Morgantown Uses Big Plays To Beat Visiting Big Reds By 44-7
MORGANTOWN - Just as they did a year ago the Morgantown Mohigans used a bevy of big plays to beat the visiting Parkersburg Big Reds here Thursday night by a 44-7 score.
The Mohigans scored six touchdowns and five of them were of the long distance variety, covering 38, 53, 67, 70 and 77 yards as four different players managed to elude the would-be Parkersburg tacklers.
Ranked number four in the pre-season polls, Morgantown piled up 510 yards on just 39 plays in building a 30-0 halftime margin and then coasting to victory in a game which saw the clock run non-stop for the last quarter and a half.
Quarterback Maddox Twigg led the way with 226 yards passing and two touchdowns while also rushing for 76 yards on just six carries including a 67 yard scamper early in the game to start the scoring. Carter Cooper caught a 53 yard scoring pass and also broke off a 77 yard TD scamper. Jayden Smalls caught just two passes for Morgantown but they went for 100 yards including a 70 yard reception.
The Big Reds had an early bright spot with an interception by Sylas Cheuvront who would also score his team's only touchdown late in the game. Ethan Jones ran for 91 yards in seven carries for PHS.
PHS will host Spring Valley next Friday.
Parkersburg 0 0 0 7 - 7
Morgantown 20 10 14 0 - 44
1st 08:21 MORG - Maddox Twigg 67 yd run (Clifton Shreves kick), 3-80 1:01
01:18 MORG - Jayden Smalls 70 yd pass from Maddox Twigg (Clifton Shreves kick), 4-84 1:48
00:00 MORG - Carter Cooper 77 yd run (Clifton Shreves kick failed), 1-77 5:46
2nd 04:29 MORG - Isaiah Thompson 38 yd run (Clifton Shreves kick), 4-48 1:02
00:16 MORG - Clifton Shreves 31 yd field goal, 7-15 2:17
3rd 08:33 MORG -Carter Cooper 53 yd pass from Maddox Twigg (Clifton Shreves kick), 4-72 1:57
04:37 MORG - Isaiah Thompson 1 yd run (Clifton Shreves kick), 5-50 2:44
4th 04:27 PHS - Sylas Cheuvront 13 yd run (Cole Sisk kick), 12-32 11:54
. PHS MORG
FIRST DOWNS 11 17
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 19-128 22-255
PASSING YDS (NET) 127 255
Passes Att-Comp-Int 34-15-1 17-12-1
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 53-255 39-510
Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 1-3
Kickoff Returns-Yards 8-84 2-38
Interception Returns-Yards 1-16 1-0
Punts (Number-Avg) 4-42.0 1-45.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 14-99 6-45
Possession Time 24:07 30:10
Third-Down Conversions 6 of 14 2 of 4
Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 4 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances 0-1 2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards 1-7 0-0
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 7-91; Sylas Cheuvront 6-31; Alex Greer 5-10; Tyler Cameron 1-minus 4; Morgantown-Isaiah Thompson 10-89; Carter Cooper 2-77; Maddox Twigg 6-76; Nathan Ely 1-10; Carsin Lawhun 2-4; Matthew Hennige 1-minus 1.
PASSING: Parkersburg-Alex Greer 7-17-1-63; Tyler Cameron 8-17-0-64. Morgantown-Maddox Twigg 10-15-1-226; Matthew Hennige 2-2-029.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Brady Thorn 4-32; Tytan Prsons 3-35; Braxton Kupfner 2-22; Hunter Leavitt2-19; Cole Sisk 1-9; Sylas Cheuvront 1-7; Devin Widman 1-5; Ethan Jones 1-minus 2. Morgantown-Carter Cooper 6-98; Jayden Smalls 2-100; Brenden McCutcheon 2-29; Matthew Hennige 1-26; Keltin Blunt 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Sylas Cheuvront 1-16. Morgantown-Zaiden Lockett1-0.
By Greg Carey
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Class AAAA No. 4 Morgantown faced adversity early into Thursday’s WVSSAC Kickoff Classic against Parkersburg.
How the Mohigans handled it went a long way toward ensuring they cruised by the Big Reds, 44-7, in the season opener for both teams from Pony Lewis Field at J.W. Ruby Stadium.
On the Mohigans’ second play from scrimmage, quarterback Maddox Twigg’s pass was intercepted by the Big Reds’ Sylas Cheuvront, who returned it 19 yards to the MHS 26-yard line.
Four plays later, the Big Reds faced fourth-and-2 from, and Morgantown’s Carter Cooper came off the edge to bring down Ethan Jones for a 1-yard loss.
That was as close as PHS came to playing with a lead.
Twigg broke off a 67-yard touchdown run that saw him reverse fields and break out into the open, and Clifton Shreves followed with his first of five point-after kicks to give Morgantown a 7-0 lead 3:40 into the matchup.
“You don’t ever want to throw an interception, but it kind of worked in our favor that we had to face adversity right off the bat,” Mohigans’ head coach Sean Biser said. “It tested our quarterback and tested our defense. They did their job and then he came back in and did an excellent job. We talk about adversity all the time and when it hits, how to handle it.”
PHS then put together perhaps its best series against the Morgantown starting defense, only to have Alex Greer’s fourth-and-3 pass fall incomplete at the Mohigans’ 16. It marked Greer’s first incompletion on his sixth attempt.
Four plays later, Twigg found Jayden Smalls streaking behind the Parkersburg secondary for a 70-yard touchdown repletion, allowing the home team to double its lead.
“You’re always amped up Game 1 and we make a big play early and our guys were fired up. We go from such a huge high and then don’t capitalize on that opportunity, and they turned around and made a big play of their own,” PHS head coach Matt Kimes said. “That’s when I felt like the wind came out of our sails. We have to learn as a team to keep that same mentality — can’t get too high or too low and the most important play is the next play. Once the momentum got away from us tonight, we never could get it back.”
Following a Parkersburg three-and-out, Cooper outran the Big Red defense for a 77-yard touchdown on the final play of the opening quarter, leaving MHS with a 20-0 advantage through the opening period.
Zaiiden Lockett’s interception of a Greer pass set up the only second-quarter touchdown, which was scored by Isaiah Thompson on a 38-yard run 4:29 before halftime.
Shreves connected on a 30-yard field goal on the final play of the opening half, sending Morgantown to the intermission with a 30-0 advantage.
Through two quarters, MHS had a 360-120 edge in total yardage. Hoping to be more balanced and less run dominant, the Mohigans were exactly that as Twigg hit on 7-of-14 passes for 141 yards in the first half.
“We have more that we didn’t show tonight. We took what they were giving us and went with that,” Biser said. “It definitely opens up our offense and with the guys we have, it suits our personnel.”
The Big Reds went three-and-out on their opening second-half series and Morgantown scored its fifth touchdown on Twigg’s 58-yard pass to Cooper.
A 2-yard touchdown run from Thompson with 4:21 to play in the third quarter made it 44-0 and created a running clock.
Cheuvront prevented Parkersburg from being shutout by ripping off a 13-yard touchdown run with 5:27 remaining in the contest.
Twigg finished 10-for-15 with 226 yards. “I feel very protected and confident with those guys in front of me,” Twigg said. “Can’t really complain or ask for anymore out of them.”
Smalls had 134 receiving yards on three catches and Cooper caught seven passes for 92 yards.
Big Reds Begin 2025 Season Thursday at Morgantown on TV
Parkersburg and Morgantown will kickoff the 2025 West Virginia high school football season Thursday at 7 o’clock at Pony Lewis Field in Morgantown as the WV Metronews televised game of the week and the visiting Big Reds from PHS are hoping to dominate the Mohigans as they did a year ago – but with better results this time.
A year ago the two teams met at Stadium Field and PHS had a huge advantage everywhere but on the scoreboard as Morgantown won 24-13 despite a wide statistical disparity.
PHS had a 22-5 edge in first downs, an 83-25 margin in total plays, and out-gained the Mohigans 331-213 in total yards. The visitors only tried three passes and completed none but they turned a pair of big touchdown runs of 66 and 69 yards in the second half to pull out the victory en route to an 8-4 season. One of those long runs was by Carsin Lawhun (6-0, 190 sr.) who returns for his senior season and hopes to lead his team to another outstanding campaign.
This year’s Big Red team, the fourth under current head coach Matt Kimes, will have a lot of new faces but several key players return and the team is coming off an impressive scrimmage showing against northern panhandle power Wheeling Park.
PHS lost quarterback Cooper Cancade and leading rusher/receiver Jakel Shelton to graduation as well as kicker Quinton Wright but return players like linemen Adam Elder, 315 pounder Jordan Hess and 300 pounder Drey Grinter.
Sophomore Alex Greer is expected to take over at quarterback although he will be pressed by Tyler Cameron. Ethan Jones returns after being the team’s second-leading rusher a year ago with 415 yards (6.1 per carry) and four touchdowns and three of the top four receivers in Braxton Kupfner, Brady Thorn, Tytan Parsons and Hunter Leavitt. Kupfner caught 21 passes a year ago, Thorn 19 (including four touchdowns) and Parsons and Leavitt 15 each. Thorn is only a sophomore while the other three are seniors.
Two of the top three tacklers return for PHS on defense as junior Devin Widman is back at linebacker after leading the team with 100 total tackles including nine for loss while sophomore Javel Chandler returns after being in on 55 tackles with three interceptions.
Big Reds Look Sharp In Second Scrimmage
What a difference a week makes on the field.
The Parkersburg High School football team had a complete turn-around on the gridiron Friday evening in the friendly confines of Stadium Field as the Big Reds out-played Wheeling Park in their second scrimmage in preparation for the start of the 2025 season.
After a lackluster showing a week ago on the road, the Big Reds looked much sharper offensively and particularly defensively against the Patriots from the northern panhandle.
Under game-style clock and down conditions, PHS ran for 153 yards on 26 attempts and completed half of their 18 passes for 108 yards with one interception (their only turnover compared to five miscues a week ago). The visitors threw the ball 33 times with 21 completions for 253 yards and the Big Reds came up with two interceptions (one for a touchdown) to go with one fumble recovery. Park ran the ball only 23 times for 47 yards.
PHS came up with two defensive stops in the first quarter inside its own 20, the second on an interception by Tytan Parsons.
Sophomore quarterback Alex Greer then got the Big Red offense untracked with his arm and legs early in the second quarter. A 16-yard run by Ethan Jones set up gains of 13 and 11 yards by Greer, who then threw a 10 yard touchdown pass to Braxton Kupfner.
Two plays later the defense got in the act when a batted pass was grabbed out of the air and returned 15 yards for a touchdown by Adam Elder.
Wheeling Park countered with an all-passing drive for a touchdown but at the intermission another Big Red defensive stop at the one yard line came on the last play of the second quarter.
A fumble recovery by Gavin Bowman gave PHS the ball on the Wheeling 21 yard line and three plays later Bowman scored with Cole Sisk kicking his second extra point. Bowman followed that with two sacks in a row and PHS capitalized on a 35 yard pass from Noah Smith to Carter Smith for touchdown number four of the day.
The Big Reds finished the day with a 26 yard touchdown run by Myles Ross with 3:38 to play while the Patriots scored on a long run with just 1:35 left in the scrimmage.
The Big Reds will open the West Virginia high school football season when they travel to Morgantown on Thursday for the Metronews televised Game of the Week.
Big Reds Scrimmage Tigers; Will Host Wheeling Park Aug. 22 at Stadium Field
MARIETTA, Ohio – Technically it was the second play of the 2025 season although only being a scrimmage here Saturday afternoon at Don Drumm Stadium.
It was a 60-yard pass behind the Marietta secondary from Tyler Cameron to Tytan Parsons that went for a touchdown.
It was a great way to start the scrimmage… but it was also called back for a penalty and that set the stage for a day of mishaps for the Parkersburg Big Red football team against a Tiger squad coached by former PHS assistant coach Mike Kupfner.
Four lost fumbles and two interceptions (one of which was erased by a Marietta penalty) kept the PHS offense out of the end zone on all but one series and negated a fairly even statistical contest. One of those lost fumbles was returned for a Marietta touchdown.
Overall, Marietta ran the ball 23 times for 139 yards while completing 15 of 19 passes for 146 yards while the Big Reds had 26 rushes for 125 yards while completing eight of 15 passes for 85 yards.
