For those awaiting the return of football, you’re in for a treat.
Highlighting the return to the gridiron are four heated rivalry games as well as several other quality showdowns amongst area teams.
Battle for the Golden Shovel
After residing on the east side of Wyoming County for three years, the golden shovel made its return to Westside last season in one of the few games the Wyoming County teams were afforded. COVID limited the two programs to just nine games combined with Westside going 2-2 and Wyoming East going 1-4.
Westside’s offense faced little resistance in last year’s matchup, a 57-32 Renegade win at the Burial Ground. But the faces are a little different all around. The Renegades have graduated three of their wide receivers in Ethan Blackburn, Spencer Kenney and Daniel Reed – all of whom shined in last year’s game. Wyoming East graduated all-state standouts Josh Reilley and Caleb Bower – two of their best players on offense.
Still there’s familiarity.
Westside returns talented quarterback Jaxon Cogar along with running back Blake Goode, a four-year starter. Wyoming East returns sophomore quarterback Jackson Danielson and junior running back Chandler Johnson, both of whom had their moments in last year’s loss. The pair connected for a long touchdown on a screen pass in the loss.
Both teams were in attendance Tuesday when the Pineville E-Z Stop hosted them to celebrate the return of football. Excitement was in the air but both teams were ready to get rolling.
“Everybody’s excited,” Westside head coach Tyler Dunigon said. “It’s no secret, you can see the boys looking at each other side eyed, but everybody’s acting respectful. You can tell everybody’s excited, focused and locked in.”
East head coach Jimmy Adkins echoed the same sentiments and believes his team is ready.
“I think overall we look pretty good,” Adkins said. “We set different goals for both of our scrimmages and we accomplished both of them. Against Chapmanville I wanted to see if we could come out and throw the football and we did. Against Summers County we wanted to play some lockdown defense and I feel like we did that. So we’re going to bring all of that together for Friday.”
Spirit of 76 Bowl
The hottest ticket in Raleigh County will be the one that admits you into Liberty on Friday night. Not only will the Raiders be playing their first game on their brand new turf field, but they’ll be welcoming in their biggest rival in Independence.
The Raiders won last year’s contest 36-26 on the way to an undefeated regular season. At the end of the season both teams earned playoffs berths, but now enter this season in different boats. Liberty graduated a strong senior class that featured all-staters Braden Howell and Issac Atkins. Independence brings back most of its team, highlighted by Warner and Kennedy Award candidate Atticus Goodson.
Still the cupboard isn’t bare in Glen Daniel.
The Raiders anticipate trotting out an offensive line comprised mostly of sophomores, but their margin for error is a little larger than most younger players. They’ll be blocking for the duo of Ryam Simms and Logan Dodrill, a pair of dynamic athletes. Fans hoping to purchase tickets can do so through the GOFAN app.
Battle for the Bluestone
While PikeView (AA) and Summers County (A) are in two different classes, the season opener between the two schools has been a rivalry for years. Now it has a name along with a new tradition. PikeView coach Jason Spears and Summers County coach Josh Evans agreed to dub the game “The Battle for the Bluestone” and award a trophy that resides with the winner each year. Also new to the series is the day on which the game is played. The two teams will open each season with each other, playing the game on the first Thursday of the season.
There’s a lot of excitement on both sides. For Summers the game will mark the head coaching debut of Josh Evans. It also provides the Bobcats with an opportunity to pick up a big win against a Class AA program to open the year. The bonus points could be key down the stretch in a playoff race.
For PikeView it’s an opportunity for Spears to evaluate the progress his team has made entering his third year. The Wyoming County native was excited coming into the season due primarily to the depth and culture shift he noticed this offseason. After finishing the season with a roster of 15 players, over 40 showed up to compete this summer.
Players to watch are Summers County running back Andre Merriam-Harshaw and PikeView flex player Dylan Blake. Both were standouts on the offensive side for their respective teams last year.
Battle of the Views
Several coaches I’ve talked to this offseason have tabbed Mount View as a team to keep an eye on. Much of that stems from a scrimmage where the Golden Knights dismantled Covington, Va. The McDowell County faithful will get a close look at just how good Mount View can be, and likewise with River View, when the county rivals meet Friday in Welch.
Mount View returns several skill players, highlighted by Tony Bailey. The Raiders are in the same boat, though from a depth perspective they’re young. If all plays out the way it’s anticipated, expect a track meet to break out at a football game.
Home openers
Locally, Oak Hill, Beckley and Shady Spring will be opening their seasons at home Friday night. There’s excitement all around.
Starting in Shady Spring the Tigers will debut their brand new turf field against a quality opponent in Class A Tug Valley. Like Liberty’s, Shady’s field was turfed this offseason though there was doubt it would be done in time. When setting the foundation extra measures were necessary as a spring was found beneath the field, delaying the process of finishing it. As a result the Tigers didn’t get to practice on the turf until this week.
As for the game itself, the Tigers should be challenged. The Panthers were a top seed in Class A last year but were unable to participate in the postseason due to the rising number of COVID cases in Mingo County.
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Elsewhere in Raleigh County the Flying Eagles will take flight in a season that many believe could be a turning point for the program. After winning just six games over the last four years, the Flying Eagles enter the 2021 season with their most talented core in years. It starts at quarterback with Maddex McMillen and extends to his receiving core that features talented athletes such as Keynan Cook and Elijah Redfern.
The last time the Flying Eagles got off to a hot start was in 2018 when they opened the season against Riverside and followed up with Greenbrier East. Ironically that’s the same way the schedule opens this year.
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Last but not least, Oak Hill will welcome Nicholas County on Friday. The Red Devils were one win away from making the Class AAA playoffs in their first year removed from Class AA. Meanwhile Nicholas County is coming off the heels of an uncharacteristic season. After winning a playoff game in 2019, the young Grizzlies struggled in 2020, missing the postseason. If they hope to get back, a win Friday would be a good start as it would grant them an early season boost in points and give them a cushion should they struggle for a stretch.
For the Red Devils it’s an opportunity to see if the core of offensive linemen and skill players they’re returning are ready against a quality Class AA program.
On the road again
Greenbrier West, Greenbrier East, Midland Trail, James Monroe, Montcalm and Princeton are amongst the area teams that will open their seasons on the road.
West will travel to Buffalo, a playoff team from a year ago that boasted one of the best defenses in Class A. East will make the trip to Mothman territory and visit Point Pleasant while fellow Class AAA school Princeton looks to start its season with a win against Lincoln County. In Class A Midland Trail will travel to Clay County while James Monroe will travel to Sherman as coach John Mustain makes his return after retiring at the end of the 2017 season. Last but not least Montcalm will be at Hundred.
COVID chaos
While it appeared the complications with COVID were in the past, that’s clearly not the case. Locally Richwood and Bluefield have already lost their opportunities to play Week 1. Bluefield was scheduled to open its season against Graham after the two didn’t play in 2020 due to the VHSL moving its season to the spring. COVID cases at Graham, which returned to school this past week, forced administration to shut down practices and activities at the middle and high school until Monday, putting a fork in the game for now. The teams are working on a makeup date but nothing is set in stone yet.
For Richwood, the Lumberjacks will have to wait to play Webster County in the Battle for the Wagon Wheel. Fortunately a makeup date has already been decided upon as they’ll meet on Sept. 21.
The overarching message though is we’re not out of the clear yet. The obstacles the virus presented last season appear to be back. It’s just a matter of withstanding them moving forward.
Contact Tyler Jackson at tylerjackson@lootpress.com, call him at 304-731-5542 and follow on Twitter @tjack94
