(Publisher’s Note: This would have been the weekend for the Super Six High School Football Championships in Wheeling, but the three title games were canceled because of COVID-19 numbers throughout the state of West Virginia. Wheeling Park, John Marshall, and Wheeling Central Catholic all qualified for the postseason, but all three were eliminated not by opponents but by the state Department of Education’s pandemic alert map. Mike Young’s 2020 team was hopeful it could rack up a fourth consecutive Class A state title, but instead paper champions were named by the WVSSAC. His players, however, still benefited because Young is much more than just a football coach.)
This time he gave it some thought.
Usually when Mike Young is asked about the success of his football team, he reverts to the fact that he has great assistant coaches and players. He never takes credit. This humble gentleman who agreed to follow legendary St. Clairsville football coach George Strager in the 1990s, and THEN to follow the one and only Jim Thomas at Central Catholic in 2005, refuses praise for seven state titles since that first season.
This time? A different angle.
Coach Young, will you please define for us the, “Mike Young” factor?
“Hmm.”
The pause was a long one during the interview, and then Young paused a little more.
And then …
“Ya know, I grew up in a family of nine kids. We didn’t have much, but we didn’t know it. My great mother and father taught me to get along. Show respect. They taught me that I didn’t have to like everyone, but that I should respect them,” Young replied. “That may be why we have a lot of respect and love for everyone involved with this team. I tell our kids I love them and only because I mean it. We need that today because we see so much in our world these days that’s not respectful, and that’s not about caring.
“These kids know they are part of something special, and they can be proud of it,” he continued. “If Mike Young comes into any of it, it’s the love of the game, it’s the idea that we’re only given so much, and someday, we’ll be asked how well we did use it, and how much did we give, and how true were ya? That’s what I try to help them understand, and I love it.”
Central Catholic was ranked No.1 in Class A following its opening win against Williamstown but fell to No. 10 by the end of the season thanks to four losses to schools like St. Clairsville, Fort Fry, and Linsly. The first time Young guided Central to a state championship was in his first year, 2005, and his team completed the regular season with a 6-4 record then, too.
But the travel. Geez. Last week it was a four-hour trek to Pendleton County, and the week before was another two-hour jaunt to Ritchie County. For the opening week of the postseason, the No. 10 Maroon Knights swerved and curved for another four hours to and from Tolsia High.
“Traveling 1,200 miles together teaches everyone how to get along, and it teaches you how to endure those challenges,” Young explained. “We knew it was going to be challenging, especially when you lose a player like Curtis McGhee (ACL) at quarterback. But the kids all stepped up, and that’s the beauty of this whole thing.
“It wasn’t just the kids, either. All of the coaches stepped up, too, after Curtis suffered that injury against Martins Ferry. We may have gone flat against Martins Ferry after that injury, but somehow we got back up, and those coaches and those young players fought back,” Young said. “We came up with our plan, and we went out there and executed it week after week, and when you’re able to do that, you have success. That’s what we’ve been able to do the last three weeks. We’ve rallied hard together, and that’s the key to any success story.”
And Young’s football program somehow maintained itself despite the dark cloud created by the controversies focused on the former bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The Washington Post and CBS News have led the national coverage, local outlets have picked up some of it, and much criticism has flowed freely on social media in all possible, irresponsible directions.
“We’re a faith-based school that offers a Catholic education, and what has happened in other areas of our church, we know we didn’t cause or create. That’s why we shouldn’t be held responsible for any of it,” the head coach explained. “I still promote a Catholic education because of all of the positives I see the kids gain because of it. What other people have done is not on any of us.
“I know I am responsible for my team, for the love of the game, and for promoting the kind of education I believe is a great one, and football is only one part of it. Not only do the students get an outstanding education at Wheeling Central, but they know respect, and they have God in their lives. That’s how you move forward beyond that dark cloud and why we’re playing for a state championship this Saturday night at 7 p.m.,” Young added. “I enjoy being a small part of raising kids to be true.”
And there’s the “Mike Young” factor.