After the early touchdown was erased, PHS and Marietta exchanged punts before the Big Reds drove to the Marietta 19 yards line behind completions of 20 and 14 yards from sophomore Alex Greer to sophomore Brady Thorn. Deleon Evans had a 27 yard run off a long lateral pass from Greer but on the next play a PHS receiver dropped what would have been a touchdown. That was followed by a lost fumble.
Marietta then drove 81 yards, mostly through the air, to score on a 17 yard pass play and kicked the extra point.
The next PHS drive ended on the Marietta 22, again on a fumble, while just before the end of the second quarter Marietta came up with an interception at its own 20 yard line.
Marietta scored on its second possession of the third quarter on a 10 yard run by the quarterback but PHS answered with a 26 yard TD run by Gavin Bowman after a 37 yard run by Greer.
The host Tigers tacked on another scoring pass of 23 yards and returned a lost fumble 28 yards to paydirt late in the scrimmage.
Defensively for PHS, Parsons was the leading tackler while Evans had a quarterback sack. Marietta had no turnovers.
On Friday, Aug. 22, at 5 p.m. PHS will host Wheeling Park in a scrimmage at Stadium Field and will officially unveil its new scoreboard.
Big Red Opener Changed; Eddy Joins Staff
Morgantown will welcome Parkersburg to Pony Lewis Field for the annual WVSSAC Kickoff Game presented by The West Virginia Army National Guard on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the matchup will air live on MetroNews Television and SportsNet Pittsburgh.
The Mohigans and Big Reds clashed in a 2024 season opener at PHS, a contest the Mohigans won, 24-13 despite being dominated statistically by the Big Reds. As a result of a 2-hour rain delay, that game did not end until after midnight.
Another change for PHS is the addition of former Big Red assistant coach Mike Eddy who returns to the staff as the defensive coordinator, replacing Mike Kupfner, who is the new head coach at Marietta.
Wright, Shelton Earn 2nd Team All-State Honors
Two Parkersburg Big Red seniors, Quinton Wright and Jakel Shelton, have been named to the West Virginia Sports Writers Association Class AAAA All-State second team.
The team was dominated by state champion Martinsburg, the team which beat PHS in the first round of this year’s playoffs, with five first team selections.
Wright, a first-year player, was chosen as the kicker on the second team after booting seven of nine field goals with a long of 38 yards. It was the third highest total of single season field goals in school history. He also kicked 21 of 22 extra points while averaging 45.1 yards per kickoff with three touchbacks and averaging 29.5 yards on 18 punts.
Shelton, a 5-foot-8, 190 pounder, had, 1,243 all-purpose yards with 927 rushing yards on 190 carries with eight touchdowns. During his three-year PHS career Shelton scored 18 touchdowns and gained 1,394 rushing yards to etch his name in the all-time record book among the leaders. He led the team this year with 30 pass receptions for 274 yards and another touchdown. Defensively, he made 20 tackles from his linebacker-safety position.
Three other Big Reds earned honorable mention status; Cyrus Backus, Zane Lewis and Devin Widman. Backus had three interceptions and a team-high six break-ups while Lewis earned first-team all-MSAC honors and scored two defensive touchdowns while also catching a touchdown pass. Widman led the team with 100 tackles.
The Class AAAA All-State Football
as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association
First Team Offense
QB – Koi Fagan, Martinsburg Sr. (Captain)
WR – Kyree Bunny, Martinsburg Sr.
WR – Sha’Lik Hampton, Hurricane, Sr.
OL – Peyton Kaufman, Martinsburg, Sr.
OL – Drake Lanham, Hurricane, Sr.
OL – Prophet Guillaume, Spring Mills, Sr.
OL – Mason Ramsey, Huntington, Sr.
OL – Hunter Means, Wheeling Park, Sr.
RB – Brennan Wack, Wheeling Park, Jr.
RB – Keegan Sack, Huntington, Sr.
RB – Eli Bartley, Parkersburg South, Sr.
RB – Tay’Shaun Roper, Jefferson, Sr.
K – Jordan Price, Huntington, Sr.
U – Noah Vellaithambi, Hurricane, Sr.
U – Max Anderson, Spring Mills, Sr.
First Team Defense
DL – Xavier Anderson, Spring Mills, Jr.
DL – Isaiah Osafo-Mensah, Washington, Sr.
DL – Tyson Wagoner, Parkersburg South
DL – Brady Savage, Morgantown, Sr.
LB – Ace Flores, Martinsburg, Sr. (Captain)
LB – Gunner Flores, George Washignton, Sr.
LB – Nick Busky, Martinsburg, Sr.
LB – Jameson Maynard, Wheeling Park, Sr.
DB – Zah Jackson, Huntington, Sr.
DB – A.J. Thomas, Beckley, Jr.
DB – Sai’Vyon Brown, George Washington, Sr.
U – Tayveon Wilson, Huntington, Jr.
U – Avonte Crawford, Huntington, Sr.
U – Brock Kehler, University, Sr.
P – Aidan Stire, Morgantown, Sr.
Second Team Offense
QB – Dylan Harich, Jefferson, Sr,
WR – Tony Allen, Jefferson, Jr.
WR – Ja’Lei Burnette. Hurricane, Jr.
OL – Levi Faircloth, Hedgesville, Sr.
OL – Ben Guilliams, Cabell Midland, Jr.
OL – Keandre Goode, Beckley, Sr.
OL – Brayden Lude, George Washington, Sr.
OL – Brady Breeden, Martinsburg, Sr.
RB – AJ Thomas, Morgantown, Sr. (Captain)
RB – Kylan Grace, Hurricane, Jr.
RB – Blake Saunders, Spring Mills, Jr.
K – Quinton Wright, Parkersburg, Sr.
U – Jakel Shelton, Parkersburg, Sr.
U – Taj Joyce, Parkersburg South Jr.
U – Tyshawn Dues, Hurricane, Sr.
Second Team Defense
DL – Xavier Pollard, Martinburg, Sr.
DL – Ja’Marques Manns, Beckley, Jr.
DL – Akir Johnson, Morgantown, Sr.
DL – Clyde May, George Washignton, Jr.
LB – Cole Middleton, Parkersburg South, Sr.
LB – Joey Quijano, Hurricane, Sr.
LB – Kyree Brooks, Washington, Soph.
LB – Coldin Burkhart, Wheeling Park, Sr.
DB – Taviun Chandler, Huntington, Sr.
DB – Isaiah Wang, Spring Mills,
DB – Carter Cooper, Morgantown,
U – Hunter Giacomo, GW, Sr.
U – Demarius Wall ace, Jefferson, Sr. (Captain)
U – Nate Lasure, Musselman, Jr.
P – Devon Forshey, Parkersburg South, Sr.
Honorable Mention
Wyatt Adkins, Huntington; Leeland Benner, Jefferson; Cyrus Backus, Parkersburg; Jay Bordas, Wheeling Park; Glenn Brown, University; Taryn Boyles, Musselman; Seth Casto, Hurricane; Ethan Chill, Hurricane; Preston Clary, Woodrow Wilson; Sam Collins, Martinsburg; Solomon Ferrell, George Washington; Bryce Ford, Woodrow Wilson; Mason Haney, Morgantown; Hayden George, University; Jimmy Gregg, University; Carson Gue, Cabell Midland; Javon Jones, Washington; Ilias King, Huntington; Marcos Kniska, University; Sean Legros, Hurricane; Zane Lewis, Parkersburg; Zaiden Lockett, Morgantown; Rhett McGrew, Hurricane; Aryn McPherson, Huntington; Abel Meza, Spring Mills; Keyon Mills, Spring Mills; Logan Middleton, Parkersburg South; Brayden Miller, Martinsburg; Konnor Mott, Morgantown; Brett Pederson, Hedgesville; Terry Rea III, Washington; AJ Seals, Wheeling Park; Ze’von Shipman, Morgantown; Rylan Swartz, Spring Mills; Jamari Tubbs, Huntington; Kirk Waldeck, Jefferson; Devin Widman, Parkersburg.
Lewis Earns All-MSAC First Team Honors; 5 Others on Second Team
Senior Zane Lewis has been named to the first team of the All-Mountain State Athletic Conference football team while five other Big Reds were honored with second team spots on the squad picked by the conference coaches.
Lewis was an outstanding all-around player for PHS, in addition to
scoring twice on defense he ranked second on the team in total tackles with 84 while making six tackles for loss, getting one sack, coming up with three interceptions (returning one for a touchdown) and three break-ups while recovering one fumble and returning it for another touchdown while forcing another fumble. Offensively, the 6-foot-2, 170 pounder caught 15 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown.
Making second team All-MSAC was Braxton Kupfner at tight end, Jakel Shelton at running back, Quinton Wright at place-kicker, Javel Chandler and Cyrus Backus at defensive back.
Kupfner, a junior, caught 21 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown while Shelton led the team in touchdowns with nine while piling up 1,243 all-purpose yards with 927 coming via rushing and another 274 on pass receiving. Wright kicked seven field goals (in nine attempts) including two in a game against both Morgantown and St. Albans. His total of seven three-pointers is the third highest total in school history for the first-year player. Chandler, only a freshman, had three interceptions to go with his 55 tackles while Backus also had three interceptions.
Chris Cox, Ethan Jones and Aeneas Lauderman made special honorable mention while Drey Grinter and Devin Widman earned honorable mention accolades.
Noah Vellaithambi of Hurricane was Player of the Year while Billy Seals of Huntington was Coach of the Year.
2024 MSAC Football All-Conference Team
Player of the Year
Noah Vellaithambi – Hurricane – Sr.
Coach of the Year
Billy Seals – Huntington
OFFENSE
FIRST TEAM
Tight End :
Rhett McGrew – Hurricane – Sr.
Wide Receiver :
Jalyn Abercrombie – Spring Valley – Sr.
Tayveon Wilson – Huntington – Jr.
Sha’lik Hampton – Hurricane – Sr.
Tackle :
Mason Ramsey – Huntington – Jr.
Brayden Lude – George Washington – Sr.
Guard :
Ben Guilliams – Cabell Midland – Jr.
Brayden Casto – Spring Valley – Sr.
Center :
Braxton Carter – Spring Valley – Jr.
Landon Green – St. Albans – Sr.
Quarterback :
Avonte Crawford – Huntington – Sr.
Running Back :
Keegan Sack – Huntington – Sr.
David Robinson Jr. – Capital – So.
Utility :
Tyshawn Dues – Hurricane – Sr.
Kicker :
Jordan Price – Huntington – Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Tight End :
Braxton Kupfner – Parkersburg – Jr.
Wide Receiver :
Jamari Tubbs – Huntington – Sr.
Ja’lei Burnette – Hurricane – Jr.
Fernando Valdevia – Capital Jr.
Tackle :
Drake Lanham – Hurricane – Sr.
Tucker Van Meter – Capital – Sr.
Guard :
Elijah Bausley- South Charleston – So.
Caleb Parlier – Cabell Midland – Jr.
Center :
Brayden Edwards – George Washington – Jr.
Quarterback :
Liam McGuire – Spring Valley – Sr.
Running Back :
Kylan Grace – Hurricane – Jr.
Jakel Shelton – Parkersburg – Sr.
Miguel Cain – Spring Valley – Jr.
Utility :
Malcom Brown – South Charleston – Jr.
Deuce McClain – St. Albans – Sr.
Marcus Dean – Cabell Midland – Sr.
Cayden Pauley – Cabell Midland – Sr.
Kicker :
Quinton Wright -Parkersburg – Sr.
DEFENSE
FIRST TEAM
Linemen :
Ethan Chill – Hurricane – Sr.
Clyde May – George Washington – Jr.
Tristan Watts – Spring Valley – Sr.
Carson Gue – Cabell Midland – Sr..
Linebackers :
Guner Flores – George Washington – Sr.
Hunter Giacomo – George Washington – Sr.
Zane Lewis – Parkersburg – Sr.
Joey Quijano – Hurricane – Sr.
Cam Perdue – Spring Valley – Jr.
Ilias King – Huntington – So.
Defensive Backs :
Solomon Ferrell – George Washington – Sr.
Zah Jackson – Huntington – Sr.
Logan Harris – Spring Valley – Sr.
