Gridiron practices begin

Gridiron practices begin

By DAVE POE

Parkersburg High football players run through drills Monday morning on the opening day of high school football practice in front of Parkersburg High School. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG —High school football practice begins across West Virginia today.

Teams in the Mountain State will be getting a head start on their Ohio counterparts, who aren’t allowed to begin drills until Thursday.

Parkersburg High School, which will open its 2006 regular season one day earlier than any other local school due to being invited to play in the Aug. 24 Kickoff Classic against George Washington at Charleston’s Laidley Field, also will get an early start today.

Like most other teams, the Big Reds will be going twice a day, but both sessions will take place in the morning. Coach Bernie Buttrey and his 67 players will meet at 6:50 a.m. and again at 11 a.m.

And rather than walking out of their dressing room and onto the turf at Stadium Field, the Big Reds will have to trek to the front campus, since Stadium Field is in the process of getting new artificial turf, not to mention a new scoreboard.

The Big Reds have a pair of preseason scrimmages. They’ll travel to defending state champion Morgantown for an 11 a.m. scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 12, and will participate in the Mountain State Athletic Conference’s Grid-O-Rama at Laidley Field on Saturday, Aug. 19. PHS will be paired against Ripley and Spring Valley.

At Parkersburg South, first-year mentor Don Reeves will put his initial Patriot team through two-a-days on the front campus.

South had its helmet-fitting session last week and 62 Patriots attended. South will be practicing at 8 a.m. and again at 11:30 a.m. on the front campus.

The Patriots initial scrimmage is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 at Princeton.

Parkersburg Catholic coach Danny Tennant is expecting around two dozen Crusaders, a normal amount for PC, which has reached the playoffs for 12 straight years.

Catholic will face several challenges, including a schedule that includes five playoff teams from 2005.

Catholic isn’t the only Wood County school with an impressive streak. Williamstown has won 46 consecutive regular season games and despite some heavy graduation losses coach Terry Smith and his Yellowjackets are determined to continue their winning ways. Williamstown opens the season on the road against Class AA Magnolia, so you can bet the Yellowjacket practices will be spirited.

Ritchie County, a school that has won just five games in four years, is excited about football again. That’s because former Parkersburg Catholic and Wirt County coach Mike Lucas has taken over the Rebel program and has created a wave of enthusiasm. Lucas, who says every position on the team is open, is expecting somewhere between 35 and 45 players for opening day.

Wirt County coach Marty Prine is looking for around 40 players to show up for two-a-days. The Tigers will practice at 8 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.

Wirt doesn’t have much time to grow up. The Tigers face Parkersburg Catholic and St. Marys and the first two weeks of the regular season.

Calhoun County, which reached the playoffs last year, is almost starting over. Coach Bryan Sterns has just two returning senior starters and they (Matt Whipkey and Steven Wagoner) are both linemen.

Contact Dave Poe at dpoe@newsandsentinel.com