The two-week stretch from Feb. 7-19 isn’t what Shady Spring coach Ronnie Olson imagined it would be. That’s mostly because the weather has scrambled his schedule from start to finish.
Honestly though the lead man of the defending Class AAA state champions probably couldn’t have drawn it up any better.
The Tigers’ game against then Class A No. 2 Greater Beckley on Feb. 7 was finally played after two reschedules. That contest kicked off the toughest six-game stretch the Tigers will see this season, one that ends with another rescheduled game against Class AAA No. 1 Logan on Saturday.
In-between were games against Class AAAA schools Greenbrier East and Parkersburg last week with games against two more Class AAAA schools in Beckley and Princeton slated for Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
For a team with aspirations of a second consecutive state championship run, Olson couldn’t have asked for more at this point in the season with sectionals two weeks away.
“It’s crazy the way the schedule kind of worked out,” Olson said. “You talk about having Woodrow, Princeton and Logan all in the same week with our last game next week. I thought last week was a measuring stick because we played Greater Beckley and Greenbrier East. This week, Woodrow is down but that’s still a rivalry game. From there it just gets better and better. If that doesn’t tell you where you’re at and what you need to work on going into the last week, I don’t know what does. I get exactly what we need to work on this week against those three. This is a big week and the kids know it.”
It would be easy for the Tigers to look ahead to Saturday’s matchup with Logan, the team that handed Shady (16-1) its only loss of the season back in December at Logan. Fortunately the importance of the Beckley and Princeton games isn’t lost on Olson’s poised squad.
The Tigers are looking to make it three straight wins against Beckley dating back to the 2019-20 season. After playing the role of little brother throughout the history of the two schools, Shady has taken control of the rivalry and treats it as such. Princeton, which sits at 11-4, hasn’t flown under Shady’s radar either. It’s made Olson’s job of keeping the Tigers focused that much easier.
“I’m not going to lie, when you have the success we’ve had and you play teams you’ve beat handily and you know there’s a big game on the schedule you look at what you’re going to motivate the kids with, right?” Olson said. “That’s the good thing, I don’t have to worry about motivating our kids on Tuesday because Woodrow in itself is enough to keep the kids motivated. I don’t have to go in there and give the kids an impassioned speech. They’ve played against those kids for how long? And Woodrow’s still the program we have the ultimate respect for. Then you’ve got Princeton that comes in with a good record. If that, and the fact they’re four-A, doesn’t get your attention I don’t know what will. The good thing about this week is we don’t have to get their attention with some back-page story or some backdoor ‘he said she said’ stuff.
“Saturday, what needs to be said? I don’t even know that I need to go in the locker room before the game. That game stuck with us all season and that’s good because you don’t have many one-loss seasons. That’s an incredible testament to the program the last couple of years. You don’t need to say anything Saturday.”
Saturday’s matchup with Logan will garner attention from all corners of the state. It already has Olson believing the venue will reach max capacity with the doors closing well before tip-off. The only other comparable game is the sellout regular season matchup against Bluefield in 2020, but Olson believes this will be bigger considering it’s a matchup between No. 1 and 2. Many in the community have suggested it’ll be the hottest ticket not only on the high school level, but the college level as well.
“I have some friends that have tickets to the WVU-Kansas game and have told me they’re going to go watch Logan and Shady,” Olson said. “One of my buddies texted me and said he had tickets on the court but there’s no way he’s going to miss this game. I know it plays at night but it would be a rush to get up there to the game. A lot of people I know personally are coming to the game and trying to rush up there but it’s a good feeling to know all eyes are on us Saturday around the state. I know there was the big buildup with Logan and Fairmont but man.
“For me personally and our program – I know the crowd we had for Bluefield a couple of years ago was just crazy, but you’re talking abut a one-two matchup featuring the defending state champion, on a Saturday afternoon. I don’t know what else there is to be said. I expect it to sellout before the game starts and we’ll probably have to shut the doors. This is a big week for us. The kids were locked in today in practice. You could just feel how big this week is going to be.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94