By Garrett Cullen, WV Metronews
MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High’s and Parkersburg’s football season opener from Pony Lewis Field, on Aug. 23, has been selected as the 2018 WVSSAC Kickoff Game.
MetroNews will produce the game and provide a full-HD video broadcast at the MetroNews Channel of WVMetroNews.com. AT&T SportsNet out of Pittsburgh will also carry the broadcast live.
Kickoff will be 7 p.m.
“This is a great situation where we can put two of the most historic football programs and academic institutions in the state into a regional context to where they can get the publicity and attention that they deserve,” said MHS athletic director John Bowers. “It will be a great event for everyone involved. It’s fantastic.”
“AT&T SportsNet reaches three million-plus homes, so we’re excited to get that extra exposure for our football team,” added Parkersburg athletic director Chris Way. “We had a good season last year and we’re really looking to build upon that and have another successful year.”
The Mohigans are coming off of a 4-7 campaign against a grueling schedule. MHS fell in the opening round of the Class AAA playoffs to eventual champion Martinsburg.
This is the third year for the Kickoff Game, which featured South Charleston vs. George Washington, in 2016, and paired Fairmont Senior against Robert C. Byrd last season.
“We love our setting here at Pony Lewis Field, it’s a great setting for high school football,” Bowers said. “We’ll be one of the only shows in town. For so many reasons, this Kickoff Game is a very, very good thing.”
Parkersburg went 7-4 in its first season under coach Mike Byus, entering the postseason as the No. 7 seed before a first-round loss to John Marshall.
“We had missed the playoffs for a couple of years in a row,” Way said. “But we had a lot of excitement around the community, the football program and the school itself last year. It really gave our team and school momentum for the whole offseason. We have a lot of energy and momentum coming into this game and into the season overall.”