Sai’Vyon Brown – George Washington – Sr.
Shawn Legros – Hurricane – Sr.
Utility :
Kno’Sean Hampton – Hurricane – So.
Punter :
Seth Casto – Hurricane – Jr.
SECOND TEAM
Linemen :
JR Cochran – Riverside – Sr.
Tyrell Ellis – St. Albans – Sr.
Tomas Cintron – Capital – Jr.
Braxton Mount – Huntington – Jr.
Jeremiah Lyles – Huntington – So.
Brae Booth – Spring Valley – Sr.
Linebackers :
Kaleb Shanklin – Riverside – Sr.
Bryson Smith – Cabell Midland – So.
Cam Harris – Capital – Jr.
Defensive Backs :
Damian Johnson – Capital – Jr.
Jaiden Smith – Hurricane – Sr.
Taviun Chandler – Huntington – Sr.
Javel Chandler – Parkersburg – Fr.
Cyrus Backus – Parkersburg – Sr.
Jamal Dotson – Capital – Jr.
Dylan Robertson – Spring Valley – Sr.
Utility :
Garrett Wagoner – Spring Valley – Sr.
Punter :
Thomas Gibson – Cabell Midland Sr.
SPECIAL HONORABLE MENTION
Wyatt Adkins – Huntington
Chris Cox – Parkersburg
Ethan Jones – Parkersburg
Aeneas Lauderman – Parkersburg
Max Bohren – Huntington
Sean McCord – St. Albans
HONORABLE MENTION
Cabell Midland: Logan Hobbs, Braeden Armstead
Capital: Peyton Grigsby, Taijay Davis
George Washington: Johvan Davis, Grant Uldrich
Huntington: Aryn McPherson, Landon Miller
Hurricane: Mason Martin, Cohen Lusher
Parkersburg: Drey Grinter, Devin Widman
Riverside:Jase Cook, Casey Chapman
South Charleston: Morgan Watts, Brayden Zuniga
Spring Valley: Cole Ferguson, Bryce Fuller
St. Albans: Devon Green, Deshaun Stotts
Defending Champ Martinsburg Makes Statement With Big Win Over PHS
Game Statistics / Game Photos
MARTINSBURG – Host Martinsburg showed why it is ranked number one in Class AAAA football in the state of West Virginia and has not lost a game on the field since Nov. 26, 2022, as the Bulldogs opened the 2024 playoffs with a 77-7 victory over Parkersburg here on a chilly Saturday afternoon before a sparse crowd.
The Bulldogs of coach Dave Walker, seeking to defend their state championship of a year ago, scored 11 touchdowns by five different means in handing the Big Reds their seventh loss against four wins in a delayed playoff opener. The home team scored five times in the first quarter and three more times in the second quarter in putting up the most points that has ever been scored against a Big Red team in the history of PHS football.
The winners will now play Parkersburg South in the second round of the playoffs at home on either Nov. 29 or 30.
Martinsburg scored on a blocked punt, an interception return and a punt return as well as producing touchdowns on eight of the 26 offensive plays run by Bulldogs. Despite the few number of plays, the Bulldogs piled up 448 yards in total offense, 209 yards rushing on just 15 attempts and 239 yards passing as they completed nine of 11 passes. Quarterback Koi Fagan ran for two touchdowns and threw for three more in three quarters of action in a game shortened by using a running clock in the second half. Only two of Martinsburg’s 11 touchdowns were on plays of 18 yards or more.
The Big Reds managed 216 yards on 61 plays with Ethan Jones rushing for 44 yards on 17 carries after leading rusher Jakel Shelton left the game late in the first quarter with an injury. Quarterback Cooper Cancade completed 13 of 25 passes for 83 yards with one interception and was sacked twice.
Martinsburg scored on its first possession, going 63 yards on seven plays with Fagan covering the final five yards himself. That offensive series was the longest of the game for the hosts, who had one four-play drive and four scoring drives of three plays or less.
The second TD for the winners came on a 49 yard pass for Kylee Bunny on the first play after a punt while the third score came on a five yard blocked punt return by Brian Dick. Touchdown number four was a 62 yard pass to Kevin Myers while the final score of the first quarter came on a 10 yard pass to Brayden Miller for a 35-0 lead.
The onslaught continued in the second quarter when Dick intercepted a pass and returned it 48 yards to the end zone and that was followed by another three-play scoring possession which culminated on Boston Todd’s 18 yard run after a 36 yard pass to the same player.
The Big Reds suffered a sack on their own 25 yard line with 1:39 left in the first half and it took just two plays for Fagan to run around end and force several missed tackles to run the score to 56-0.
In the first half PHS had just four first downs and 73 total yards and reached the Martinsburg side of the field just four plays.
In the third quarter Dick scored his third touchdown of the game on a 42 yard run and the Bulldogs added a 44 yard punt return before PHS reached the end zone on a one yard run by Cancade with 4:20 remaining to cap a scoring drive which took 15 plays and covered 80 yards. The big play was a 17 yard pass to Braxton Kupfner.
PHS freshman Alex Greer had a 34 yard run and a 16 yard pass to junior Tytan Parsons which took the ball to the Martinsburg 22 as the game ended. Kupfner caught six passes in the game for 36 yards while Parsons caught four for 43.
#16 Parkersburg vs #1 Martinsburg (Nov 22, 2024 at Martinsburg)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Total
Parkersburg 0 0 0 7 - 7
Martinsburg 35 21 14 7 - 77
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 09:31 MART - Koi Fagan 5 yd run (Samuel Collins kick), 7-63 2:29
07:28 MART - Kylee Bunny 49 yd pass from Koi Fagan (Samuel Collins kick), 1-49 0:09
06:02 MART - Brian Dick 5 yd blocked punt return (Samuel Collins kick)
03:20 MART - Kevin Myers 62 yd pass from Koi Fagan (Samuel Collins kick), 3-63 0:46
01:45 MART - Brayden Miller 10 yd pass from Koi Fagan (Samuel Collins kick), 3-48 0:26
2nd 08:44 MART - Brian Dick 48 yd interception return (Samuel Collins kick)
05:06 MART - Boston Todd 18 yd run (Samuel Collins kick), 3-57 0:52
01:27 MART - Koi Fagan 25 yd run (Samuel Collins kick), 2-25 0:12
3rd 05:57 MART - Brian Dick 42 yd run (Samuel Collins kick), 4-51 1:00
03:11 MART - De'Onte Humphrey 44 yd punt return (Samuel Collins kick)
4th 04:20 PHS - Cooper Cancade 1 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 15-80 10:35
01:42 MART - Kevin Myers 35 yd run (Samuel Collins kick), 3-59 2:32
PHS MART
FIRST DOWNS 13 14
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 34-117 15-209
PASSING YDS (NET) 99 239
Passes Att-Comp-Int 27-14-1 11-9-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 61-216 26-448
Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 2-63
Kickoff Returns-Yards 6-59 2-16
Interception Returns-Yards 0-0 1-48
Punts (Number-Avg) 6-21.0 0-0.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0
Penalties-Yards 5-36 2-17
Possession Time 39:28 0 8:32
Third-Down Conversions 3 of 14 2 of 2
Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 3 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances 1-1 3-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards 0-0 2-13
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 17-44; Alex Greer 1-34; Cooper Cancade 10-19; Cyrus Backus 1-14; Aeneas Lauderman 2-4; Jakel Shelton 3-2. Martinsburg-Koi Fagan 5-61; Kevin Myers 2-60; Brian Dick 4-47; Boston Todd 3-39; Nicholas Busky 1-2.
PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 13-25-1-83; Alex Greer 1-2-0-16. Martinsburg-Koi Fagan 6-8-0-198; Brian Dick 3-3-0-41.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Braxton Kupfner 6-36; Tytan Parsons 4-43; Zane Lewis 2-10; Bryan Gregory 1-8; Hunter Leavitt 1-2. Martinsburg-Kevin Myers 1-62; Kylee Bunny 1-49; Boston Todd 1-36; Uryan George 1-32; Kai Rhoads 1-22; Brayden Miller 1-10; Brian Dick 1-10; Jaeshaun Dirting 1-9; Tashawn Cofield 1-9.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-None. Martinsburg-Brian Dick 1-48.
FUMBLES: Parkersburg-None. Martinsburg-Koi Fagan 1-0.
Parkersburg (4-7) vs. Martinsburg (10-1)
Date: Nov 22, 2024 • Site: Martinsburg • Stadium:
Attendance: 1000
Kickoff time: 4:00 * End of Game 6:07* Total elapsed time: 2:07
PHS at Martinsburg Game Switched To Saturday Afternoon at 4 PM
The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled to support the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission rating system and therefore the first-round playoff opponent and host for Parkersburg will be top-ranked Martinsburg.
Due to impending bad weather on Friday evening the game has been moved to Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Now 16th-ranked, the Big Reds will face the 9-1 Bulldogs in the first round after a court injunction filed by Wood County was over-turned by the state supreme Court. The injunction had previously upheld a playoff rating system which would have sent PHS to Jefferson for its first-round foe.
Martinsburg, coached by veteran Dave Walker, is the defending state champion and has not lost a game on the field since Nov. 26, 2022 (that coming in the playoff semifinals to Huntington). The Bulldogs were forced to forfeit a game this year against Musselman (a 56-8 Martinsburg win on the scoreboard) for using an ineligible player. The only close game on the field this year for Walker, who has guided the Bulldogs to nine state titles including four in a row from 2016-2019., was a 17-12 victory over previously undefeated and unscored upon Spring Mills. In their last regular season game the Bulldogs fell behind 17-0 to Hurricane but rallied for a 44-17 victory as quarterback Koi Fagan (6-0, 175 sr.) ran for three touchdowns.
For the year Martinsburg has scored 482 points while allowing just 85. The Bulldogs have beaten Ballou (DC) 66-0, Huntington 47-15, Woodson (DC) 42-0), Hedgesville 66-0, Jefferson 42-12, Washington 51-7, Spring Mills and Hurricane.
PHS and Martinsburg have met five times on the field with PHS winning three times. The last meeting was in the quarterfinals of the playoffs in 2018 with Martinsburg winning 49-20. In 2006 the teams met in the state finals with PHS putting the finishing touches on a 14-0 season with a 34-6 triumph.
Class AAAA:
No. 16 Parkersburg (4-6) at No. 1 Martinsburg (9-1) – Saturday, November 23 at 4 p.m.
No. 15 Hedgesville (2-8) at No. 2 Spring Mills (9-1) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.
No. 14 Cabell Midland (5-5) at No. 3 Jefferson (7-3) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.
No. 13 Musselman (2-8) at No. 4 Wheeling Park (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.
No. 1 2 University (4-6) at No. 5 Huntington (9-1) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.
No. 11 George Washington (7-3) at No. 6 Hurricane (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.
No. 10 Woodrow Wilson (6-4) at No. 7 Morgantown (7-3) – Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m.
No. 9 Washington (6-4) at No. 8 Parkersburg South (5-5) – Saturday, November 23 at 1:30 p.m.
Shelton Leads Big Reds to 29-6
Victory In Regular Season Finale
Game Statistics / Game Photos
Jakel Shelton saved his best for last.
Last home game that is, for the Parkersburg senior running back, as he rushed for over 200 yards for the first time in his career to lead the Big Reds to a 29-6 victory over Musselman Friday night at Stadium Field in the last regular season game for PHS.
Although he did not score a touchdown (well he did but had it called back by a holding penalty) he did pass the 900 yard mark in rushing with one game to play as he tries to crack the 1,000 yard barrier.
Now 4-6, the Big Reds must await word Sunday to see who and where they will play in the first round of the Class AAAA playoffs although there are court injunctions waiting to be heard that could affect the outcome of the final pairings.
The Big Reds scored in every quarter with four different players reaching the end zone but it was Shelton who picked up 203 yards rushing on 20 carries with several long gains to his credit. Overall, PHS had 287 yards on 30 rushes and added 75 through the air for a 362 total. Ethan Jones carried just twice but they were for 27 and 38 yards each.
Defensively PHS allowed just seven pass completions in 20 attempts and freshman Javel Chandler had an interception while Zane Lewis and Devin Widman were the leading tacklers.
