By Mike Bowen
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.
