Football Preview 2018

McLean Impressed by Brooke’s Sophomore Class

By KYLE LUTZ WELLSBURG — On the first official day they could practice, coach Mac McLean and his Brooke squad wasted no time, literally. At the stroke of midnight on Sunday, July 29, McLean and the Bruins got together at Brooke field to begin the 2018 season. “We started practice at midnight and at the end of it, I told the kids I wanted to do this because I wanted to get last season over as quick as possible,” McLean said. “Thinking about things that happened in the past isn’t going to do us any good in football and it’s not going to do us any good in life. Look ...

Franke Takes Over for Meek With Red Knights

By AARON PETCHAL TORONTO — Toronto is looking to get back on track after a disappointing end to 2017. The Red Knights began the season 4-1 but lost its last five games to finish at 4-6 and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Toronto’s wins came against Bridgeport, Edison, Southern Local and Leetonia. This season, Josh Franke takes over the reins at his alma mater. Franke, a 2005 graduate, is the third coach for the Red Knights since the end of last season. Anthony Hayes was hired in February to replace Eric Meek, who resigned following eight seasons as head coach. ...

Tyler Hungry for Improvement, Taking Next Step

By CODY TOMER SISTERSVILLE—Tyler Consolidated football coach Ryan Walton and his Silver Knights were not pleased with how the 2017 campaign ended. The Knights finished the year with a 5-5 record and just missed the playoffs, leaving a bitter taste in their mouths. “We let a couple of games get away from us on mental and physical breakdowns,” Walton said. “Whether it was not making plays or not making tackles, it cost us and we narrowly missed the playoffs. That didn’t rest easy with the kids and it didn’t rest easy with the coaching staff.” There are 24 players on ...

Valley Takes on Youthful Look

By BUBBA KAPRAL PINE GROVE — Logan Miller starts Year 3 as head coach at Valley. It is a season that harbors much promise. Despite the loss of some quality talent via graduation, the Lumberjacks are far from void of skilled performers. “We are going to be a young football team this year, but I think that being young helps us,” Miller said. “For as young as they are, they are about as tough a group as I have coached.” Graduation claimed nine Lumberjack gridders: Tyler Kocher, Levi Streets, Travis Leek, Austin Lowe, Brodie Scyoc, Jordan Williams, Levi Rux, Peyton Bassett ...

Madonna Looks To Return to Playoffs

By RALPH COX WEIRTON — After returning Madonna football to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, Darrin Hicks hopes the culture of playoff football is again something that is expected at the small Catholic school on Weirton Heights. Hicks has nine lettermen but only four seniors returning from the 8-3 Blue Dons of 2017. However, there are two Madonna lettermen that played huge roles in the playoff season that are no longer wearing the blue and silver after transferring to Weir. They are Donavan Kirby and Rob Valenti. Kirby was the leading rusher in West Virginia with 2,554 ...

Shadyside’s Holenka Pleased With Tigers’ Depth

By SETH STASKEY SHADYSIDE — Mark Holenka has a lot of hobbies, but other than helping his grandchildren, putting jigsaw puzzles together usually isn’t high on the list. The Shadyside head football coach may grow to enjoy them even more as he embarks on his 12th season at his alma mater. Coming off a solid 7-4 season, which ended with a thud in the opening round of the playoffs at Nelsonville-York, Shadyside returns several key pieces from that team. It also boasts a roster of 46 players and some talented younger players, so making it all come together gel and be productive is ...