Musselman, which came into the game with a 2-7 record including one forfeit win, suffered two lost fumbles in addition to the interception which negated a 58-39 advantage in total plays ran.
The Big Reds took the opening kickoff and drove 61 yards to score in eight plays with Cooper Cancade hit Zane Lewis on a slant pass for the final 18 yards with 8:14 on the first quarter clock. Quinton Wright kicked the extra point.
Musselman followed that with a 13-play drive which netted nothing on the scoreboard as the Applemen got to a first and goal at the nine but the Big Red defense rose to the challenge and Conner Petty broke up a fourth down pass attempt from the five yard line. The only pass attempts on that drive came on the first and last plays as Musselman relied mainly on the run from its single wing formation.
Chandler’s interception for PHS helped set up the game’s second score as he picked off a pass at his own 25. Shelton then ripped off a 27 yard run and Cancade then hit Tytan Parsons with a 40 yard aerial to the Musselman eight yard line.
Then came back-to-back turnovers as first Cancade fumbled the ball away but the visitors replied in kind with a fumble that Cyrus Backus recovered at the Musselman 15. On the next play Cancade found a wide open Braxton Kupfner for the touchdown and Wright’s kick made it 14-0.
Musselman took the second half kickoff and drove 64 yards in 11 plays to cut the lead to 14-6. After throwing just one pass in the first 10 plays, the visitors connected on a 19 yard scoring toss to Nate Lasure for the touchdown with 5:09 remaining in the third quarter. PHS was penalized for roughing the kicker on the point after try so Musselman then went for two but Chandler stuffed the run attempt.
Musselman attempted an onside kick which Ethan Jones returned into Applemen territory and three plays later ran it in from 27 yards out untouched around left end. After a penalty the Big Reds went for two and Cancade converted for a 22-6 lead.
A Jones fumble recovery set up the final touchdown for PHS which took just four plays to cover 37 yards with Aenas Lauderman going in from nine yards away after Shelton had picked up 27 yards on the first two tries.
PHS could have added another TD in the final four minutes as Shelton ripped off runs of 38 and 20 yards before reaching the end zone on a 24 yard carry only to have it called back by a penalty with 51 seconds remaining.
Musselman vs Parkersburg (Nov 08, 2024 at Parkersburg)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 - Total
Musselman 0 0 6 0 - 6
Parkersburg 7 7 8 7 - 29
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 08:14 PHS - Zane Lewis 18 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 8-61 3:46
2nd 00:39 PHS - Braxton Kupfner 15 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 1-15 0:05
3rd 05:09 MUSS - Nate Lasure 19 yd pass from Zachary Miller (Roman Murphy rush failed), 11-64 6:41
03:38 PHS - Ethan Jones 27 yd run (Cooper Cancade rush), 3-45 1:25
4th 06:19 PHS - Aeneas Lauderman 9 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 4-37 2:03
MUSS PHS
FIRST DOWNS 14 18
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 38-124 30-287
PASSING YDS (NET) 86 75
Passes Att-Comp-Int 20-7-1 9-5-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 58-210 39-362
Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards 5-101 1-13
Interception Returns-Yards 0-0 1-0
Punts (Number-Avg) 3-44.0 3-37.3
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 1-1
Penalties-Yards 6-24 4-41
Possession Time 26:41 21:10
Third-Down Conversions 2 of 11 1 of 5
Fourth-Down Conversions 4 of 6 0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances 1-2 3-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards 0-0 0-0
RUSHING: Musselman-Nate Lasure 15-68; Zachary Miller 9-26; Dustin Boley 8-19; Colton Shelton 4-9; Zachary Miller 2-2. Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 20-203; Ethan Jones 2-65; Cooper Cancade 7-10; Aeneas Lauderman 1-9.
PASSING: Musselman-Zachary Miller 7-19-1-86; Nate Lasure 0-1-0-0. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 5-9-0-75.
RECEIVING: Musselman-Nate Lasure 3-39; Zachary Miller 2-15; Sawyer Richardson 1-20; Josh Armentrout 1-12. Parkersburg-Braxton Kupfner 2-22; Tytan Parsons 1-40; Zane Lewis 1-18; Hunter Leavitt 1-minus 5.
INTERCEPTIONS: Musselman-None. Parkersburg-Javel Chandler 1-0.
FUMBLES: Musselman-Zachary Miller 1-1; Zachary Miller 1-1. Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 1-1.
Musselman (2-8) vs. Parkersburg (4-6)
Date: Nov 08, 2024 • Site: Parkersburg • Stadium: Stadium Field
Attendance: 750
Kickoff time: 7:00 • End of Game: 9:22 • Total elapsed time: 2:22
Adams Father-Son Duo To Enter Hall
Proving again that Parkersburg High School Big Red football really is a family affair, this week’s inductees into the Hall of Fame include a father-son duo of Doug and Scott Adams.
The pair will be enshrined Friday night prior to the 7 o’clock Musselman game at Stadium Field.
This week’s Hall of Fame inductee, Douglas H. Adams, was a 1956 Parkersburg High School graduate and classmate and friend of legendary coach Buddy James.
After earning his bachelor’s degree from WVU, Adams and wife Carol returned to the Mid-Ohio Valley, raising their three children in Vienna.
Adams, an outgoing and incredibly involved member of Parkersburg’s philanthropic community, was a long-time supporter of his much-loved Big Reds. This involvement increased during the time son Scott Adams was a three-year starter, captain and first team all-stater for Coach James.
Adams involvement included envisioning and bringing to life the Big Red Tribe with friend Smoot Fahlgren. The “Tribe” was the first official fan-supported football club dedicated to support of the team.
When Stadium Field fell into disrepair, Adams was responsible for sourcing $1,000,000 for repair from then-governor Arch Moore.
The former president of Ohio Valley National Bank which merged to become United Bankshares with his brother Richard, Adams believed in the special place that is PHS and was a proud Big Red. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 73.
This week’s other Hall of Fame inductee, Scott Adams, was one of the few three year lineman for the Parkersburg Big Reds.
A 6-foot, 280 pound emotional leader of the 1985 team, he made his mark on defense although it was at center that he earned first-team all-state honors. He was coach Buddy James’ only all-state center. He was also a second-team all-state center in 1984. On defense, Adams played tackle and recorded a whopping 100 tackles including 16 for loss. He also had seven sacks on a dominating Parkersburg squad that allowed but 75 points in 13 games while recording six shutouts.
The Big Reds lost to George Washington, 28-14, in the fifth game of the 1985 regular season. However, Parkersburg would avenge that loss in the state semifinals, blitzing its way to a 28-13 win over those same Patriots at Laidley Field and earning a spot in the finals against nemesis Brooke. This time it was Brooke that turned the tables. The Bruins had lost to PHS, 14-6, in the season opener but 12 weeks later they completely stymied the Big Reds in a 7-0 down to the wire struggle.
The younger Adams specifically recalls the joy of playing with his mentor Rick Phillips and many stellar teammates including Joel Mazzella and Todd Burner.
Upset Minded PHS Hosts Huntington
Facing another stern test in their rugged schedule, the Parkersburg Big Reds will have upset on their minds Friday night as they try to pull off a signature win and prepare for the upcoming playoffs by hosting the highly regarded, once-beaten Highlanders from Huntington.
Huntington enters the 7:30 game ranked fourth in Class AAAA and riding a six-game winning streak. Overall 7-1, the Highlanders have only one loss and that is to top seeded Martinsburg by a 47-15 score back in week two at the Bulldogs’ home field.
The visitors are coming off a 49-7 win over Capital, a game which saw senior running back Keegan Sack (5-11, 195) score four rushing touchdowns in the first half alone. Meanwhile PHS is 3-5 and fresh from a 27-12 win over St. Albans, a team Huntington beat 58-6 back in week three.
Huntington nipped Hurricane 38-35 to open the season and then lost to Martinsburg before swamping St. Albans. That was followed by a 47-0 win over Riverside, a 52-7 victory over Cabell Midland, a 40-21 victory over Spring Valley and a 59-14 triumph over South Charleston.
Last year PHS played Huntington close for nearly a half before losing 49-21. The Big Reds trailed 14-7 in the second quarter only to give up two quick scores on a fumble recovery in the end zone and then an 85 yard punt return by Zah Jackson, who returns this year as a 5-foot-11, 180 pound senior after scoring twice a year ago against PHS.
Also returning for Huntington is 6-foot-3, 180 pound senior Avonte Crawford, who threw for three touchdowns and 222 yards a year ago and ran for another against the Big Reds.
Sack leads the Highlanders with 830 yards rushing on 106 carries with 18 touchdowns while Jackson is second with 253 yards on just 24 carries and four touchdowns. Crawford has completed 97 of 137 passes for 1,462 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. Leading receivers are Jamari Tubbs with 26 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns along with Tayvion Chandler with 17 receptions for 330 yards and three scores. Sack has scored 21 times this year for Huntington while Jackson has seven touchdowns and Jordan Price has kicked six field goals and 31 of 32 extra points.
The series between the two teams stands all even at 14-14 with the last PHS victory coming in 2020 by a 25-14 score.
Defensive leaders for PHS are sophomore Devin Widman with 69 tackles (eight for loss) and senior Zane Lewis with 56. Lewis returned an interception against St. Albans for a touchdown – his second defensive score of the season – and has six tackles for loss. Freshman Javel Chandler is third on the team with 41 tackles and has one interception and two forced fumbles.
Offensively, senior Jakel Shelton leads the team with eight touchdowns (all rushing) and 684 yards on the ground and another 184 yards on a team high 25 receptions. Junior Ethan Jones has 302 yards rushing and senior Cooper Cancade 302. Both each have three touchdowns on the ground.
Cancade has completed 112 of 176 passes (63.6%) for 1,217 yards and five touchdowns with freshman Brady Thorn having caught 17 passes for 272 yards and three scores. Thorn also has a kickoff return touchdown.
Senior Quinton Wright, a crossover from the soccer team, has now kicked seven of eight field goals to pull within two of tying the school record for field goals in a single season held by Tyler Warner and Conner Louden. Wright has kicked 17 straight extra points.
Dowler Joins PHS Hall of Fame
Team captain of the finest three-year won-lost record in Parkersburg High School football history, Matt Dowler was called by his coach “Without a doubt the finest offensive lineman in the state of West Virginia.”
With such a glaring recommendation it is little wonder Dowler has been selected to the Big Red Football Hall of Fame and will be inducted Friday night at Stadium Field prior to the Huntington game.
A three year starter at offensive guard, the 6-foot-2, 255-pound Dowler was named first team all-state as a senior and was a Hunt Award nominee after leading his team to three straight Mt. State Athletic Conference championships, an undefeated state championship in 1999 and two straight title game appearances while compiling a 38-3 overall record as a Big Red.
As a sophomore the Big Reds went 12-1, losing in the state semifinal game to eventual undefeated champion Nitro 24-15. As a junior PHS went 14-0, beating Riverside 31-28 in the title contest. As a senior the team lost to Riverside in the regular season but avenged that with a 14-0 triumph in the semifinals and then lost to undefeated Morgantown in the championship game.
He was the leader of an offensive line that helped set a record for total offensive yards in 2000 and also played in the BACF all-star game and the North-South all-star game.
Head coach Marshall Burdette said of Dowler, “I’ve been blessed to be able to see a lot of kids from the best programs and he, without a doubt, is the finest offensive lineman in the state of West Virginia.”
PHS quarterback Marc Kimes remarked that Dowler is the go-to guy for him and the rest of the PHS backfield. “If you have a situation where you need a yard or two yards, Matt Dowler is who you want blocking for you. You know he’s going to get you the room that you need to get that yardage when it matters the most.”
After high school, Dowler went on to play at Virginia Military Institute in the Southern Conference. After a red-shirt year he was a four-year starter at center, graduating in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He currently resides in Richmond with his wife Jennifer and twin 12-year-old sons Garrett and Peyton. He has worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance as an insurance agent for the past 10 years.
Famous Football Family Members to Enter Hall
This week’s Hall of Fame ceremony is indeed a family affair and includes some of the most prominent and recognizable names in Big Reds’ football history.
From the Murrin family in the early 1920s to the Marchi brothers later that same decade to current coach Matt Kimes, who joins baby brother Marc in the PHS Hall of Fame, Friday’s induction is a celebration of Parkersburg’s glory days with long overdue recognition for several all-state performers.
