Prior to the 2019-20 boys basketball season, the thought of Shady Spring and Beckley as rivals on the hardwood was, well, somewhat laughable.
The Flying Eagles owned a spotless record against their Raleigh County neighbors with 40-plus wins through the years.
That all changed Dec. 28, 2019 inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
After taking the reins of the Shady Spring program in 2015, Shady Spring head coach Ronnie Olson quickly built the Tigers into a Class AA power with state championship aspirations.
Olson also envisioned his team being viewed in similar fashion as the mighty Flying Eagles.
“We talked about the (Beckley) tradition and their 16 state championships,” Olson said after a win in 2020. “Our guys want to be the talked about team in the county. They want to be the team that others look at and circle on the calendar.”
In the famous words of pro wrestling great Ric Flair, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.”
Shady Spring first team all-stater, and current Fairmont State University standout, Tommy Williams was the “man” largely responsible for changing the rivalry status that wild night.
Hitting big shot after big shot, Williams lit up the Raleigh County skyline pouring in 34 points to lift the Tigers past the Flying Eagles, 77-65.
“It is a huge win for our community, our families, our students, fans, everybody,” Olson said afterwards. “We have the utmost respect for (Beckley). To do it is a big moment for our program.”
Clearly for a rivalry to blossom, more than one win is required, but the Tigers had caught the attention of the Flying Eagles. Beckley was looking for some payback when the two teams met again, March 5, 2021, after the season had been delayed due to Covid concerns.
“I don’t think there is a whole lot to say,” Beckley head coach Ron Kidd said prior to the showdown. “You can’t over-state what this game is. They beat us last year and the kids haven’t talked about it much, but they’ve had to hear it for a whole year that Shady has bragging rights, so I think it is in the back of their minds.”
The second matchup was a classic with Shady Spring winning 63-59 in overtime, adding plenty of gasoline to the rivalry fire. Maybe even more important was the fact that the Tigers grabbed their second straight win with a new cast of characters.
Twin brothers Braden and Cole Chapman exerted themselves into the rivalry for Shady Spring, while Cameron Manns, Todd Duncan and Braedan Holstein, who had not really played meaningful varsity minutes in previous years, made key contributions.
Duncan scored 24 points, including big shots down the stretch and game-winner late in overtime. Manns drilled four long balls and Holstein did his part defensively against the powerful Beckley bigs inside.
Shady Spring went on to add more stature to the rivalry by winning the state AAA title later that year, the first in school history.
The much anticipated battle in the Little General Battle for the Armory the next season was shelved when Beckley was upset by St. Joe Central in the opening round. By the time the regular season match-up at Shady Spring rolled around, fans were at a fever pitch, but the game did not match the high level of anticipation.
The home-standing Tigers drilled 12 shots from behind the arc and smothered Beckley, 77-51. Braden Chapman scored 26 points and Cole Chapman had 17. Elijah Redfern scored 34 for the Flying Eagles.
“This win is big. It’s big because we are in the same county,” Olson said that night. “It’s bigger than other teams we play because it’s (Beckley). We feel like we are the team now in the county and we want to be that team.”
“We want to have that program that is established,” Olson went on to say. “When you play (Beckley), they have that kind of program. It is a rivalry game and it was another great atmosphere here. Those guys have played against each other all through middle school, summer league and now high school. It is a little personal.”
New names continued to appear in the scorebook, but the results stayed the same for the Shady Spring. The Tigers won both meeting in the 2023-24 season in convincing fashion, on its way to another state championship title.
Jack Williams and Ammar Maxwell dropped in 23 points each in the 66-52 win, before Maxwell scored 32 in a 83-67 win a month later.
“This is our rival now,” Williams said. “It is always a great atmosphere every game and you know you are getting everybody’s best effort.”
After going without a win across 42 games, Shady Spring recorded its seventh straight triumph over Beckley last month with a 56-52 win in the championship clash at the Little General Battle for the Armory.
Williams led the way with 20 points and fellow-senior Jalon Bailey added 15 points.
Round two this season between the two Raleigh County rivals took place inside Dave Wills Gym on Jan. 16 and Beckley was finally able to get off of the schneid, as they say
Benefiting from 20 second half points from senior Jaylon Walton, the Flying Eagles moved back into the win column against the Tigers, 58-55. As could be expected, the losing streak had weighed heavily on the minds of the Beckley players and coaches.
“(Breaking the losing streak to Shady Spring) was something that was also on our mind. What was it, seven times now?,” Kidd said after the game. “It is kind of a monkey that you want to get off your back and I thought our kids did that tonight. We showed what Beckley basketball is all about.”
The win by the Flying Eagles also snapped a 54-game home winning streak by the Tigers which Kidd saw fitting in a rivalry clash.
“It means a lot when you break a streak, but give them credit, they made that streak,” Kidd said. “Shady is a really good program and very well coached. I am just glad it was us that broke the streak since we are so close and in the same county and all.”
What once seemed as an improbable rivalry, seemed to explode in a blink.
“Right now, it’s Shady,” Kidd said when asked about Beckley’s biggest rival. “Did you see the crowd that was in there tonight? So, I think it is Shady. It’s a big rivalry. When we go to (Greenbrier) East, the people come out, but at the Armory, they don’t come out as much. East is a big rivalry and Oak Hill is a big rival, but, right now, I think Shady is our biggest rival.”
While most rivalries are built largely on anger and hatred, the beauty of the Shady Spring and Beckley battles are instead, built on mutual respect.
“It is a healthy rivalry. I am happy with the rivalry. For us to win as many years as we have, I am happy where we are out,” Olson said. “This is a healthy county rivalry. I am friends with Ron Kidd. I am friends with (Beckley assistant coach) Eric Dillon. (Beckley assistant coach) James Lewis coached me in high school. (Beckley assistant coach) Michael Fowlkes and I coached together when I was first out of college. Those are all guys that I like and are friends of mine.”
“Throughout the years, Ron checks on me and wishes me congratulations,” Olson continued. “That is what I call a healthy rivalry. That is a good win for their program. Beating us is a good win for a program. When programs are etching their season on beating you, you have done something.”
Beckley and Shady Spring will one meet once more this season, Feb. 4 inside the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.