on MetroNews affiliate WKMZ.
#28 – Former Morgantown & WVU QB Curt Cignetti leads Indiana to Big 10 title
“I win. Google me.” Those words from former Morgantown High School and WVU quarterback Curt Cignetti have been confirmed several times over at multiple levels of college football. Following successful tenures at Indiana(PA), Elon and James Madison, Cignetti needed just two seasons to turn Indiana into Big 10 Conference champions and the top seed entering this year’s College Football Playoff.
In his first season leading the Hoosiers, Cignetti led Indiana to the 2024 College Football Playoff and the team closed with an 11-2 record. This season, Indiana defeated Ohio State, 13-10 in the Big 10 Championship game, securing the top seed in the CFP.
Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Indiana had posted just three winning seasons since 1995.
#27 – Consolidation closes high schools in Harrison and Wetzel Counties
Three West Virginia High Schools were closed at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year as a result of school consolidation in two counties. Liberty Harrison High School students were merged into nearby Robert C. Byrd High School at the start of the current academic year.
In Wetzel County, Hundred and Paden City High Schools were closed as part of an ongoing consolidation plan that will eventually merge all Wetzel County students into a single high school at a new location. Magnolia and Valley High Schools remain open.
In the final boys basketball game at Liberty Harrison High School, the Mountaineers defeated Petersburg, 55-50 in a Class AA Regional Semifinal game. Liberty fell one victory short of qualifying for the state tournament in their final season.
With the closings of Hundred, Liberty Harrison and Paden City combined with low numbers cancelling football seasons at Hannan, Madonna and Van, 106 teams statewide completed the 2025 season.
#26 – WVU alum Steve Slaton elected to College Football Hall of Fame
Legendary West Virginia University running back Steve Slaton received his call to join the College Football Hall of Fame on January 15. He was officially enshrined at a ceremony in Las Vegas on December 9.
Slaton joined the Mountaineers in 2005 and he immediately burst on the scene setting a then-Big East record with 1,128 rushing yards, including a memorable six-touchdown performance in a triple-overtime victory against Louisville. His MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia included a bowl-record 204 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Slaton was named Big East Rookie of the Year while being named a First Team Freshman All-American. He rushed for 1,051 yards in 2007, adding a third consecutive season of more than 1,000 yards.
Former WVU assistant coaches Nick Saban and Graham Harrell are also members of the 2025 induction class.
#25 – Charleston native Shawn Clark passes away
Veteran college football coach and George Washington High School graduate Shawn Clark passed away in September. He was 50 years old. Clark was serving as the offensive line coach at UCF at the time of his passing.
“Shawn was so much more than a coach. He was a remarkable man, husband, and father who cared deeply about his players and staff,” said UCF head coach Scott Frost. “The reaction of our players and coaches to the news this morning is a testament to Shawn’s character and the impact he had on every life that he touched. He was loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jonelle, and children, Giana and Braxton. We are here to support them and will continue to keep them in our hearts and prayers.”
Clark was a native of Charleston and a graduate of George Washington High School. He played his college football at Appalachian State where he was a two time All-American and three time All-Conference selection on the offensive line for the Mountaineers. Clark would later become the head coach of his alma mater at ASU.
#24 – Javon Small drafted by Memphis Grizzlies
Javon Small made the most of his lone season in a WVU uniform. Small’s performance throughout the 2024-25 campaign helped raise his prospects professionally, and it paid off for the guard as he was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 48th pick in the second round of the NBA Draft.
Near the top in several major statistical categories among Big 12 players, Small averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals in his senior season at WVU. The scoring average was second among Big 12 players, while Small, who started all 32 games and played an average of 36.2 minutes, was third in the league in assists.
Small, who made 83 three-pointers as a Mountaineer, was third in the Big 12 with a free-throw percentage of 88.0. He scored in double figures in 30 of 32 games, including each of his first 19 at WVU.
#23 – Marshall misses out on bowl game in Tony Gibson’s first season
Back-to-back losses to close the season denied the Thundering Herd of Marshall an opportunity to compete in a bowl game in Tony Gibson’s first season as head coach. Marshall won at Georgia State on November 15, improving their record to 5-5 on the season and putting themselves on the brink of bowl eligibility. However, Marshall fell to Appalachian State, 26-24 and Georgia Southern, 24-19 in late-November to fall one win short of the six-win threshold.
A majority Gibson’s first roster at MU was made up of first-year and transfer players. Marshall went 3-5 in Sun Belt Conference play.
#22 – University boys cross country extends state title streak to seven seasons
The state’s longest-running streak of high school team sport state championships continued on the first day of November as the University High School boys cross country team won their seventh consecutive state championship. The Hawks won the first Class AAAA state title and their streak of championships dates back to the 2019 season.
#21 – East Hardy wins state baseball title after 8-15 start
Playing against a difficult schedule with several upper-class opponents while enduring a number of injuries to key players, the East Hardy baseball team won just eight of their first 23 games to start the 2025 season. After the season’s final game, the Cougars lifted the state championship trophy as the kings of Class A.
East Hardy defeated Madonna, 10-7 in nine innings to win their first state championship in 38 years. Hurricane (Class AAAA), Ripley (Class AAA) and Wheeling Central Catholic (Class AA) also won state baseball titles on the final day of the scholastic sports season.