The Murrin name was synonymous with gridiron greatness for Parkersburg High School in the early roaring 1920’s. Together, brothers Clarence and Julian Murrin and cousin George Murrin earned six all-state selections from 1920-1922 and played together on the 9-0 1921 state championship team that outscored its opponents 317-25. The three Murrins and PHS teammates Ross McHenry, Roland Hobensack, Robert “Pete” Barnum, Wayne Funk, and Ed Trainer earned 8 of the 22 first and second team all-state selections that year.
Older brother Clarence was inducted into the PHS Football HOF in 2016. This week honorees are cousin George “Chunky” Murrin and younger brother Julian “Judie” Murrin.
George Murrin was a second team all-state center on the 1921 team and a first team selection in 1922, which was also a state championship year for PHS. He went to Notre Dame where he played center, weighing only 164 pounds, for famed coach Knute Rockne in 1924-1926. Upon graduation George went to Notre Dame College of Law, following which he relocated to the Houston, Texas area where he practiced law until his death in 1963.
Julian Murrin was an extremely versatile athlete. He was PHS’s leading rusher and scorer (12 TD’s) in his second-team all-state junior season of 1921. As a senior in 1922, despite an early-season ankle injury, he scored 4 touchdowns in one game, including returning a punt 90 yards. He was an outstanding basketball player and track athlete, and for a period he held the state record in the 220-yard hurdles. He was Vice-President of his Senior I class and served on the Quill staff.
Julian matriculated at WVU where his 1923 freshman team was undefeated. He played either end or halfback, weighing 162 pounds, for five varsity seasons in 1923-27, lettering in four of them. He was widely acclaimed for scoring the first touchdown in Old Mountaineer Field in 1924. That year he broke his nose twice and suffered skin burns from the lye used to mark the field. Over that timespan WVU’s record was 31-11-4 while coached by Dr. Clarence Spears and then Ira “Rat” Rogers. His teammates at WVU included older brother Clarence and former PHS teammates Ross McHenry and “Pete” Barnum. Amazingly, he also found time to play WVU varsity basketball in 1924-26. He was a member of Sigma Chi, Mountain, Sphinx, Torch and Serpent, and the Varsity Club.
After graduation in 1928 Julian became head coach of both football and basketball at Williamstown High School. From there he went to Kingwood High School in Preston County as head football and track coach for the 1929 and 1930 seasons.
Not long after that, he was hired by the American Viscose Co. in Parkersburg. Julian worked his way up during the depression to eventually become plant manager of American Viscose in Nitro from 1942, when Viscose “produced parachute fabrics rather than women’s nylons”. He remained in that position until his retirement in 1970 from FMC, the company which purchased American Viscose.
Julian was renowned and relied upon by industrial, governmental, and civic leaders. During his tenure Viscose created a new Rayon fabric. Nitro Viscose won the Neren Plaque in 1946 for having no lost time to injury for the first time in its history. The Secretary of the United States Treasury, John Snyder, named him chairman of an industrial advisory committee in the late 1940’s to promote the sale of savings bonds. In 1949 he was the first former WVU athlete to be elected State President of West Virginians, Inc., the University booster organization. Governor Arch Moore appointed him in 1972 to be a citizen representative to the commission on the Buffalo Creek mine disaster.
Julian’s love for sport carried on. He played golf at Berry Hills in Charleston. He was instrumental in supporting a major league-affiliated baseball team in Charleston and supported the annual trip of the most outstanding West Virginia high school football player to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. His former WVU coach Ira Rogers said about him that “he was one of the finest I ever coached”. Julian died on November 1, 1976.
Julian and his wife Helen Louise Brooks from Clarksburg had six children and nine grandchildren. The family, eight of whom are here this evening, recognized him as “a force of nature” who instilled in them a sense of pride and respect for others, according to their youngest and lone surviving child Anne Murrin Scott. Former WVU teammate Robert Kaye described him as “a tough but delightful friend; no one ever doubted how he stood with Julian”.
Basilio “Boz” Marchi (1908-1997) was a big man who left a big mark on Parkersburg football. He was also big brother to Louis “Gooley” Marchi (1910-1987) and this week both men are honored with induction into the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame.
From his glory days at PHS to his time playing center at New York University to his stint in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Pirates (before they became the Steelers) and Philadelphia Eagles, the elder Marchi, at 6-2 and 220 lbs., stood tall among the rest.
Boz Marchi was the centerpiece of a Big Reds team that went 27-4-1 over a three-year period from 1926-1928, capturing the 1927 state title. That team went 10-0 and allowed only three touchdowns the entire season. He was difficult to block and equally difficult to tackle as the burly fullback bulldozed his way to 18 touchdowns in his Parkersburg playing days. Marchi was so athletic that he had a school-record three interceptions in a game against Marietta in 1926. He held that record outright for 58 years and shared it for 93 years until Sam Potts snagged four interceptions in a game in 2019.
After a stellar career at NYU, Marchi reached the NFL in 1934, playing five games for Pittsburgh as a 26-year-old rookie. He later joined Philadelphia in 1942, playing 7 games for fellow Big Red – head coach Earle “Greasy” Neale. That is the longest gap between seasons in NFL history!
Baby brother Louis, a hulk of a man in his own right, took charge of the team in 1929 and 1930 for new coach Ross McHenry. Although those two squads finished with just an 11-5-5 record, they recorded an amazing 13 shutouts and gave up only 81 points.
The big tackle was named first-team all-state in 1930 along with fellow 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Garner Roush.
The Marchi boys grew up in Middleport, Ohio but moved to Parkersburg where their dad and uncle established a business called Marchi Brothers. Gooley took over the family business when his father died. A few years later, Gooley became a salesman for Tri-Pure Water Company and eventually became the owner of Hudepohl Distributor Company. He expanded the business with Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. The Company became known as Gooley Distributing Company and was very successful. Gooley remained close with his brother Big Boz, who was an employee there.
Boz and Gooley married sisters Vera and Ida Tei. The two couples were next door neighbors.
Both men were very active at Parkersburg Catholic High School and St Francis Xavier’s Church. They were instrumental in getting the crew team started at PCHS. Big Boz actually went to pick up the boats and drove them back to Parkersburg!
The Gooley Marchi Award was established in the 1970’s at PCHS to honor a top athlete who demonstrates leadership and good character both on and off the field.
Basilio’s three children, Boz Jr., Lou and Molly Marchi Cannon have returned to Parkersburg for this long overdue honor for their father and uncle.
Long before he became the coach at his alma-mater, Matt Kimes was an all-state running back at Parkersburg High. As a senior in 1996, he rushed for 1156 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as the Big Reds went 7-4, losing in the first round of the playoffs to Wheeling Park.
That squad was ground heavy as Kimes, Kelly Wilfong and fellow Hall-of Famer John Kunze combined for 1987 yards on the turf.
The Kimes-led 1996 team laid the foundation for the best 5-year run in Parkersburg history as the Big Reds compiled a 61- 8 record from 1997 to 2001 with four title game appearances in five years. Kimes’ younger brother Marc, a member of the inaugural Hall of Fame class, was the quarterback in three of those championship games.
Coach Kimes senior season still ranks in the Top 20 best rushing seasons in school history. Highlights included a career-best 231 yards rushing and four touchdowns versus Cabell Midland and 216 yards and four touchdowns against Canton McKinley.
He was first team all-state football and baseball; 1st team All-MSAC football, basketball and baseball. He was assistant coach at PHS 2005-2012; Offensive coordinator at Park. South 2013-2018; head coach Warren (Oh) 2018-2021, record 16-14. His coaching highlights include back-to-back state championships (2006-2007) at PHS; first playoff appearance and first playoff win in school history at Warren (2020). His record at PHS prior to this year was 11-11 and included a first playoff win for PHS since 2018.
A part owner of Skate Country, His family includes wife Kristen, daughters Kendall (15) and Katyn (11), and son Karsen (13).
South Defeats PHS 26-17
Takeaways, 1-2 Punch Lift South Over PHS
Game Statistics / Game Photos
Four turnovers coupled with Parkersburg South’s one-two punch of Eli Bartley and Collin Hayes combined to cripple Parkersburg’s chances in the city rivalry as the host Patriots prevailed 26-17 over the Big Reds at the Erickson All-Sports Facility.
Three lost fumbles and an interception kept the PHS offense at bay while Bartley and Hayes combined to run the ball 37 times for 306 yards of their team’s totals of 39 rushes and 313 yards while scoring all four South touchdowns.
The Big Reds got a 75-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Leavitt from Cooper Cancade, who also ran for the other PHS score. Quinton Wright added a 25 yard field goal and two extra point kicks for the visitors.
South jumped out to a 6-0 lead on Bartley’s 42 yard run with just 1:25 into the game. The speedy Patriot went up the middle, broke a tackle, spun outside and out-raced the defenders up the sideline for the touchdown.
PHS put together a 13-play drive that ended on the third play of the second quarter with a field goal by Wright. A fourth-and-five pass to Jakel Shelton for eight yards to the South 31 was the big play and another 18 yard completion to Shelton put the ball on the South four yard line but the Patriots came up with back-to-back defensive stops for minus nine yards and forced the Big Reds to settle for three points.
A Cyrus Backus interception got the ball back to the Big Reds just three plays later and Leavitt made South pay by turning a Cancade connection into a long scoring play. Wright’s kick made it 10-6 with 9:16 left in the half.
South answered with an 11-play, 73-yard scoring drive that saw Bartley pick up seven yards on a fourth-and-three play at the PHS 17 and on the next play Hayes scored after a missed tackle in the backfield. Alex Hanna’s extra point kick made it 13-10 at the half.
The Big Reds regained the lead late in the third quarter after an 80-yard drive that was a combination of the running of Shelton, Cancade and Ethan Jones. Cancade got the touchdown from 11 yards away as he kept the ball around right end and side-stepped a would-be tackler as he crossed the goal line. Wright’s kick made it 17-13 PHS with 52 seconds left in the third period.
But on the second play of the fourth quarter, Bartley broke loose for 61 yard touchdown run right up the middle as he made two tacklers miss at the line of scrimmage. That put South up 20-17 with 11:25 left to play.
Bartley was the workhorse again for the Patriots on their next possession as he carries six times on a nine-play drive and gained 52 of the 80 yards that resulted in a five-yard scoring run by Hayes.
PHS, which got 81 yards rushing on 17 rushes and another 27 yards on five receptions from Shelton, never threatened the rest of the way. Cancade completed 16 of 27 passes for 170 yards and added 41 yards on 11 carries while Leavitt caught six passes for 88 yards.
Bartley finished with 242 yards rushing on 28 carries while Hayes added 64 on nine attempts while completing nine of 16 passes for 88 but suffered two interceptions (by Jones and Cyrus Backus). Devin Forshey caught five passes for 47 yards for the winners.
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 - Total
Parkersburg (1-3) 0 10 7 0 - 17
Park. South (3-1) 6 7 0 13 - 26
Qtr Time Scoring play
1st 10:35 SOUTH - Eli Bartley 42 yd run (Wyatt Bartley kick failed), 5-70 1:25
2nd 11:14 PHS - Quinton Wright 25 yd field goal, 13-63 6:47
09:16 PHS - Hunter Leavitt 75 yd pass from Cooper Cancade (Quinton Wright kick), 2-18 0:51
04:43 SOUTH - Collin Hayes 17 yd run (Alex Hanna kick), 11-73 4:13
3rd 00:52 PHS - Cooper Cancade 11 yd run (Quinton Wright kick), 10-80 4:29
4th 11:25 SOUTH - Eli Bartley 61 yd run (Wyatt Bartley kick), 3-61 1:24
03:43 SOUTH - Collin Hayes 5 yd run (Wyatt Bartley kick blockd), 9-80 3:39
..............................................PHS SOUTH
FIRST DOWNS 18 19
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 35-129 39-313
PASSING YDS (NET) 170 88
Passes Att-Comp-Int 27-16-1 16-9-2
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 62-299 55-401
Fumble Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards 0-0 1-1
Kickoff Returns-Yards 5-38 4-87
Interception Returns-Yards 2-8 1-0
Punts (Number-Avg) 2-30.0 2-43.0
Fumbles-Lost 4-3 0-0
Penalties-Yards 2-20 8-100
Possession Time 26:47 20:27
Third-Down Conversions 5 of 12 5 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 3 2 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances 2-3 2-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards 0-0 3-15
RUSHING: Parkersburg-Jakel Shelton 17-81; Cooper Cancade 11-41; Hunter Leavitt 2-4; Ethan Jones 5-3. Park. South-Eli Bartley 28-242; Collin Hayes 9-64; Dedrick Riggs 2-7.
