In a word, finally.
Either that, or some less family-friendly, more colorful utterance was heard in locker-rooms in the heart of the Mountain State this weekend.
That’s because, for the first time all season, Kanawha County is depicted in a something other than red or orange on the state’s COVID map of many colors.
It’s gold if we’re being specific. Translation? Game on in the capital county. That same feeling of jubilation was felt elsewhere across W.Va. the last two weeks as some teams finally got to play their first game of the season.
Hurricane’s Ismael Borrero wasted little time announcing his presence to the rest of the state and, in particular, the Parkersburg High defense.
A week after a solid two-touchdown run, one TD pass effort in a 21-9 win against Huntington, Borrero went “Madden” against PHS.
Nigh unstoppable, Borrero threw for 262 yards on 20 of 26 passing for seven—count them seven—touchdowns against two picks.
The Redskins’ junior QB stood tall in a near impenetrable pocket provided by his offensive line and picked apart the Big Reds’ defense.
Parkersburg running back Bryson Singer had a stellar night, rushing for 270 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries.
Those numbers normally are hard to overshadow. But seven TDs and a QB rating of 230+ will do that.
If Borrero can even come close to equaling that performance this week, he may be a late addition into the Kennedy conversation.
Ground and Pound Showdown
That will be a tall order, however.
Hurricane faces unbeaten Cabell Midland and its own Kennedy candidate, Jakob Caudill, this week at home.
Caudill had a pedestrian effort by his usual high standards with 99 yards on 16 carries against Poca. But that was through no fault of the Knights’ bruising senior.
Cabell pounded out 434 yards on 51 carries in dismantling the Class AA Dots 62-20 in a game that got out of hand early (43-7) in the first half.
The Knights spread the wealth on the ground in picking up their first win of the season.
Defending Kennedy Award winner Ethan Payne returned from a length COVID-related layoff to rush for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Both Caudill and Payne are having solid seasons. But while some teams are playing their sixth game this week, the Knights are 3-0 while the Dots are 1-1.
No weeks are getting added on to the regular season, so both are going to have to play catchup up, like many of the state’s other Kennedy candidates.
That’s because there’s one athlete, through four wins and one loss, whose shown no signs of slowing down against some of the state’s top teams.
Hartman on Tour
Musselman senior Blake Hartman is on a tear. He and his Applemen teammates are 4-1 heading into Friday’s home contest against winless Hedgesville.
Barring an upset for either team, that should pit 5-1 Musselman against 5-1 Wheeling Park on the Island in two weeks. The Patriots did a solid job in slowing down one Kennedy frontrunner in Oak Glen’s Hunter Patterson in a 28-14 win last Friday.
Park also has shown some offensive firepower of its own with emerging quarterback Beau Heller and running back Stevie Mitchell.
But can the Patriots do what no other team has yet—even Martinsburg, in its 51-33 win against Musselman—slow down Hartman?
Hartman and company welcomed the Morgantown Mohigans to the football season Friday with a 42-9 triumph at Pony Lewis Field in MHS’ delayed season opener.
Hartman totaled 155 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. The week prior against a tough Fairmont Senior outfit, the Lehigh recruit overcame a slow start to churn out 256 yards on 23 carries. He tacked on a punt return for six for good measure in the 42-21 win.
Through five games, Hartman is a model of consistency and tenacity, rushing for nearly 205 yards per game (204.6) and 10 yards per carry (9.7). He’s scored 19 touchdowns during that stretch.
Remaining on the slate are games against Hedgesville, Park, Washington, Spring Mills and Bridgeport. Keeping his pace against that competition will have Hartman poised at the front of the pack as the season rolls into the playoffs.
The best part about the changes in the Applemen’s schedule is it’s allowed Hartman to be seen by audiences in other parts of the state outside the Eastern Panhandle.
Other Frontrunners
Keon Padmore-Johnson, Spring Mills
Padmore-Johnson bounced back from a solid effort in a narrow overtime loss last week to unbeaten Frankfort by torching Hedgesville’s defense in a big win.
The Cardinals’ senior threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns whilst rushing for 75 yards and two more scores. This week will be the litmus test of Padmore-Johnson’s Kennedy candidacy.
The 4-1 Cards play host to Martinsburg (2-1). A solid performance in either victory or defeat here will keep Padmore-Johnson’s name near the top of this list as the season reaches its regular-season climax.
Hunter Patterson, Oak Glen
Playing at less than 100 percent, Patterson ran for just 30 yards on seven carries against Wheeling Park, while catching six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the 28-14 loss. Patterson is fighting through an ankle injury, the same one that plagued him a season ago.
