Only 3.4 miles separate the locations of these two Ohio County schools, but the Park Patriots football team has never competed against The Linsly School under those Friday night lights.
That changes in fewer than four days.
According to guidelines for public schools, now that Ohio County is in the ‘gold’ category, Wheeling Park’s scheduled battle with powerful Steubenville had to be canceled. The same was true of Linsly’s game against Dover High. The only option for both schools was to play against teams in other ‘gold’ counties, including Logan, Wyoming, and Ohio counties.
“We did speak with the people down in Logan County, but their schools are still remote,” said Rick Jones, assistant superintendent of Ohio County Schools. “Because of that decision, those students are not permitted to play sports. Now, they are supposed to vote on that again today, and if they go back into the buildings, a game in the future could be possible depending on the numbers and what colors are counties are.
“Student/athletes can participate in extracurricular activities such as sports even though they have chosen to educate remotely,” he continued. “But when a county board votes for virtual only for all of their students, extracurricular activities are not allowed to take place, and that is according to guidelines from the state.”
A New Rivalry?
Since the consolidation of Wheeling, Warwood, and Triadelphia high schools in 1976, Wheeling Park High School has been one of the largest public schools in the state of West Virginia. Meanwhile, Linsly has long been one of the smallest high schools in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
So, this Friday evening at Wheeling Island Stadium figures to be a David Vs. Goliath matchup that will kickoff at 7 p.m.
“While we were having that conversation with the folks from Logan, we also had a discussion with the people at Linsly,” Jones said. “Linsly was more than willing to play, and they have been really great to work with through this whole thing. We have a great relationship with those folks.
“It’s a really good situation now that we figured it all out, and here we are scheduled to play Linsly this Friday night,” he said. “It will be the first time Wheeling Park High School and Linsly have played football against each other, so that’s something that makes this game something special. Of course, most of the kids and coaches already know each other, so I am sure they are looking forward to the game.”
The Matchup
The biggest differences between to the two football teams are the posted rosters for each squad, and the Patriots’ sideline will be much more crowded than Linsly’s. That fact, Jones believes, gives Wheeling Park an edge.
“Now, I don’t know as much about football as some other sports, but I think anytime a Triple-A school plays a smaller school, you likely have an advantage in numbers, and you’re able to have some of the players out on the field for just the offense or just defense,” Jones said. “The smaller schools, because of the size of their roster, normally have more players playing both ways.
“Linsly, though, is a very talented football team, and they are very well coached,” the assistant superintendent said. “But over the course of the game, you have to hope that the number of players on your sideline and that depth give your team the advantage. Of course, we’ll have to see how it works out Friday night.”
Whether or not the two football teams will meet again in the future is unknown right now, so the participants and their families should make sure to enjoy this Friday night.
“Because of the way the point system is set up in West Virginia, a Triple-A school playing a Single-A school doesn’t happen very often. This game is taking place because of the restrictions in place and so that everyone involved had a game this weekend,” Jones explained. “If Ohio County wasn’t in the ‘gold’ category, we would be playing Steubenville.
“But hey, Wheeling Park has a solid team and so does Linsly, so I am expecting a very good game,” he added. “As they say, though, it’s why you play the game, so we really will just wait and see how it goes on the field.”