PASSING: Parkersburg-Cooper Cancade 16-27-1-170. Park. South-Collin Hayes 9-16-2-88.
RECEIVING: Parkersburg-Hunter Leavitt 6-88; Jakel Shelton 5-27; Zane Lewis 3-27; Bryan Gregory 1-16; Isaac Dailey 1-12. Park. South-Devon Forshey 5-47; Taj Joyce 2-19; Brendon Kelley 1-16; Eli Bartley 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS: Parkersburg-Ethan Jones 1-6; Cyrus Backus 1-2. Park. South-Taj Joyce 1-0.
FUMBLES: Parkersburg-Hunter Leavitt 2-2; Zane Lewis 1-1; Cooper Cancade 1-0. South-None.
Parkersburg (1-3) vs. Park. South (3-1)
Attendance: 4000
Kickoff time: 7:30 • End of Game: 10:10 • Total elapsed time: 2:40
City Backyard Brawl Is Friday
Parkersburg’s own version of the Backyard Brawl will take place Friday night at 7:30 at the Erickson All Sports Facility as the Big Reds of Parkersburg High take on the Patriots of Parkersburg South for the 57th time.
Although PHS still holds a big lead in the all-time series 39-17 thanks to some early domination (winning 20 of the first 23 meetings). The last two decades have seen an amazing parity with PHS having won 10 meetings and South nine not counting the covid forfeit over South in 2020.
This year the teams enter the early season meeting having played just three games each with South having won its last two games after an opening loss while PHS is 1-2.
The Patriots lost their opener to Wheeling Park 35-14 but bounced back to beat University 49-20 and Beckley Woodrow Wilson 35-19.
Meanwhile PHS lost its opener to Morgantown 24-13 despite a huge advantage in yardage and time of possession. Then came another dominating effort that resulted in a win, 37-0 at South Charleston. Last week the Big Reds fell to highly touted Hurricane 49-14 after trailing by only a touchdown at the half. Luck has not been kind to PHS with several key injuries depleting what was a very deep Big Red squad.
Last year’s meeting between the two city rivals was a wild one with PHS coming from a 35-33 deficit in the fourth quarter to win 43-35 as Big Red quarterback David Parsons threw for 410 yards and five touchdowns (while rushing for 86 yards and another score) against South. Anthony Ice caught seven passes for 147 yards and two scores while Andrew Stalnaker caught four for 122 and one TD and Casey Stanley had four receptions for 84 yards and two scores as well as kicking a field goal to close the scoring with just over two minutes remaining.
Last year South’s Gage Wright ran for 292 yards and scored four touchdowns while Devon Forshey, who returns this year, caught six passes for 142 yards and an 80 yard touchdown on the first play of the game. There were 26 accepted penalties in that game, which lasted nearly four hours (3:42).
This year Forshey, a 6-2, 185 senior, has caught 15 passes for 243 yards while Taj Joyce (6-4, 185 jr.) has caught 13 passes from Collin Hayes for 253 yards and all three touchdowns. Hayes (a junior) has completed 47 of 93 passes (68%) for 587 yards. On the ground Hayes has rushed for 177 yards and four touchdowns while Eli Bartley (6-0, 190, sr.) has rushed for 207 yards on 31 carries and scored six times while also catching nine passes.
Defensively for South Derek Sandy (5-8, 145 jr.) leads the way with 32 tackles while senior nose guard Tyson Wagoner has 31 stops including 9.5 tackles for loss. A total of 31 times South has tackled opponents for losses including 10 sacks (4 of them by Wagoner). Kinzyn Lutchmansingh (a junior) leads the team with three interceptions.
The Big Reds are led defensively by Devin Widman with 20 tackles while Adam Elder had 19 including four for loss.
Offensively, PHS is led by Jakel Shelton with 171 yards rushing on 59 carries while Ethan Jones has 117 on just 19 attempts and Cooper Cancade 71 on 18 tries. Cancade has completed 48 of 75 passes (64%) for 475 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions (two of them on tipped passes). Shelton is also the leading receiver with nine catches for 63 yards while Brady Thorn has caught seven for 82. Thorn has returned one kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown.
Williams, Kunze to Enter Hall of Fame
Two defensive stalwarts are the latest Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame honorees and will be inducted Friday night prior to the Hurricane game at Stadium Field.
Mark Williams, the only all-state nose guard in the illustrious PHS history, will be joined by linebacker John Kunze as the latest members of the prestigious hall.
Tough. Hard-nosed. Strong. Scrappy.
All of those adjectives describe Williams, who was the first-team, all-state nose guard in 1980 for coach Buddy James.
Winner is another word to describe the 5-11, 195-pound Williams. He played on the 1978 state championship team as a sophomore and reached the state semifinals as a junior and senior, losing both times to the eventual state champion.
The 1980 Big Reds were built around ball-control and defense. They ran off six workmanlike wins to start the season before running into annual thorn-in-the-side Brooke. But they bounced back with four straight victories, including a playoff win over George Washington. Parkersburg’s season came to an end at the hands of eventual state champion North Marion, 21-3.
In 12 games, Parkersburg scored 275 points and allowed just 92 (7.7 points per game). The Big Reds registered five shutouts. PHS was strong at all three levels of the defense as Williams controlled the line of scrimmage, all-state captain Rob Lockhart roamed the middle and defensive back Jeff Eddy held down the back end. Together those three contributed to an astounding 17 shutouts in 37 career games.
After high school Williams served in the Navy for 15 years as a nuclear component welder. He and his family moved to Washington state in 1998. He has four children and eight grandchildren.
High School buddy and teammate Mike Lambert will be accepting the Hall of Fame plaque on his behalf.
Definition of BUCK WILD: “very unrestrained or uninhibited; crazy”.
Whether or not Big Red John Kunze thought of himself that way during his first team all-state senior season of 1996, it's likely that many of his opponents did. A fierce competitor, and one of only three returning regulars from the veteran 1995 team which reached the playoff semifinals, he played linebacker on defense and running back on offense of a 7-4 team that lost in the opening round of the playoffs. Its three regular season losses were to eventual state champion John Marshall and runner-up Capital, and the third to St. Albans, which won a first-round playoff game.
In the playoff loss to Wheeling Park Kunze led the team with 83 yards rushing while teammate, current Big Red football head coach, and hall of fame fellow Inductee this year, Matt Kimes, added 74. On one play, Kunze was reported by the late News and Sentinel Sports Editor Steve Hemmelgarn to have “hammered 10 yards to the six, lowering his head to literally run over the last defender in his path”. Kunze recently remarked that he loved carrying the ball because he could always hit tacklers harder than when blocking, since tacklers couldn't try to avoid him.
This 1996 team was the foundation for the best 5-year run in Parkersburg history (1997-2001), with a record over that span of 61-8 with four championship game appearances in five years. On this team, Kunze led the team in tackles with 102, 70 of which were solo. On a run-dominated offense he was part of a 1-2-3 punch along with Kimes and fellow senior Kelly Wilfong. He rushed for 216 yards on 29 carries, leading the team with 7.3 in yards per carry. He was the team’s second leading receiver with 13 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown. He also punted that year.
He was always inspired by the example of his older brother Joe Kunze who led his 7-3 Buddy James-coached 1988 team in rushing with 803 yards and 6 touchdowns on 129 carries.
Kunze was named to the 1996 All-Mountain State Athletic Conference first team as a utility player, along with teammates Kimes at running back and Brett Marlow as a tackle. He was subsequently selected to the 1996 Class AAA all-state first team as a linebacker and was joined on that team by Kimes as a running back and Marlow as a second team offensive lineman.
After graduation from PHS he matriculated at Marshall, and later transferred to Ohio Valley University from which he graduated with a degree in business. During that time, he worked as an electrician for five years. His experience over that period in his life helped forge his strongly motivated, goal-directed work and life ethic. He earned a master's certificate from Georgetown University. He is a Supervisory Project Manager at the Bureau of Fiscal Service, where he has been employed for the last fifteen years.
Inspired by his father, he taught himself to play piano and guitar. Despite not participating in any musical groups at PHS, he became a country music singer /songwriter. He was the 2016 West Virginia/Ohio state winner of the local and state rounds of the country’s largest country music competition, the Country Showdown. Kunze has also recorded several songs in Nashville, including “God’s Little Angel” in 2022 and “I’m Buck Wild”. He is a competitive bass fisherman, and his biggest hit song “Fishing with Dad” has been used by Bass Pro Shops for their Father’s Day commercials seen nationwide since its inauguration on Father’s Day 2022. He continues to work with Bass Pro Shops and recently was the guest speaker at a large conference. Just two weeks ago he released his newest song “God’s Hand on a Working Man”.
He lives on a farm not far from Veto Lake with his wife Natalie, who was a cheerleader at Ohio State, and their daughters Kinley, 12 and Brooklyn, 8, both of whom are involved in youth sports. They all also spend a good deal of leisure time fishing with Dad.
Roush, Hammell To Enter Hall of Fame
Two outstanding linemen from nearly 100 years apart on the field head up the first inductees for the class of 2024 of the Parkersburg High School Big Red Football Hall of Fame.
Adam Hammell, whose older brother Al was elected to the Hall of Fame 10 years ago, becomes the eighth brother combination to make the hall after an outstanding four-year career at PHS from 2000-2003.
Joining him is a standout from the 1930 season, Garner Roush, who transferred from Ravenswood ala another Hall of Famer, Josh Romeo.
Both will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Friday, Aug. 30, prior to the Morgantown season opener at Stadium Field.
Roush was a solid 6-foot two-way guard who was also selected to the Parkersburg Sentinel first all-state team after helping the Big Reds of coach Ross McHenry win six games against three losses and two ties. McHenry called Roush a consistent 188 pounds of muscle and bone and his defensive play was outstanding on a team which shut out six opponents and held another to only a safety. PHS lost two heartbreakers to Wheeling (13-6) and Fairmont West (7-0) in addition to Charleston (20-12) but did upset highly touted Erie (PA) Academy, 6-0.
A modern day version of Roush was Hammell who went from the gridiron to the griddle as he became a highly regarded chef after graduation from high school.
Hammell was a two-year letterman and one of four captains as a senior when the Big Reds reached the 700-win milestone for the football program and compiled a 7-5 record under coach Bernie Buttrey. His final year saw Hammell accumulate 77 total tackles including a team high tying nine for loss. He was honored for his play by making first team all-state at offensive tackle.
A starter for both years of college football at Division II level, Hammell then became a chef and manager in several cities including Charlottesville, Virginia (which is a leading culinary hub in the country). He currently works for a leader in the Controlled Environment Agriculture industry and resides in Anderson, South Carolina, with his wife Jillian and three daughters, Madalyn (age six), Laurel (age two) and Allison (2 months).
Big Reds Ready For Return To Elite Programs In State
The Parkersburg Big Red football team appears ready for a return to being among the elite of the state.
The 2024 season could prove third-year head coach Matt Kimes right as he thinks with the depth and young talent he has on hand this year and that last year’s quarterfinal appearance and narrow defeat at the hands of state runner-up Princeton shows the Big Reds are ready to return to being one of the premier programs in the state.
After winning six regular season games including two narrow defeats at the hands of top 10 teams George Washington and Spring Valley the Big Reds upset fourth ranked Hurricane 47-23 in the first round of the playoffs and had Princeton down by nine points in the fourth quarter before the Tigers pulled off a winning rally before their home fans. Princeton then scored 73 points the next week against Bridgeport to reach the finals where they lost to Martinsburg.
The Big Reds lost a quarterback and four big playmakers to graduation and all five will go on to play college football this year. But the Red and White return seven starters and a bevy of talented young players who will provide a lot of depth against a schedule that is loaded with seven playoff teams including newcomer Morgantown.
