With high school football beginning across the Mountain State, this will be the first of a weekly Kennedy Award weekly watch that will hit LedeNews at 7 p.m. on Mondays.
We’ll take a look at how returning winner Ethan Payne of Poca is doing, as well as the players identified earlier in the preseason watch story here.
Some players will be kept track of weekly. Some will drop off while others will pick up steam after multiple breakout performances and be added to the weekly watch list.
We’ll also point out some of the statistically top performances from around the state each week.
So, without further ado, shall we begin?
The Champ is (Still) Here
Payne got off to a strong, albeit momentarily slow start to his senior season.
Poca traveled north to Wheeling to face defending Class A Wheeling Central. The Maroon Knights defense lost a lot of talent, including three-time Huff Award winner Adam Murray.
Still, the Knights were able to keep Payne hemmed up early, but as the game wore on, Payne started showing the power and explosiveness that helped him rush for nearly 3,000 yards a season ago.
Payne logged 206 yards on 27 carries, an average of 7.6 yards per carry while scoring three touchdowns on the ground and adding another through the air.
Graduation losses or not, a strong performance against a team rich in history like Central on its home field can’t be ignored.
Preseason List – How They Fared
Hunter Patterson, Oak Glen, Sr.
Versatile Golden Bears offensive weapon made the most of limited touches in an Oak Glen victory against Point Pleasant. Patterson had 71 yards rushing and two TDs on four carries for an average of 17.8 yards per tote. As a receiver, Patterson hauled in five passes for 144 yards and another score, averaging 28.8 yards per reception. Patterson will put up bigger numbers, but given the number of weapons in the Oak Glen attack, he may not be able to keep pace statistically with some of the other top candidates.
Jakob Caudill, Cabell Midland, Sr.
The Knights bruising returning first-team all-W.Va. back ripped the Parkersburg South defense for 196 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries in limited action. Caudill averaged 13.1 yards per carry.
Atticus Goodson, Independence, Jr.
Goodson continued his streak of big games with a 188-yard, four touchdown performance in a romp against Pikeview. He did his damage on eight whole carries, meaning Goodson was averaging 23.5 yards per clip.
Jeremiah King, Robert C. Byrd, Jr.
Fellow junior rumbled his way to a 256-yard, four-touchdown night against Elkins. King averaged 17.1 yards per carry
Noah Brown, Greenbrier West, Sr.
Brown had decent numbers in the Cavaliers win against Summers County, logging 16 carries and finishing with 115 yards and a score, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. His biggest contribution however was his mere presence. Summers sold out to try to limit Brown and, as a result, quarterback Kaiden Pack turned in a solid game rushing and throwing.
Carson Deeb, Bluefield, Sr.
In a game that pitted two potent passing attacks against one another in Bluefield vs. Princeton, it was the Beavers’ ground game that stole the show. Still, Deeb managed to throw for 165 yards on 22 of 35 passing. His yards per pass average (7.5) was a direct result of the Tigers defensive strategy to keep everything short and in front of his secondary.
Blake Hartman, Musselman, Sr.
The Lehigh commit saw sparse action in the Applemen’s blowout win against Jefferson. His first two touches told the story though. Hartman fielded the opening kickoff and rumbled 91 yards. The next play, he took it the remaining eight for six. Hartman added a second rushing touchdown and finished with 93 yards in the first half. This week is the biggie for Hartman and his teammates as they travel to Class AAA perennial champion Martinsburg.
Yet to Play
Fairmont Senior quarterback Gage Michael, Martinsburg backfield duo of Naieem Kearney and Kevon Warren, and Mingo Central QB Daylin Goad have yet to play.
Other Notables
There are also a few names that weren’t listed on the preseason watch list that had monster games statistically in Week 1. Whether they make their way to the weekly watch list remains to be seen, but it’s hard to ignore big numbers out of the gate when you see them.
Santino Arlia, Madonna, Jr.
Blue Dons junior threw for 400 yards and six touchdowns on 19 of 34 passing in a whitewashing of the Wahama White Falcons on a neutral site at East-West Stadium in Fairmont. Given the strong field of Class AAA and AA candidates this season, Arlia will need to keep similar numbers to last season when he threw for 2,350 yards and 23 TDs while also improving upon a completion percentage that sat at 56 percent for the opener (19 of 34).
Dalton Flowers, John Marshall, Sr.
Monarchs senior shredded the Weir High defense for 292 yards on 15 carries, averaging 19.5 per tote while accounting for three touchdowns. In fairness to Weir, the Red Riders have a number of new and young faces in the starting lineup. That being said, if Flowers can keep pace, he’ll merit consistent mention.
Drae Allen, Keyser, Sr.
Keyser rolled up 600 yards on the ground on Berkely Springs last weekend, so options were plentiful. That being said, Allen did the bulk of the rushing, toting the ball 17 times for 222 yards with just one touchdown as the Golden Tornado spread the wealth in the scoring department. Allen averaged 13.1 yards per carry. Next up is a meeting with Oak Glen in a key earlyseason Class AA showdown.
Trevor Oates, Williamstown, Jr.
Taking over for the graduated Ty Moore at running back, Oates kicked off his junior season with an impressive 206 yards on 23 carries against Ohio Division III team Marietta. Oates added three touchdowns while averaging nine yards per carry.
Keon Padmore-Johnson, Spring Mills, Sr.
There wasn’t a lot of defense in Spring Mills 55-42 win against Washington. That suited Cardinals’ senior QB Keon Padmore-Johnson just fine. Johnson last played as a sophomore, losing the 2019 season to injury. He returned in “slightly” less than impressive fashion, throwing for 327 yards and five touchdowns AND rushing for 267 yards and two more scores. For those keeping track, Padmore-Johnson ran or threw the ball 29 times for 594 yards and seven touchdowns. If he can even remotely hold similar statistics week in and out, his production will be tough to overlook.
