By Tom Bragg, For Lootpress.com
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Scott had a very successful, but somewhat quiet and off the radar, 2022 season. So far in 2023, the Skyhawks have been anything but quiet and off the radar — and it all starts with quarterback Matt Frye.
The standout senior was at it again last week, throwing for 346 yards and five touchdowns while also running for another touchdown as Scott blasted Cardinal Conference rival Chapmanville 40-7.
For his efforts, Frye has been named the Lootpress Kanawha Valley Player of the Week.
The award is sponsored by Dutch Miller Auto Group.
The Skyhawks are unbeaten so far in 2023 and have been dominant in running their record to 5-0. The season began with a 50-19 win against a Herbert Hoover team coming off an appearance in last season’s Class AA state title game, then followed that up with a 26-16 win against Wayne. Scott was back on a roll the following week with a 59-14 victory at Sissonville, then a 68-20 blowout against Point Pleasant before last week’s big win against Chapmanville.
Frye has done a little bit of everything for the Scott offense, beating teams with his arm and his legs. It’s an approach both Frye and Dolin were hesitant to label, describing the Skyhawks as an offensive team that just takes what the defense has been giving them.
“[Frye’s] biggest thing is he likes to take what the defense is giving him. It makes it difficult for teams to decide what they want to do [against us],” Scott head coach Jeremy Dolin said. “He’s always studying and watching film. He can let us know everything that’s going on as far as the defense we’re playing and what they’re doing. He is consistently studying the game and then physically, he’s the first one in and last one out in the weight room most days. He’s always prepared, whether it’s from a physical standpoint or a mental standpoint.”
Also helping matters is a close relationship between Scott’s offensive coordinator and quarterback. Frye runs the plays, but his father, Glen, is the Skyhawks offensive coordinator.
“I joke that he has been groomed to play quarterback since he came out of the womb,” Dolin said. “His dad is the offensive coordinator, so having his dad on staff and his knowledge and what he has passed along to Matt – it has just worked out.”
Next up for Scott is one of the marquee matchups of the Cardinal Conference schedule this season. The 5-0 Skyhawks host 5-0 Mingo Central on Friday in a game that could go a long way toward determining the league’s champion and will almost certainly make some waves in the race for Class AA state playoff seeding.
Frye will lead the highest-scoring offense in Class AA so far this season against a Mingo Central team that has given up fewer points than any other Class AA team so far this season. Something has to give.
“We’ve done a lot of film studying, and I think the team with the least mistakes is going to win that game,” Frye said. “That’s something we’ve got to make sure we take care of and clean up.”
Herbert Hoover sophomore Blake Fisher won this week’s Community Choice fan vote, receiving 82 percent of the more than 15,000 votes cast after helping to lead the Huskies in a rout of rival Sissonville last Friday. Fisher advances to the Community Choice poll, which will be conducted after the regular season with the winner of that poll awarded a $500 scholarship by the Lootpress Foundation.
Kanawha Valley Player of the Week winners
Week 1: Josh Moody, Nitro
Week 2: Chase Massey, Winfield
Week 3: Dane Hatfield, Herbert Hoover
Week 4: Preston Bonnett, Poca
Week 5: Matt Frye, Scott
Community Choice Players of the Week
Week 1: Trey Lester, Sherman
Week 2: Chase Massey, Winfield
Week 3: Caden Ray, Riverside
Week 4: Noah Vellaithambi, Hurricane
Week 5: Blake Fisher, Herbert Hoover