While PHS lost 330 points on offense to graduation including three-year starting quarterback David Parsons and his 33 touchdown passes, the Big Reds do return their second-leading rusher in Jakel Shelton along with underclassmen Ethan Jones and Sylas Cheuvront and quarterback Cooper Cancade. Cancade has been a three-year backup to Parsons and led the junior varsity to a 4-4 record and who has grown to a strapping 6-foot-5. He completed six of 14 passes in a reserve role a year ago for 86 yards.
Shelton returns after scoring eight touchdowns (seven on the ground) while rushing for 416 yards and catching 19 passes in addition to returning nine kickoffs a year ago. He is up to a solid 190 pounds this year.
Also returning is Ethan Jones (5-9, 176, jr.) who ran for one touchdown and averaged seven yards per carry and Sylas Cheuvront (5-11, 180, jr.) who also ran for one score. Adding to the depth is transfer 185 pound senior Aeneas Lauderman.
The receiving corps this year will not be a four-man contingent but could go 10 to 12 players deep including a couple of members of an outstanding freshman class. Zane Lewis (6-2, 170 sr.) and Tytan Parsons (6-2, 188 jr.) lead the way with Parsons, the younger brother of quarterback David Parsons, having caught 10 passes in a single jayvee game a year ago.
Up front PHS returns six players who started at one time or another including center Rudy Colombo (5-10, 207, sr.) who started every game. Those players expected to see plenty of action include Adam Elder (6-1, 220 jr.), Chris Cox (6-2, 254, sr.), J.D. Pauley (5-7, 235 sr.), D.J. Chambless (5-6, 200 sr.), Drew Grinter (6-2, 295 so.), Jackson Roe (6-0, 245 so.) and Jordan Hess (6-0, 300 jr.). Hess is the strongest player on the team.
Defensively the Big Reds should be much improved with the return of six of their top 12 tacklers and with some players being moved around to different positions.
Lewis returns at linebacker after being third on the team a year ago with 94 stops. Also back is Elder on the line after making 75 tackles a year ago and Cox is back after getting 55 tackles last season. Shelton, Conner Petty (5-11, 165 sr.) and Cyrus Backus (5-8, 146 sr.) are also back after finishing among the team’s top 12 in tackles.
Others who will help on defense include Jones, Lauderman, Cheuvront, Parsons, Braxton Kupfner, Devin Widman and Bryan Gregory.
Several players will be in new positions on defense like Shelton moving to free safety and Lewis to linebacker while Cheuvront is now playing middle linebacker and Parsons is also now at linebacker to show how much depth the Big Reds have on hand this season.
Replacing Casey Stanley as the kicking specialist for PHS will be tough since he was a first and second team all-state pick but Cole Sisk did an excellent job on the junior varsity and senior Quinton Wright is also capable.
If the Big Reds can stay healthy and take care of the ball they are hoping the hunger for a playoff spot will grow into a hunger for a home playoff game and a return to a position where the entire state feared playing a Big Red football team and gain them a spot in the state finals in Charleston. The taste was there a year ago. Reality is only a season away.
Big Reds Hope To Build Off 2023 Postseason Experience
By Joe Brocato, WVMetronews
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — In the second season under head coach Matt Kimes, Parkersburg increased their win total from four victories to seven and they narrowly missed out on a spot in the Class AAA state semifinals. As the No. 13 seed, the Big Reds upset Hurricane and could not hold a late lead against eventual state runner-up Princeton in the quarterfinals.
“Winning that game at Hurricane solidified what we have been doing,” Kimes said. “The kids realized how close we were to making it to Wheeling last year. We were up nine points in the fourth quarter at Princeton and they went on to play in Wheeling.”
Several new starters will be featured on both sides of the ball as PHS lost their top passer, rusher and top four receivers to graduation.
“They’re hungry to prove themselves. A lot of these guys are going to be first-year starters at the high school level and they are worthy of that spot. We lost a lot of good football players but in a program like this, we hope we just reload.”
Three-year starting quarterback David Parsons has moved on after a 33-touchdown season. Senior Cooper Cancade is ready for his opportunity to step in. Last year’s second-leading rusher, Jakel Shelton will join Cancade in the backfield.
“He is a three-year JV guy. But he was capable last year. We knew he was. If something happened to David, we knew we could still win football games with Cooper. And it is his turn. He is very capable. He is a 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 kid that plays baseball and has a big arm.
“We’ll be different this year. There’s no doubt about that. We don’t have the explosiveness in the passing game that we had last year with four kids that went on to play college football that were all receivers for us.”
Senior Zane Lewis and junior Adam Elder are two of the Big Reds’ most experienced defensive players. They combined for 169 tackles last fall.
“Zane is our leader on defense. He is a guy that is kind of your coach on the field that knows what everybody is supposed to do. He is the one guy right now at the linebacker spot that we have penciled in to play the same position as last year.
“And Adam we are going to move around on the defensive line, inside and outside. He has a great motor. He makes plays.”
With a rich history, expectations remain high for the Big Reds despite heavy graduation losses.
“We want to make that next step. We want to get to Charleston and play for a state championship. That’s what we do this for. And that’s what our guys are trying to get to.”
5 Big Reds Sign To Play College Football
Stanley Headed For WVU
PARKERSBURG — It’s been a journey for Parkersburg High School senior Casey Stanley, but the 2022 triple-A first team all-state kicker is a West Virginia University Mountaineer following Wednesday’s national signing day.
“The walk-on life at WVU is exactly like the scholarship life except you are paying for school,” quipped Stanley, who was rarely off the field for the Big Reds of head man Matt Kimes and owns records with 72 kicking points in a season, 193 career kicking points and 19 career field goals. “(Ohio) gave me a preferred walk-on. As a kicker that’s what you need to get.
“They are not going to hand out scholarships to kickers they aren’t sure about yet. Kicking is an easy way to get on the field, but you are not going to get money going into college until you are the guy. I’m hoping being from a small town who supports WVU like no other I will be able to get some (NIL) deals here and there. That would be ideal and pretty cool.”
Stanley, who visited the Bobcats in Athens and even took in the Miami of Ohio game, actually missed the WVU kicking camp, but it all turned out for the best.
“Was obviously my place I wanted to go,” admitted the A-student and future business major.
“At first I wasn’t really getting looked at by them and I had kind of given up until this past summer.”
A follow on Twitter from Coastal Carolina’s special teams coordinator gave him another option and eventually set things in motion.
“It was a crazy coincidence because I had already planned to go to that camp over the summer and I hadn’t heard anything from WVU so I had some decision making to do. I got the text from WVU saying they wanted me up there.
“It honestly worked out better because at those camps a bunch of people go to the WVU camp. It’s harder to get looked at and it’s a lot more pressure. When you are in a group of four kids it’s a lot easier for them to see you and notice you and see what you are doing.”
As it turned out there were plenty of watchful eyes.
After getting to Morgantown with three other kickers the Big Red did his thing.
“I got there and they use a thing called a Trackman,” he said. “It’s nuts. I did really good in the kickoff aspect and I did OK in the field goals.
“I was kind of leaving there thinking I didn’t do bad. I gave them what I could. I was satisfied with how it was. I knew I was coming back in a couple days for the 7-on-7 they host.”
Everything picked up after arriving with his teammates for the 7-on-7s.
“I had played our first two games (WR/DB) and I got approached by Neal Brown actually,” Stanley recalled of the WVU head coach. “I was walking off because we had just got done with a game. He has this real nice golf cart he goes around in and he was sitting up against the front of that and I’m like ‘oh, man, that’s Neal Brown’ and we had made eye contact, and he waved me over. I was like ‘oh, is he pointing’ and I looked around. I was like ‘he’s talking to me, OK,’ and I walked over there and he goes ‘hey man you’re Casey Stanley, right?’ And I was like ‘yeah, I am, actually.'”
As it turned out coach Brown proceeded to tell him that “I was watching you guys the other day when you were kicking and I went back through the Trackman stuff and you’ve got the best kickoff numbers I’ve ever seen out of a high school kid. I was like, ‘wow, oh, OK.’ He said at the end of the day we’ll talk a little bit more about what we want from you. We finished the day and he talked to my mom (Susan) and I about coming back for a visit in July to kind of get going to see if I liked it and everything. I tried to contain myself because I was beside myself with excitement.”
One person who is not excited to see Stanley go is coach Kimes.
“He is one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever coached,” Kimes stated. “If he wanted to be a position player in college I’m confident that he could do that as well. I think he made a great decision choosing WVU because we all know how much West Virginia people love one of their own.
“Once he gets a little more consistent with his field goal accuracy he will compete for that spot. I won’t be surprised if he’s kicking off on Saturdays this season for a Top 25 ranked team. He will just continue to get better as he is developed as a specialist only type player.”
Stanley’s former Big Red teammate Quayvon Cyrus just finished his first season with the Mountaineers.
“I’ve got friends up at WVU so I’ve been there on game days,” Stanley added. “I’ve got to see ‘Q’ here and there. He said it’s definitely hard. It’s definitely hard. It’s like a job. He’s telling me to just put your time in. It’s made me feel a lot better talking to him because he’s gone through it.
“I get to kind of hear his side of it and what to expect and everything. Granted, I’m a kicker and he’s a defensive back so it’s a little bit of a difference, but it’s still the same stuff. I kind of got an idea of what I’m getting myself into and it’s nice to have him there to tell me that.”
Stanley is trying to look at the next chapter of his life along the same lines as when he arrived at PHS.
“I’m a little nervous because that’s Power 5 and it’s a business up there,” he said. “Like between class and having to be at the facility for eight hours a day it’s definitely going to be something different I’m not used to. I’m thinking if I just do everything right and keep my head on straight I’ll be alright. It’s all about putting your time in.
“Trying to build the trust with the program and just buy in as much as you can and that’s what I’m going to do my best at is just try to buy in and show them that I want to be there. That’s what I did coming in as a freshman at PHS, granted I was the only kicker whenever I got there so they had no choice but to play me.”
Despite being tempted to run track this spring, the Big Red is going to concentrate on getting his leg stronger, spend time with family and prep for WVU.
“I think I just want to take a couple months to myself and work on things I need to work on before I go up there,” continued Stanley, who replied when asked about his upcoming change of scenery “Morgantown, it’s definitely a place. It’s a place. I love Morgantown. I’ve been there quite a bit and I’ve just grown to love Morgantown. Everybody in the community is just backing WVU. It’s a big college town. It’s a fun place.
“It’s easy to get sidetracked on what your goals are there and fall into the wrong crowd. If you keep your head on straight I feel like it’s nothing but up for you from there because it’s a great place. I do love Morgantown a lot. I love Parkersburg. I’ve been here my whole life. Grown up to be a Big Red. Grown up to hate South. Whenever you’ve grown up in a community you love it no matter what. There’s nothing to do here, but you just love it.”
One record Stanley wasn’t able to surpass was the career long field goal of 50 yards owned by Tyler Warner.
The opportunity never really presented itself and Stanley’s longest career boot was 46 yards.
“It’s OK. I’ve got a couple records in,” he said. “I’ll let Tyler Warner keep the record, but it wasn’t that big of a deal to me to be honest.”
Stanley, who said he felt more than comfortable inside 55 yards, gave props to his holder and heir apparent to David Parsons at quarterback in junior Cooper Cancade.
“I was proud of that kid. He really stepped up,” Stanley said of Cancade. “He had just started doing it last year. He really stepped up.”
As a team, the Big Reds also stepped up and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
“A lot of things. Mainly just playing for your town,” Stanley responded when asked what he’ll remember about PHS when he’s old. “Playing with the Big Reds across your chest. That’s just an unreal feeling and running out of the helmet on Fridays and look up in the stands and see your town right there cheering you on. High school you are playing with dudes you’re brothers with. Like you’ve grown up with. That’s the best part is you’re a family.
“I think this year we kind of emphasized that a lot because we knew it was our last year and we were kind of not wanting it to end so we were making the best of every situation. We really loved each other a lot this year. The one thing I’ll remember most about PHS football is the brotherhood and the family that was with it whenever we were playing. We were playing for each other. Nobody was playing for themselves.”
Stanley will have the chance to win the kickoff job and start for the Mountaineers this fall.
