WHEELING, W.Va. — Not much has changed on 16th Street in Wheeling seven months after Wheeling Central Catholic claimed their 13th state championship and 12th since 2000. While six first or second-team All-State selections have graduated, including Kade Koroneos and Max Olejasz, the Maroon Knights welcome back several familiar names as they look to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 2019.
“The kids did a remarkable job,” said Wheeling Central Catholic head coach Mike Young. “We played good playoff teams. They’ll be back because they have great programs too. We are just proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
“It hasn’t really changed. We’re just trying to get better every single day and one percent better,” said Wheeling Central Catholic senior QB/DB Nico Kusic. “We’re competing every single day in the weight room every single day. We’re just really pushing each other and trying to be the best we can.”
Nico Kusic enters his third season engineering the Maroon Knight offense. Last year as a junior, Kusic tossed 15 touchdowns against just four interceptions and he also ran for six scores.
“He is definitely the leader of this squad,” Young said. “He showed that last year, especially down the stretch with the way he ran and threw the ball, both. His leadership on the field and his demeanor is huge, and how he gets the teammates to respond.”
“I know Nico is going to be great this year,” said Wheeling Central Catholic senior lineman Olen Ames. “He’s worked a lot. This is his third year now, so he is going to be great.”
Kusic will go to work behind an offensive line that returns first team All-State pick Dom Paesani among the returning starters.
“We’ve got three guys coming back, me, Cooper Jones and Dom Paesani,” Ames said. “I think we should be good. And we’ve got two guys filling in that I think are going to be incredible.”
“Olen Ames at center, Trent Lander is at tackle, of course Dom Paesani is a heck of a guard pulling out there and Cooper Jones,” Young said.
Central welcomes back their co-leader in tackles from last season. Trenton McCardle made 77 stops as a sophomore.
“He is always focused and he is ready to go. He has worked hard in the offseason,” Young said. “He did some wrestling. He is a good kid and he works in the weight room. We’re looking forward to him stepping up and being that leading tackler.”
The Knights navigated through several significant injuries in 2025. Dustin Sanner returns after he was limited to five games a year ago and he averaged a team-best eight tackles per game.
“We’ve got to keep him healthy. At the same time, we need him on the field both on offense and on defense,” Young said. “He brings a lot to the table. We’re looking for him to have an exceptional year.”
Wheeling Central played just eight regular season games last fall, but they are maxed out with a full ten-game slate this fall which includes some of the top programs in eastern Ohio.
“We have a number of challenges week in and week out,” Young said. “We’ll take them one at a time and do the best we can. If we can get enough points, we can get into the postseason.”
“We preach about it every single day,” Kusic said. “Obviously our goal is to win the state championship. It starts all right here. Everything that we do from today is going to lead up into December. We’re just trying to get better every single day and lead up to a state championship.”