By Rick Kozlowki, The Journal
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — In an all-state football list ruled by the Martinsburg Bulldogs, 10 local Class AAA players made the cut. Morgantown’s Preston Fox took the highest honors of the group, landing on First Team defense.
Morgantown’s Marcellus Marshall finished his high school career as a second team offensive line pick, while University’s Logan Raber was selected for second team defense. Those selected for special honorable mention were: John McConnell (MHS), Colten Rosenberger (Preston) and Jacob Spearen (UHS). Honorable mention picks were Ayden Bishoff (PHS), Deondre Crudup (MHS), Josh Sanders (UHS) and Jace Whetsell (MHS).
Martinsburg has ruled high school football for the soon-to-conclude decade. The Bulldogs’ eight AAA state championships in 10 seasons provide all of the necessary evidence.
Naturally, discussion focuses on which one of the eight championship teams is the best.
“I’m asked that quite often,” Martinsburg coach David Walker said. “At this time of the year, the last few years, a few times a week. If I’m in the store, people will stop me and ask.”
The Bulldogs have won four championships in a row — twice. The first run began in the 2010 season and continued in 2011, 12 and 13. Martinsburg is in the midst of its second four-year run, covering 2016, 17, 18 and 19.
Eight teams, eight titles, the latest coming a week ago in a 49-21 victory over Cabell Midland to conclude Martinsburg’s fourth 14-0 season in a row.
“All of them have a special place,” Walker said. “One thing they have in common, all of them are state champions.”
The current team is certainly in the running as Martinsburg’s best, given that the Bulldogs averaged a state-record 61.36 points per game for a full season, to go with their record 56 wins in a row.
Significantly telling, as well, the West Virginia Sports Writers Association has named 12 different players from Martinsburg as All-State players on either the first or second team. The first team includes seven players from Martinsburg and five on the second squad in Class AAA announced today. Naturally, the captains for each of the offensive units come from Martinsburg, too.
Wide receiver Jarod Bowie, who caught three touchdown passes and had a punt return TD nullified by penalty in the state championship game, leads the first team as the unit’s captain. Running back Naieem Kearney, a second-teamer for a second year in a row, stands atop the second squad.
Bowie leads the list of players from Martinsburg after a championship season that saw him account for 2,117 all-purpose yardage. He managed 1,078 yards and 18 touchdowns on 45 pass receptions, 821 yards and six touchdowns on a combined 22 punt and kickoff returns and 218 yards and two touchdowns on 12 rushes.
“They were a special group,” Walker said of his 2019 team, “and stayed healthy and worked hard and made my job easier.”
Parkersburg South’s do-it-all Brandon Penn was named as the first-team defensive captain.
Other top layers making a splash on first team
Elijah Banks, Martinsburg’s QB, managed a utility spot by completing 123 of 195 passes for 2,460 yards and 44 touchdowns and running for 144 yards and 10 touchdowns as a quarterback.
Chris Catlett, also an all-state soccer player, reached 101 kicking points for the Bulldogs, just three short of the state record. He made 86 point-after kicks and five field goals.
Ty Lucas led an offensive line that helped Martinsburg’s unit average 411 yards of total offense per game and kept Banks upright, allowing just two sacks all season.
Defensively for the Bulldogs’ first-team all-state performers, Matt Bednarski had 13 tackles for loss among his 66 tackles as a defensive lineman, Trey Sine’s 107 tackles led Martinsburg and Teddy Marshall, a two-time second-team all-state player, shared the team lead in interceptions with five and added another five pass breakups.
State runner-up Cabell Midland, which lost its only game in the final, was led on the all-state team by Jakob Caudill, a junior running back, and J.J. Roberts, a running quarterback who has committed to play defensive back at Division I Wake Forest. Caudill rushed for 1,924 yards this season and Roberts had 1,497. A third honoree, Jackson Oxley, helped a run-oriented offense account for more than 5,000 yards on the ground this season.
McCoy, a lineman, earned Cabell Midland’s lone defensive spot on first team.
As for other members of the all-state first team offense, Wheeling Park’s Alex Dunlevy passed for 2,808 yards and 30 touchdowns at quarterback while adding 400 rushing yards with seven touchdowns on the ground. Caden Easterling rushed for 1,543 yards in leading Riverside back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Blake Hartman, a junior who has achieved all-state status since his ninth-grade year at Musselman, rushed for 2,109 yards and 29 touchdowns. He added 27 receptions for 505 yards and six touchdowns. He finished with 232 points despite missing the Applemen’s quarterfinal playoff loss to Parkerburg South because of an injury.
Defensively, Penn led Parkersburg South, a state semifinalist, in tackles with 145 and picked off nine passes. On offense he rushed for 1,610 yards and completed 141 of 248 passes for a combined 44 touchdowns.