“If I’m not it’s no problem because usually freshmen don’t start their first year there,” Stanley said while adding he couldn’t have done it without the support of his father Steve. “A year in the program would do me good. The opportunity is there.
“I would like to thank my dad a lot. He’s put just as much work as me into this to be kicking in college. It was pretty exciting to see his reaction whenever I got the call. It was a good day. We hugged it out and everything because we were in it together.”
Parsons Earns First Team All-State QB Honors; Other Big Reds Are Second Team Selections
Parkersburg quarterback David Parsons has added another honor to his already impressive list of awards and record-setting accomplishments by being named first team Class AAA all-state quarterback as chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
.....Three other Big Red seniors were named to the second team including record-setting kicker Casey Stanley and the twins, Matthew and Andrew Stalnaker. Matthew was selected as a linebacker and Andrew was named as a defensive back.
.....Anthony Ice and Jason Williams were named honorable mention.
.....The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Parsons was selected after setting an amazing eight school records during his three-year career. He was also the first Big Red player since 1991 to be selected as first team quarterback and only the fifth player in PHS history to be named first team quarterback. Others were Wayne Funk (1921), Rich Duggan (1974), Dave Manzo (1976) and Eric Ranson (1991). Marc Kimes (2001) was selected as a utility player.
.....The list of records set by Parsons includes:
Game Total Offense – 506 vs. P. South (410 pass, 96 rush)
Career Total Offense – 6,592
Season Passing Yards – 2,731
Career Passing Yards – 6,108
Season Touchdown Passes – 33 (27 regular season)
Career Touchdown Passes – 67 (6 in playoffs)
Game Completion Percentage – 90.0 (9 of 10 vs. Capital)
Career Completions – 428
.....Among the second team selections, Stanley kicked seven of eight field goals and had 51 of 57 extra points to go with 41 touchbacks among his 74 kickoffs. He set school records with 72 season kicking points, 193 career kicking points and 19 career field goals.
.....Matthew Stalnaker had 100 tackles on defense with 23.5 being for lost yardage and added six sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries while also catching 34 passes for 590 yards and five touchdowns on offense.
.....Andrew Stalnaker led the team with 103 tackles (3 more than his twin brother) while getting eight tackles for loss and coming up with five interceptions while on offense he caught 30 passes for 578 yards and 10 touchdowns and returning a punt for another score.
.....Ice missed four games but was the team’s leading receiver with 37 receptions for 750 yards and 11 touchdowns plus a kickoff return score while Williams was the team’s leading rusher despite also missing four games as he ran for eight touchdowns and 476 yards while coming up with 11 sacks and 16 tackles for loss on defense.
........David Parsons...................... Anthony Ice................... Matthew Stalnaker................ Andrew Stalnaker
Four Big Red Seniors Earn First Team All-MSAC Recognition
Four Parkersburg Big Red seniors have been named to the first team of the 2023 All-Mountain State Athletic Conference football team as selected by the coaches.
Leading the way for the PHS contingent was quarterback David Parsons, who set a ton of Big Red single season and career records while leading the team to a 7-5 record and within four points of the state semifinals. Also named to the first team were the Stalnaker twins, Matthew as a tight end and Andrew as a defensive back. Wide receiver Anthony Ice rounded out the list of first team honorees from PHS.
Parsons finished his senior year with 2,731 passing yards and 33 touchdowns – both school records. Among his other records were: career TDs accounted for (74), single game total offense (506 vs. Parkersburg South), career total offense (6,592), career passing yards 6,108), career TD passes (67) and career pass completions (428)
........Matthew Stalnaker caught 34 passes for 590 yards and five touchdowns while ranking second on the team with 100 tackles, including six sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss. Andrew Stalnaker led the team with 103 tackles and five interceptions while also catching 30 passes with 10 going for touchdowns (plus a punt return touchdown).
........Ice led the team in touchdowns with 12 despite missing four games with an injury. He caught 37 passes for 750 yards (20.3 average) and 10 touchdowns while returning 11 kickoffs for an average of 22.9 yards per return. He had an 86 yard pass reception touchdown and a 94 yard kickoff return score.
........Named to the second team were two PHS seniors and a junior. Casey Stanley was named as the second team kicker while senior Jason Williams was named as a second team defensive lineman and junior Zane Lewis made it as a second team linebacker.
........Stanley led PHS in scoring with 114 points as he made seven touchdowns, kicked seven field goals and 51 extra points. He set school records for season kicking points (72), career field goals (19) and career kicking points (193). Williams led the team with 11 sacks among his 16 tackles for loss despite missing four games. Lewis was the team’s third-leading tackler with 94 stops, led the team with three blocked kicks and also had three interceptions.
........Special Honorable Mention Big Reds were Jake Bauman and Jakel Shelton while Carter Watts and Adam Elder earned Honorable Mention honors.
Player of the year was Wayne Harris of Huntington while Luke Salmons of league champion Cabell Midland earned Coach of the Year honors.
2024 Football Schedule Revealed
.....The 2024 Parkersburg football schedule has two changes from this year and continues to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, in the state with no less than seven teams that qualified for the 2023 playoffs.
.....While Spring Valley and Riverside are gone from the Big Reds’ schedule, two playoff teams take their place – north central power Morgantown and a very strong Hurricane team. Morgantown was ranked 15th this year and won seven games while Hurricane finished fourth in the final ratings with eight wins but fell to PHS 47-23 in the first round of the playoffs.
.....Still on the PHS schedule is top ranked Cabell Midland, second-ranked Huntington, ninth-ranked George Washington, 14th ranked Parkersburg South and 16th ranked Musselman.
.....Rounding out the list of opponents are long-time rivals St. Albans, Capital and South Charleston.
Kick Returner Extraordinaire Wenzel Named To Big Red Hall of Fame
A long kickoff return for a touchdown just might be the most exciting thing that happens in a football game.
If that is the case, then Derek Wenzel may have provided the most excitement of any player in the history of Big Red football and will be inducted into the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame Friday night prior to the Capital game.
As a junior in 2008, despite a knee injury, he returned four kickoffs for touchdowns (99, 91, 85, and 84 yards), had one touchdown return called back because of a penalty, and had two other returns of 70 yards or more which were stopped short of the end zone. He also returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown.
The following year as a senior he added another kickoff return (88 yards), giving him a career total of five touchdown returns. His one-season total of four is a West Virginia state record, and was ranked fourth nationally for career kickoff return TDs. He currently is ranks ninth nationally in that category.
Wenzel wasn’t just an extraordinary kickoff returner. Coach Bernie Buttrey called him “one of the most talented individuals ever to wear a Big Red uniform.” In the course of his PHS career he was a two-way starter for two years, playing quarterback, wingback, cornerback, and safety. He was also an excellent punter, making all-state at that position as a junior, and holds the sixth longest season punting average in PHS history at 39.0 yards, including one of 73 yards. He had eight career interceptions including four in 2007 as a sophomore. He amassed 1600 yards in total offense rushing and passing in 2008. He was voted first team Mountain State Athletic conference in 2007 and 2008, and was awarded the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year for 2008-9. He was a Big Red team captain as a junior and senior.
The son of Angie (Roach) and father Dave, he played all sports as a youth and once held the county track record in the 100 meters as a ninth grader at Jackson. He advanced to the Punt, Pass, and Kick Nationals in 2005 at Steelers’ Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
In part because of his injury, he did not play organized sports after high school. He attended WVUP for a short time, and soon became employed by Monongahela Power. With its support through its Power Systems Institute program, he graduated from Fairmont State University with an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science in Electrical Utility Technology and an Associates of Applied Science in Marketing and Management. He continues his ten-year employment with Mon Power as a substation electrician. He is also the owner of Wenzel Property Group, LLC.
He cherishes time everywhere with his two sons Ryker (9) and Lane (4) as well as his girlfriend Tara Gerber, His other passions include hunting and food plotting , fishing, and boating, and his favorite vacation destination is Lake Norman, NC.
Uhl, Hawk To Enter PHS Hall of Fame
One of the strongest Big Reds ever and one of the best centers of all time and will enter the Parkersburg High School Football Hall of Fame this Friday prior to the Huntington game at Stadium Field.
Judd Uhl, a two-way, three-year starter at tackle in the late 1990s, and Clayton Hawk, a two-time all-state selection as a center in 1935 and 1936, and will enter the hall prior to the all-important game against the number one ranked Highlanders.
Cracking the starting lineup as a sophomore, Uhl played alongside all-staters Nathan Kirby, Leigh Barbour, Steve Haught and current PHS head coach Matt Kimes on teams which won 29 games in three years, making it all the way to the state finals in 1997 before losing to North Marion by a 16-6 score in frigid conditions.
Uhl was called by coach Marshall Burdette as the best offensive lineman at PHS since Rick Phillips and was praised for his unusual strength in the weight room for his ability to bench press over 375 pound. “He’s the strongest kid I’ve had here,” said Burdette. “In fact, he’s the only kid we’ve had to go over 350 pounds.”
The 1997 team captain, Uhl was first team all-state as well as being a Hunt Award nominee and earned the Buddy James Award.
Residing in Parkersburg with his wife of 18 years, Rebecca, and their three children, Von, Evelyn and Annalise, Uhl has been employed with CSX for the last 23 years as a freight conductor. He is a board member and coach for the North Parkersburg Ramblers and assists with the Parkersburg Cougars wrestling program and Vienna Rec programs. He hopes to see the day when his son can put on a PHS jersey and play on the same field he enjoyed for three years.
Clayton Hawk, better known as Bus, was an outstanding three-sport athlete at PHS, graduating in 1937. He was born in Ravenswood in 1915 but played his football career for Ross McHenry and Floyd “Ben” Schwartzwalder.
Although weighing just 158 pounds he anchored both lines at PHS earning all-state honors second team as a junior and first team as a senior center. The Big Reds won 15 of 20 games those two years, posting 10 shutouts. Among his teammates was Walter “Piggy” Barnes. He also played basketball and golf and was president of the Big Red council.
Following graduation Hawk married Mary Estelle Taylor of
Parkersburg in 1940 in Paducah, Kentucky, moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee sometime later. He served in the Navy in World War II. They moved to Florida in the early 1950s and lived in the Gainesville area for the rest of his life. He became a chiropractor and continued to play highly competitive amateur golf and participated in Florida state tournaments on a regular basis through the early 1960s.
Hawk and his wife had three children, three grandchildren,
and three great-grandchildren. Granddaughter Kelly May of Florida emphasized that he had a wonderful sense of humor, was a huge Gator fan, and adored his three grandchildren. He died In 1986 at age 70.
Parsons Shatters Single-Game Record
If you are going to set a record you might as well shatter the old record to pieces while you are accomplishing the feat.
That’s exactly was senior quarterback David Parsons did Friday night against arch-rival Parkersburg South when he amassed 496 yards in total offense to break the old record by a whopping 60 yards.
Parsons nearly broke the single-game passing yardage record of 429 with his 410 yard effort but when his 86 rushing yards were added to that total his record of 496 figures to stand for some time. The previous record was 436 yards of total offense accomplished just three years ago by Bryson Singer, who ran for 217 yards and passed for 219 yards against John Marshall.
The passing yardage mark of 429 was set by Jake Johnson in 2018 versus Wheeling Park but the Big Red quarterback suffered 24 yards in lost rushing yardage to give him a total offense mark of 405 (currently 5th best on the list). Rick Marshall is now third with 414 yards in total offense (accomplished against Parkersburg South in 1988 with a 343 yard passing and 71 yard rushing effort) while Singer is also fourth on the list with 412 yards against Hurricane in 2019.
In 10 quarters of action this year he has already thrown for 988 yards and 16 touchdowns. In case you were wondering the record for season passing yardage is 2,718 by Johnson in 1988 and the record for touchdowns in 27 in 2004 by Chance Litton, whose grandfather Keith was inducted into the PHS Football Hall of Fame on Friday. Parsons tied the regular season record of 22 touchdown passes last year.
PHS senior Casey Stanley, a first-team all-state kicker a year ago, became the all-time kick point leader in Big Red history during Friday night's 63-0 win at South Charleston.
Big
Strange Comes Back To Talk To Big Reds
Kimes leaves Warren after three seasons, in which he oversaw the Warriors’ first ever state playoff appearances. His teams went 6-4, 7-2 and 3-8.
