Alright, so today I figured I’d dig into who’s really making waves in that West Virginia high school football championship coming up later this year. Heard a bunch of names getting tossed around at the coffee shop, you know how it is. Thought it’d be cool to actually look up the key teams and those top players everyone’s buzzing about.
First thing, I opened up my laptop. Grabbed a fresh cup of coffee – essential fuel. Headed straight to the WVSSAC website, ’cause that’s where the official stuff usually lives. Needed to find the latest season standings, playoff brackets from last year, that kind of thing.
Man, navigating that site is like trying to find a specific blade of grass in a hayfield sometimes. Took a bit of clicking around, got lost in the basketball section twice. Finally found the football archives. Focused on 2023 season results and the championship game, Martinsburg vs. Huntington, right? Martinsburg took it again, tough team.
Top Teams Emerging for 2024: Based on who brought back serious talent and last year’s playoff runs, a few names keep popping up:
- Martinsburg Bulldogs: Seriously, these guys are just reloading, not rebuilding. Always deep. Gotta see if they can make it… what, like six in a row?
- Huntington Highlanders: Ran Martinsburg close last year in Wheeling. Returned some serious athletes. Hungry for another shot.
- Parkersburg South Patriots: Heard they had a monster recruiting class? No, wait, just kidding – it’s high school! But seriously, looked strong last season, bringing back key guys.
- Cabell Midland Knights: That running game? Whew. Always physical. Always a contender out of that region.
Okay, teams are one thing, but folks wanna know about the PLAYERS. Who’s gonna be the next star? This is where it gets messy. You gotta sift through local news sites, Hudl highlights (man, some of those Hudl profiles are intense!), and even chat with some folks who follow it way closer than me. Found this great rundown from a local sports writer guy.
Top Players to Watch (Based on last season stats & hype):
- Martinsburg QB, Tyler Wilson: This kid looked slick. Saw clips from the championship. Arm strength? Check. Mobility? Check. Ran that offense smooth.
- Huntington WR/DB, Jake Harris: Speed demon. Just look at his track times. Burned defenses deep all season. Playmaker on both sides.
- Parkersburg South RB, Jamal Ellis: Bruiser. Reminded me of an old-school back. Truck stick engaged constantly. Stats showed he racked up serious yards after contact.
- Cabell Midland LB, Ben Carter: Tackling machine. Seriously, the numbers were wild – over 100 tackles? Seemed like he was in every single play, sideline to sideline.
- Spring Valley OL, Marcus Howard: Big guy, mobile for his size. Anchored their line, opened holes for days. Offers rolling in? Yup.
Alright, got the teams, got some standout players. But then I thought, stats! People love stats. Started cross-referencing. QB completion percentages, rushing yards per game, defensive stats. This is where the coffee really got cold. Took ages, honestly. Found some team sites had good info, others… crickets. Ended up mostly leaning on those local sportswriter summaries and the official playoff stats PDFs.
Honestly? Halfway through sorting all these rushing yards and tackle numbers, my kid barged in. “Dad, did you find my cleats?” Right. Weekend chores called. So I quickly jotted down the key stuff. Martinsburg and Huntington still look like the favorites, those top 5 players seem legit, and the stats back it up. It’s gonna be a fun season to watch. Not gonna lie, doing all that digging made me wanna actually head down and catch a game or two in person come August.