Jimmy Chitwood and head coach Norman Dale will not grace the sideline inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center Wednesday afternoon.
Hickory and Milan will not adorn the jerseys that hit the floor.
However, Mt. Hope Christian will star in its own version of the Academy Award winning movie “Hoosiers” when they battle Class AAAA Princeton in the Little General Battle for the Armory.
“(Princeton) is super athletic. Where we are a West Virginia Christian Athletic Tournament (WVCAT) school, we may see a team with a few athletic kids. It is rare for us to see a team with 10 or more athletic kids. That is what Princeton brings to the table,” Mt. Hope Christian head coach Quinton Runyon said. “It is a huge challenge for us to go up against a public school the size of Princeton and the number of quality players that they have. Our kids are not the type of kids that back down though. We will go out and play hard and let the chips fall where they may.”
The Warriors are coming off of a 14-8 record in Runyon’s first year at the helm and so far this year, they have compiled a 7-1 record.
“Last year was a pretty big learning process for most of them. I have a couple of kids that are really talented in Josiah McKoy and Nolan Carney. They have really learned how to play basketball, not just putting the ball in the basket,” Runyon said. “Elijah Williams and Branson Miller came off the bench last year and they are now starters for us.”
Runyon also has no delusions of grandeur when it comes to the challenge that his kids will face Wednesday.
“The Princeton kids play hard and I expect them to really push the pace just in the fact that they score about 100 points per game,” Runyon said. “They have kids that have the green light to shoot, can shoot and obviously like to shoot.”
Princeton enters the contest with the Warriors sporting a 5-1 record and has scored 95 or more points in four of the wins.
Seniors Chase Hancock and Kris Joyce lead the high octane Tigers and they are joined by juniors Nic Fleming and Koen Sartin as double-figure threats.
The boys from Mercer County will also provide a formidable challenge in the paint and will hold an edge in depth over Mt. Hope Christian.
“We are not big and we don’t really have any size at all,” Runyon said. “We do have some kids that want to work really hard to get better. It has taken a little bit, but we are starting to see the fruits of that work.”
“I have five kids that have had some varsity experience before this year,” Runyon went on to say. “I have a freshman that comes off the bench and a couple of other younger kids. Then, because of the nature of who we are, I have some kids that have never played before this year. They are just learning and it would be difficult to be out in this type of game.”
Win or lose, Runyon sees playing in the Little General event as a positive experience for his team.
“Our kids really don’t get a ton of exposure. I think we have kids that can really play, but because we are not a WVSSAC school, we just don’t get a ton of exposure,” Runyon said. “It is an opportunity for some of our kids to show they can play and compete at a high level.”
Playing inside the famed Armory will also help prepare the Warriors for the WVCAT championship in late February.
“It is a great opportunity to play in a bigger venue. Most of the gyms we play in are little,” Runyon said. “Last year when we played in the WVCAT at W.Va. State, there were some glossy looks in the kids eyes. This gives them a chance to play in a similar venue.”
Princeton and Mt. Hope Christian play the opening game of the Pepsi Division at 2 p.m. The second game in the Pepsi Division will feature Charleston Catholic (2-2) battling Wyoming East (3-0) immediately following.
The two winning teams will meet in the championship game Thursday at 4 p.m. The consolation game in the Pepsi Division will tip at 2 p.m. Thursday.
