Only two more weeks left in the regular season which means the offseason will soon begin for most teams around the state. Let’s address a few things that should be on the mind after the season concludes.
Fayette County’s Facilities
In his first season at the helm, Davon Marion has turned the football program around at Oak Hill. Former Princeton head coach Chris Pedigo, whom Marion coached under prior to his return to Fayette County, always said he felt his staff could take over without any trouble once he left. His former assistants are now a combined 14-2 as head coaches this season, so a tip of the cap to Pedigo.
Marion’s Red Devils are 7-1 and on the verge of not only clinching a playoff berth but a “home” playoff berth. Yes, home is in parentheses. As it stands Fayette County, probably the tourism capital of the state, doesn’t have a facility that is approved by the WVSSAC to host a Class AAA playoff game. There’s a lot to carefully unpack here so this spot will be used to bring attention to just how poor the facilities are throughout the county.
First, the need for schools that can safely house students should take precedence over athletic facilities. I’m not suggesting that the much needed upgrades at Oak Hill or Midland Trail should take precedence over the need to close/consolidate the school in Anstead that still relies on coal for heating. But the state of the athletic facilities around Fayette County is pitiful.
When I arrived at Oak Hill Friday there was an official sweeping water off the field with a broom. An oddity but I didn’t think much of it until I settled in the press box and saw the Oak Hill sideline largely submerged in water.
Playing football in the elements isn’t an issue. There are plenty of schools around the state that still have natural fields. But when your sidelines are submerged in rainwater it’s a different story. And it’s not just the football field. The track at Oak Hill is in such terrible shape that it can’t be used for meets. The football field at Midland Trail isn’t much better either.
Many of the issues are attributed to the residents of Fayette County who have voted against bonds (used for building) while approving the levies (used for education resources). From my research the last bond to pass in Fayette County came in 1973. Historically the opposition has come on the heels of communities wanting to keep their schools open. It’s eliminated many opportunities and as result the athletic facilities around the county have suffered when in truth consolidation is probably the best route.
As somebody who went through two consolidations in McDowell County – one in middle school and one in high school – I consider myself an expert on the matter. My K-8 school (Berwind Elementary) was consolidated with War in April of 2008, just two months before the school year ended. I spent my freshman and sophomore years at Big Creek, which has less than 200 students, before consolidating with Iaeger to form River View. I rode a bus two hours a day over a mountain to get back and forth in high school five days a week. It wasn’t as big of a deal as it’s often made out to be.
I’ve been in that position of being opposed to change but eventually you have to look around and see what you’re holding onto is holding you back. Fayette County could have nicer schools and facilities. It’s something to think about if Oak Hill earns a home playoff game next month and inevitably moves it to either Nicholas or Raleigh County.
To Marion’s credit he’s handled the situation well.
“I think we have a leg to stand on if we win our next two games,” Marion said. “We’ll be looking at hosting a home playoff game and it won’t be here. When I got here the board wanted us to win football games and now that we’re winning football games hopefully we get the chance to host a home playoff game that’ll get the ball rolling a little bit.”
His team, school and students within the county deserve better. There are 21 other schools in the coverage area (Nicholas, Fayette, Wyoming, Summers, Raleigh, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe and McDowell counties). Sixteen of them, including the two from the third poorest county in the United States (McDowell), play on turf.
The benefits of turf extend past having a nice playing surface that requires less upkeep. It gives coaches an ability to be more precise in their game planning as they coach to splits and landmarks, better preparing players for the next level.
Strength of Schedule
It took years for the WVSSAC to finally implement the strength of schedule factor into its rating system but better late than never. Early on the formula is having the intended effect. Independence, which started the season 2-3 is in control of its own playoff destiny because the teams it lost to have piled up wins while the Patriots have stemmed the tide on their end. While winning is better, bonus points from Oak Hill and Mingo Central are paying dividends and rewarding the Patriots for their schedule.
Bluefield is another example. The Beavers have five losses but by most projections should they win their final two games they’ll slip into the Class AA playoffs as the No. 16 seed. It’s worth noting that’s mostly a result of the strength of schedule factor as Bluefield’s losses have come to Graham (7-1), Princeton (7-1), Oak Hill (7-1), Beckley (5-3) and Grayson County, Va. (8-0). For all intents and purposes they’re the area’s fifth Class AAA team and scheduling as such has kept them afloat.
Bluefield is without a doubt one of the 16 best teams in the class as is Independence. We’ve seen in recent years that the best teams are challenging themselves.
Fairmont Senior won the 2021 title as a 16 seed and Bluefield was a bottom seed as well that year, making a run to the semifinals. Herbert Hoover the No. 9 seed last season, played its way to Wheeling.
The same stands for James Monroe which has an outside chance of claiming homefield advantage throughout the playoffs despite losing to Greenbrier West. The Mavericks have played Wheeling Central, West, Summers County and will host Bluefield to close the season.
Kudos to the SSAC which got this one right.
Gold StarsÂ
Brandan Isaac, Summers County – Isaac continues to excel and became the first area player to throw for 2,000 yards this season. He has 2,048, sitting 239 yards shy of the program’s single-season record set by Nathan Grimmett in 2016. He’s also one passing touchdown shy of tying the single-season program record (24).
Gavin Davis, Shady Spring – Davis posted another career night Friday when he rushed for over 300 yards and five touchdowns in Shady’s win against Ripley. While the Tigers’ schedule has eased up towards the end, Davis has stepped up despite opposing teams knowing he’s getting the ball with Brady Green and Jalon Bailey done for the year.
The Oak Hill defense – The last time Bluefield was shutout was 2005 when Weir pulled away late in the Class AA title game that year. The last time the Beavers were held without a touchdown was 2018. Oak Hill powered through the rain Friday and blanked the Beavers who totaled 40 yards of total offense. For reference, when Bluefield lost that ’05 title game to Weir it had 149 yards of total offense.
Tyler Linksweiler, Independence – The Patriots needed a big night on the ground given the weather conditions and Linksweiler gave them the best statistical performance of his career.
Independence Middle School Football Team – The Patriots finished the season unbeaten.
Bryson Huff, Wyoming East – East’s struggles have been well documented this season but Huff scored both of the team’s touchdowns Friday in a homecoming win against PikeView.
Final ThoughtsÂ
As of late West Virginia has produced top tier athletes. As I write this former Martinsburg QB Tyson Bagent just finished leading the Chicago Bears, as a rookie, to a win in his first career start. Blocking for him at tackle was 2019 Huntington graduate Darnell Wright the 10th overall selection in the draft this past spring.
Brenton Strange, a 2019 graduate of Parkersburg, scored his first career touchdown last week in the Jaguars’ win over the Colts. Dante Stills, a 2018 graduate of Fairmont Senior, was drafted by the Cardinals this spring and has a sack on the season.
For years West Virginia was considered a talent desert. Between the success of those 2018 and ’19 classes at the NFL level and the group of standouts at the college level (Hudson Clement, Sean Martin, Jarod Bowie and Zach Frazier amongst others) there’s a lot to be proud and much to look forward to now that several athletes have broken that barrier.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