Oak Glen returns home against Class AAA Brooke (1-4) with road trips to Weir, Spring Mills, and Frankfort looming.
Patterson presently averages 103 rushing yards and 118 receiving yards per game with nine total touchdowns.
Atticus Goodson, Independence
The Independence junior’s numbers have come down to earth somewhat as the Patriots have lost two in a row, first to Petersburg and most recently to Liberty Raleigh.
Liberty went all out to slow down Indy’s top offensive threat, holding Goodson to 116 yards and a score on 29 carries. He added a 68-yard TD reception in the loss.
Through five games, Goodson still has 986 yards and 17 touchdowns, good for 197.2 per game and 11.2 per carry. Goodson and the Pats will look to get back on track Friday playing host to unbeaten Midland Trail (1-0), which is playing just its second game of the campaign.
Gage Michael, Fairmont Senior
Michael and company bounced back from a tough loss to Musselman by taking it to Winfield in a 59-28 win.
The Polar Bears’ QB threw for 308 yards and five touchdowns on just 9 of 12 passing while tacking on a 26-yard TD run. The week before Michael threw for 135 and ran for 137 in the loss to the Appleman.
Life doesn’t get any easier for Class AA’s toughest schedule as Fairmont welcomes unbeaten Class AAA power Spring Valley to East-West Stadium.
In the Mix
Caron Deeb, Bluefield
Bluefield’s offense is rounding into form and, Deeb is playing a big part of the that. The Beavers’ QB threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns on 19 of 24 passing in a 46-28 win against Point Pleasant.
Deeb added 42 yards on the ground and a touchdown on three carries for the Beavers (4-0), who travel to 1-4 Pikeview this week.
Sam Schuler, Parkersburg South
Schuler stats are still solid, but his stock is slowly dropping with each Parkersburg South loss.
The Patriots fell to Bridgeport 56-28, though they trailed 28-21 at one point. Schuler threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 30 passing, but had three interceptions for the second-straight week.
Last week, John Marshall held the Pats’ scoreless in a 39-0 triumph. Schuler had 241 yards on 23 of 44 passing, but was victimized by multiple third-down drops. South plays host to Linsly this week. Schuler is still averaging 300.6 yards per game through five games with 10 TDs against nine interceptions.
Jeremiah King, Robert C. Byrd
King had a strong showing in a 48-0 win against Lewis County, rushing for 157 yards and a TD on 16 carries. The week prior, he was held to 16 yards on six carries in a tough loss to Bridgeport.
RBC has found a new weapon in QB Xavier Lopez, who threw for 243 and three TDs against LC and if the Eagles are utilizing a balanced run-pass strategy the remainder, King will be hard pressed keeping up with the candidates in more run-heavy offenses.
Noah Brown, Greenbrier West
Brown had a short but productive night, totaling 161 yards and two touchdowns in Greenbrier West’s 47-0 win against Scott.
The Cavaliers coaching staff isn’t one to leave Brown in late to pad stats in blowout victories. The team is 5-0 and keeping pace with unbeaten Doddridge County atop the Class A leaderboards.
Other Notable Performances
Beau Heller, Wheeling Park
Heller is quietly making a name for himself in the Northern Panhandle. The son of WPHS great Kevin Heller, the quarterback on the 1991 runner-up team, the younger Heller bided his time behind all-W.Va. QB Alex Dunlevy the last two seasons.
Most recently, Heller threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 22 passing against a tough Oak Glen secondary in a 28-14 win. This is a week after Heller’s best performance to date, a 363-yard, four TD night against a tough Class A Linsly team.
Heller averages 212 yards a game through five games, throwing for 14 TDs against just two interceptions. He completes nearly 72 percent of his passes and doesn’t make mistakes. Park’s lone loss is against unbeaten and No. 1 Ohio Division IV school St. Clairsville, in Heller’s first career start.
Cameron Cole, Bridgeport
Bridgeport’s junior QB isn’t going to rewrite any passing record books. That’s not what the Indians’ revamped Wing-T offense is designed for.
But Cole sure can run the football out of it. He rumbled for 209 yards and three scores while completed two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown in the 56-28 win against South.
Last week against RCB, Cole had 239 yards and three TDs.
Caleb Bower, Wyoming East
Bower’s talents were on full display last week as the rushed for 277 yards and six TDs in a 51-24 win against River View. In addition, Bower added an 80-yard kickoff return for six.
Jacob Haddix, South Harrison
Haddix shined for South Harrison in a 46-24 win against Valley Wetzel, rushing for 387 yards and four touchdowns.
He scored on runs of 79, 54, 36, and 66 yards as the Hawks improved to 2-3.