East Hardy rallies from 5 runs down to win the Class A state title over Madonna, 10-7 in 9 innings:https://t.co/Qsib3yYRVN#wvprepbase pic.twitter.com/LhVcxLBFR5
— MetroNews Sports (@MetroNewsSports) June 7, 2025
Ripley posts consecutive shutouts to win the Class AAA title, 5-0 over Frankfort:https://t.co/PDGhIWmBbB
(Story by Dave Wilson)#wvprepbase pic.twitter.com/rNdKrE0AmU
— MetroNews Sports (@MetroNewsSports) June 8, 2025
Brodegard tosses a 2-hit shutout as Wheeling Central defeats PB, 7-0 in the Class AA final:https://t.co/kV7TZNWszV#wvprepbase pic.twitter.com/FZMhtbM9x2
— MetroNews Sports (@MetroNewsSports) June 7, 2025
Smith K’s 13 as Hurricane becomes the first Class AAAA state champ with 6-1 win over Morgantown:https://t.co/NicJLAHJhv#wvprepbase pic.twitter.com/9hgqrWw7MP
— MetroNews Sports (@MetroNewsSports) June 8, 2025
#20 – Peyton Hall concludes stellar WVU wrestling career
Oak Glen High School graduate Peyton Hall cemented his status as one of the most successful wrestlers in WVU history with a fifth-year senior season that included a Big 12 Championship and a third-place finish at the NCAA Tournament. In a season where Hall earned NCAA All-American status at 165 pounds, he became WVU’s all-time wins leader (135) and he tied the program record for most victories (17) in NCAA Tournament bouts. Hall posted a 35-2 record in his final season as a Mountaineer.
#19 – Martinsburg’s Tyson Bagent earns contract extension
Tyson Bagent entered the National Football League three years ago as an undrafted free agent out of Division II Shepherd University. Two years later, the Martinsburg High School graduate earned a second NFL contract to place him among the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the league.
Bagent is in his third season with the Chicago Bears, playing alongside fellow Mountain State native from Huntington, Darnell Wright.
“We are fortunate to ensure that Tyson remains a member of the Chicago Bears,” said general manager Ryan Poles. “He is one of the hardest workers on our team and in addition to being a great competitor and teammate, he is a catalyst for positive influence throughout our entire organization.”
“Tyson epitomizes what we are building at the Chicago Bears,” said head coach Ben Johnson. “We are constructing a team that is driven by belief and built by hard work, and there is no better example of that than Tyson Bagent.”
Tyson Bagent was emotional after signing a 2-year, $10m extension with the Bears 🥹
(via @ChicagoBears) pic.twitter.com/hgRgnzKawq
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 20, 2025
In other notable NFL news, Spring Valley High School and WVU graduate Wyatt Milum was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
#18 – Christian Brand wins fourth West Virginia Open
For the first time since returning to amateur status, Capital High School and Marshall University graduate Christian Brand celebrated a West Virginia Open Championship. The former Web.com Tour professional golfer won his fourth state open title at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club.
Brand finished the 54-hole event at 11-under par, two strokes ahead of former champions Ryan Bilby and Ken Hess.
Brand stays steady down the stretch to win his fourth WV Open title:https://t.co/nnDG01OU6c pic.twitter.com/lHw3kyjkuJ
— MetroNews Sports (@MetroNewsSports) July 25, 2025
#17 – Missy Smith wins 12th state championship
Missy Smith’s head coaching resume is now perfectly balanced with six state volleyball championships to match her six state softball titles. In her first season leading the Herbert Hoover volleyball program, Smith guided the Huskies to the Class AAA championship with a thrilling, five-set win over Shady Spring.
Herbert Hoover went 55-8-1 in Smith’s first season guiding the Huskies. Smith previously won five Class AAA state titles at George Washington High School. Her six state softball titles have all been won at HHHS.
Morgantown (Class AAAA), Oak Glen (Class AA) and Wirt County (Class A) joined the Huskies by winning state volleyball titles.
#16 – Ceili McCabe wins NCAA Championship
In her final race of a highly-decorated collegiate career, Ceili McCabe became West Virginia University’s first 3,000 meter indoor track & field national champion.
McCabe posted a winning time of 9:01.18, earning first team All-America honors. This marks her tenth All-America accolade across her collegiate cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field careers.
Additionally, the graduate student became the first Mountaineer in program history to win the 3,000 meters at an indoor or outdoor championship. McCabe is just the second student athlete in program history to win an indoor title, joining alumna Kate Vermeulen who took home the mile win in 1999.
#15 – Fairmont State sweeps MEC Basketball Championships
Fairmont State University claimed both titles on Championship Sunday at the Mountain East Conference Basketball Tournament in Wheeling. The FSU men defeated West Liberty, 122-114 in triple overtime, while the ladies knocked off Glenville State, 79-65.
West Liberty would later advance to the NCAA Elite 8. Shortly after the Hilltoppers’ season ended, head coach Ben Howlett took the head coaching position at Division I Indianapolis.
#14 – Winfield wins third consecutive softball state title
After winning back-to-back elimination games in the regional round, Winfield secured their third consecutive state softball championship with a 2-1, walkoff win over Frankfort in the Class AAA title game.
“We told them in practice after going through what we went through in the region and being down on the road against an all-state level pitcher, there’s not going to be anything that happens here that’s going to catch you by surprise,” Winfield head coach Steve Hensley said. “They were prepared and they stepped up. I’m just so proud of them.”
Cabell Midland (Class AAAA), Oak Glen (Class AA) and Pendleton County (Class A) also won state softball championships.