FAIRMONT — There’s something about the time between high school sports ending in the spring and football beginning in the late summer.
There’s not a lot going on, but you can feel the excitement building throughout the community for the upcoming gridiron season.
Baseball, basketball and all sports in between are just fine, but nothing gets things going around time like football season.
I love baseball more than anything. But there’s just something about high school football that trumps even some of the best games on the diamond.
I think a lot of it has to do with the way the community has embraced the teams again.
The fact that East Fairmont and West Fairmont are winning, becoming regional powers again, might have a little do with that.
But even North Marion, mired in the school’s longest losing streak, still gets that air of excitement when football season rolls around.
It’s just fun to be around.
I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a football game like last year’s playoff game between Hurricane and East Fairmont.
The Saturday afternoon showdown was a spectacular show for everyone involved.
Imagine the East-West game being contested in the same Saturday afternoon time frame. I can, but that’s a whole ’nother column.
The buildup is a big part of it as well, I think.
Football gets all week to build up to game night on Friday.
Other sports are so rapid-fire in their scheduling that it’s tough to stop and take time to go into recaps, statistics and general hype for the next game.
The summer just seems to fly by on the way to fall and football. Before anyone knows it, the teams are on the field and the lights are on at East-West Stadium and Husky Field.
So, I know its still a while away, but let’s take a look at some of the questions that will be surrounding this season.
• Can East Fairmont repeat the success it had in 2007? For a team that had never won a playoff game, the Bees sure did turn some heads with a run to the state semifinals. Another yard late in the game and East would have been in the Class AAA title game.
• Is this North’s year to snap that losing streak? The Huskies desperately need a win, and head coach Gerry White’s only two shy of 100. While numbers seemed to be back up last year, a win could only help in Husky-land.
• Who will be next in line to shine at West Fairmont? After having Kyle Allard claim the Kennedy Award in 2006 and running back Jerry Kelly receive a scholarship from D-I Boston College, who’s going to be the one to step up in 2008? Desmond Evans started to make a name for himself carrying the ball for the Bears, and quarterback Logan Moore could easily become a star now that he has a year of experience under his belt.
• Can a Marion County team take the North Central Athletic Conference title again this year? East Fairmont tied University for the conference crown in 2007, its first time on top since 1990. Can the Bees repeat or can West grab the top spot? If last year is any indication, the NCAC has grown closer together talent-wise, and it’s no longer a two-horse race with Morgantown and University every year.
E-mail Mike Bowen at mbowen@timeswv.com.
Sports Central
June 19, 2008
COLUMN: Football is coming sooner than you think
- Sports Central
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Four straight
Adam LaRoche had a two-run double in the 10th inning Tuesday night, and the Pittsburgh Pirates won their season-high fourth straight, an 8-5 victory over the Washington Nationals, who lost their sixth in a row.
Both streaks feature plenty of offense. -
Saving the day
You know the endpoint — goal after goal, the undefeated season, the state championship hardware that’s reserved a spot in the Fairmont Senior trophy case.
The Polar Bear girls’ lacrosse team, though, had humble beginnings. Most of this year’s senior class had not played the sport, had done little else than pick up a stick, until their first high school game. -
Bucs bust out in 7th, win series
In the span of one near-historic inning Sunday, the Pirates went from getting shut down to winning in a rout.
The Pirates scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, three of which were driven in by Nate McLouth, to turn a three-run deficit into a seven-run lead as they rallied for an 11-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. - Yates goes on DL; Pirates make minor trades Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Tyler Yates was placed on the 15-day disabled list before Sunday’s 11-4 win over the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park with elbow inflammation. Yates has been unable to pitch multiple innings this season and has appeared on consecutive days just twice because of the elbow.
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Twice as nice
Pure joy.
It was all over the field Saturday night. In the form of smiles, hugs, a team pile-on and boys lacrosse equipment strewn across the East-West Stadium turf.
The first stick to go airborne started the celebration, and made Fairmont Senior’s season-long goal a reality, as the Polar Bears upset No. 1 Morgantown, 9-8, for their first state title. -
Polar Bears go back-to-back
The perfect season now has a perfect ending.
Fairmont Senior’s girls’ lacrosse team capped an undefeated season Saturday afternoon with an 11-9 victory over Morgantown in the state title game at East-West Stadium.
The Polar Bears, who finished at 17-0, are believed to be the first state champion in school history to go unbeaten. -
Double duty
While both have a date with Morgantown — and perhaps destiny — Fairmont Senior’s girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams have different motivating factors heading into today’s WVSLA state title games.
For the Polar Bear girls, it’s an opportunity to repeat history and capture a second straight title. -
County to send 37 to state meet
In all, 37 Marion County athletes have earned the right to compete at the West Virginia state track meet on May 22-23 at the University of Charleston Stadium.
The top three finishers in each event during regional competition as well as the next four times from all regions combined qualify for the state meet. -
Flying high
When the chips were down for East Fairmont’s softball team the Bees came through with flying colors.
Madonna Gribble homered and drove in three runs and Nikki Nuzum kept the Polar Bears off balance on the mound as the Bees defeated Fairmont Senior Thursday in the Class AAA, Region I semifinal. -
Fairmont Senior wins sectional title
Fairmont Senior head coach Steve Naternicola was looking for his Polar Bear baseball team to get up for Thursday’s Region I, Section 3 championship game against North Marion.
The two teams split the first two games of the series, both of which were closely contested.
But it was a different story. - More Sports Central Headlines
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