Football Preview 2018

Colts Thinking State Title

By SETH STASKEY BYESVILLE — Jeff Twiddy isn’t bashful as it pertains to what he thinks about his 2018 Meadowbrook Colts. “From Day 1 (when I was hired), the expectation has been to win a state championship and I don’t want to sound cocky or arrogant, but the expectation of this team (in 2018) is to win a state title ... 100 percent,” Twiddy said. To many, especially from a program that’s never won a playoff game and qualified for the postseason only three times, including 2015 and 2017, that may sound like a pipedream. But, when you take a step back and really look at ...

McKivitz Soaking It All In

By SETH STASKEY MORGANTOWN — Colton McKivitz admits there are times when he has to snap himself back into reality. Who could blame him though for getting caught up in the moment at times? After all, McKivitz is embarking on his third season as a starting offensive lineman at West Virginia, is on track to graduate with a degree in the spring and hears his name bandied about as a possible future NFL Draft pick. “Sometimes it’s OK to reflect on how far you’ve come, but eventually you have to pinch yourself and focus again on what is still ahead,” McKivitz said during an ...

WVU Taking Full Advantage of Transfer Rule

By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — It would be hard pressed to find a fan of West Virginia University football who hasn’t heard of Will Grier, David Sills V, Gary Jennings Jr., Yodny Cajuste, David Long Jr. or Dravon Askew-Henry. But, when it comes to the 2018 Mountaineer football program, it may be the names fans have not heard that much about that will turn the Mountaineers into a team that can challenge for a Big 12 title and a possible berth in the College Football Playoffs. Offensively, Grier is the headliner after throwing for 3,490 yards and 34 touchdowns in a little over 11 ...

Big 12: Eers, Sooners Picked for Title Tilt

By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — When the 10 head coaches from the Big 12 got together for the league’s annual preseason Media Days in Frisco, Texas, there was little surprised when the media covering the conference released its first poll of the year. Oklahoma, which had been selected to win the title the past two seasons, was again chosen to take home the trophy when the league conducts its championship game on Saturday, Dec. 1. The Sooners garnered 46 of the 52 first-place votes to distance themselves from the rest of the field. Surprisingly, Dana Holgorsen’s Mountaineers picked ...

Badgers Give West Hope of Ending Dominance

By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer The Big Ten West might not be best, but it is getting closer to challenging the East Division’s conference dominance. Wisconsin returns the entire offensive line and a 1,900-yard rusher from its record-setting 13-win team, and some see the Badgers as a contender for the College Football Playoff. Iowa has the nation’s top tight end in Noah Fant, Northwestern is coming off its second 10-win season in three years and Purdue is on the rise under Jeff Brohm. Nebraska, mostly a non-factor since joining the league in 2011, is poised to make a ...

MHS Is All About Team

By JOE SMITH MORGANTOWN — As the early morning heat bore down on Pony Lewis Field at Morgantown High School, Coach Matt Lacy led the Mohigans through an exercise in discipline and conditioning. The MHS squad was running 40-yard sprints, but there was a catch involved — the players were in stances, and a football cadence was being yelled out. The players, similar to many offensive plays, were told to move on the count of two. According to senior Nick Malone, many on the team were struggling. “We were going on two, and some people just kept false starting,” he said. ...