The end of the 2020 West Virginia high school football season was filled with controversy.
When the pandemic ends the postseason before its culmination and champions are crowned by elimination, and not on the field, it tends to do that.
But one place there was no room for argument was the 2020 Kennedy Award, captured by Musselman’s Blake Hartman.
Hartman, like every other high school player last season, had to deal with COVID cancellations. He missed games and saw his postseason end because of a map.
But what it failed to do was diminish the monster season he had.
Hartman ran for nearly 1,700 yards and 30 touchdowns, becoming the first Appleman since the late Todd Mosby in 1999 to win the award.
He also earned the Curt Warner Award as the state’s top running back.
He received 15 first-place votes. Runner-up, Gage Michael of Fairmont Senior, was the next highest with two top votes.
Oak Glen’s Hunter Patterson, South Charleston’s Trey Dunn, and Spring Mills’ Keon Padmore-Johnson rounded out the top five.
Of those leading vote getters, all but Dunn picked up their diplomas.
Dunn threw for 1,865 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior in an abbreviated six-games played. He added seven TDs rushing, averaging nearly 360 yards of total offense. Per game. For a sophomore on what became the state’s AAA championship team, that’s getting it done.
His exploits certainly rocket the Black Eagles’ signalcaller to near the top of the 2021 preseason Kennedy watch list. But he’s far from alone.
So, let’s take a look at some of those preseason favorites and perhaps a few dark horses. The Kenned Watch kicks off now. We’ve already touched on Dunn, so let’s meet his competition.
Atticus Goodson, Independence
This year’s Kennedy race will be quarterback heavy, with likely three of the top four favorites coming from not only AAA schools, but the quarterback position.
My preseason pick for the award, however, comes from Class AA and the running back position in the form of 6-2, 220-pound bruiser.
Goodson led the Patriots to the Class AA quarterfinals where they fell to eventual champion Fairmont Senior at East-West Stadium.
Goodson and Fairmont’s Michael put on a show and displayed why they were two of the top talents in the state in 2020.
The incoming senior ran for 1,618 yards and 25 touchdowns, averaging 202.3 yards a game.
You’ve heard the expression “a man amongst boys” right? Well, that’s what it looks like watching Goodson explode through a gap in the line and bulldoze his way through defenders both big and small.
Independence returns a lot of firepower and Goodson should have the Pats’ primed for another postseason run.
Grant Cochran, Princeton
The second then-sophomore to have a breakout season in 2020, Cochran led the Tigers with 2,320 yards and 27 TDs against just eight interceptions in his second season as the QB in Princeton.
He completed 130 of his 231 completions for a 56-percent completion rating.
Cochran and the Tigers fell to Dunn and his Black Eagles in the postseason, but not before turning in a stellar campaign which saw Cochran finish second-team all-W.Va. in a group loaded with talented upperclassmen.
The big key will be how Cochran deals with the loss of a talented tandem of receivers in Ethan Parsons and Josiah Honaker.
More of a passer in the traditional sense than Dunn, Cochran’s arm will dictate just the type of season the Tigers have.
Bryson Singer, Parkersburg
Singer is an opposing figure at 6-4 and 184 pounds.
He possesses and excellent combination of size and speed, not ideal for defenses having to defend Parkersburg’s multi-faceted quarterback.
A three-start dual threat QB, singer threw for 687 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior while rushing for 1,235 yards and 14 touchdowns in just eight games.
Attending camps and other recruiting-centric events has Singer rocketing up respective collegiate radars as is measurables are drawing attention.
But remember, Singer is he QB at PHS, where success is measured in wins and state championships. And if the Big Reds have a more typical Big Reds’-like season, you can expect Singer’s name to be at the top of the stat sheet and also the Kennedy race.
Dark Horse
Barring breakout seasons, I’m betting this race comes down to the four previously mentioned young men. Two are juniors, two are seniors, and all four are primed for big things in 2021.
But there are a couple players who turned in solid to spectacular campaigns in 2020 that definitely rate the nod as dark horse. More players will fill this list as the regular season begins and we get to see who shines brightest when the spotlight’s gauze turns their way.
Jeremiah King, Robert C. Byrd
What’s working against King is he’s a running back in a QB top-heavy competition. He’s also in Class AA, where the prospective top running back candidate for the Kennedy also resides.
So, he’ll not only have to put up big numbers week in and out, but he’ll have to outshine Goodson.
The good news is King is capable of putting up those big numbers. Last season, King ran for 1,718 yards and 24 touchdowns on 189 carries for the Eagles.
He had some monster games. He also had a couple where the Eagles’ passing game stole the show and King was limited to less than 100 yards.
Sub-100 games will do his candidacy no favors. But like most high school athletes, King’s likely first concern is winning, no stats.