First team offense
OL — Wyatt Milum, Spring Valley, Jr.
OL — Ty Lucas, Martinsburg, Sr.
OL — Jackson Oxley, Cabell Midland, Sr.
OL — Terrance Pankey, Huntington, Sr.
OL — Ian Pomeroy, Woodrow Wilson, Sr.
WR — Jarod Bowie, Martinsburg, Sr. (captain)
WR — Dylan Day, Parkersburg South, Sr.
QB — Alex Dunlevy, Wheeling Park, Sr.
RB — Blake Hartman, Musselman, Jr.
RB — Caden Easterling, Riverside, Sr.
RB — Jakob Caudill, Cabell Midland,Jr.
K — Chris Catlett, Martinsburg, Sr.
Utility — Elijiah Banks, Martinsburg, Sr.
Utility — Chance Knox, Capital, Sr.
Utility — J.J. Roberts, Cabell Midland, Sr.
Defense
DL — Matt Bednarski, Martinsburg, Sr.
DL — Zeiqei Lawton, South Charleston, Jr.
DL — Braxton Amos, Parkersburg South, Sr.
DL — Zach McCoy, Cabell Midland, Sr.
DL — CJ Wade, Parkersburg, Sr.
LB — Logan Spurlock, Capital, Sr.
LB — Trey Sine, Martinsburg, Sr.
LB — Brocton Blair, Huntington, Sr.
DB — Teddy Marshall, Martinsburg, Sr.
DB — Kerion Martin, Capital, Sr.
DB — David Livingston, Spring Valley, Sr.
P — Michael Hughes, George Washington, Sr.
Utility — Brandon Penn, Parkersburg South, Sr. (captain)
Utility — Preston Fox, Morgantown, Sr.
Utility — Devin Heath, Hedgesville, Sr.
Second Team offense
OL — Marcellus Marshall, Morgantown, Sr.
OL — Ethan Northcraft, Musselman, Jr.
OL — Austin Chapman, Riverside, Sr.
OL — Jake Hutchison, Spring Valley, Sr.
OL — Corey Shaffer, Jefferson, Sr.
WR — Alex Mazelon, George Washington, Sr.
WR — Carson Namack, Wheeling Park, Jr.
QB — R.T. Alexander, George Washington, Jr.
RB — Naieem Kerney, Martinsburg, Jr. (captain)
RB — Kevon Warren, Martinsburg, Jr.
RB — Marion Lawson, Greenbrier East, Sr.
RB — Christian Hill, Hurricane, Sr.
K — Andrew Glass, Wheeling Park, Jr.
Utility — Kyle King, Greenbrier East, Sr.
Utility — Stevie Mitchell, Wheeling Park, Jr.
Defense
DL — Terrel Goode, Martinsburg, Sr.
DL — Jeff Tucker, Parkersburg South, Sr.
DL — Bomani Brooks, Hurricane, Sr.
LB — Parker Hardman, Cabell Midland, Sr.
LB — Logan Raber, University, Sr.
LB — Malakai Brown, Martinsburg, Sr.
LB — Justin Rinehart, Musselman, Jr.
LB — Tierdin Berry, Cabell Midland, Sr.
DB — Anthony Smith, Martinsburg, Sr.
DB — Devin Jackson, Huntington, Jr.
DB — Romeo Dunham, South Charleston, Sr.
(captain)
P — Matt Curry, Parkersburg, Sr.
Utility — Chase Henson, Spring Mills, Jr.
Utility — Luke Christopher, Spring Valley, Sr.
Utility — Devin Gaines, Parkersburg South, Jr.
Special Honorable
Mention
Eli Archer, Huntington; Jace Boggs, John Marshall; Jace Bradbury, Washington; Brody Brumfield, Spring Valley; Grant Cochran, Princeton; Jackson Fetty, Cabell Midland; Gage Fiore, Parkersburg; Dalton Flowers, John Marshall; Chris Hudson, Capital; Shaheed Jackson, Wheeling Park; Braeden Mason, Parkersburg; John McConnell, Morgantown; Matt Moore, Ripley; Ryan Moses, Hurricane; Ethan Parsons, Princeton; Charlie Pierson, Riverside; Zane Porter, Spring Valley; Andrew Preast, George Washington; Colten Rosenburger, Preston; Andrew Shelek, Wheeling Park; Joshua Shorts, Brooke; Jacob Spearen, University; Ryan Strader, Buckhannon-Upshur; Sawyer Twigg, Hedgesville; Ethan Von Glahn, Hedgesville; Tyrone Washington, Hurricane; Joseph Wells, Woodrow Wilson; Max Wentz, Huntington;
Honorable Mention
Frank Amore, Washington; Camden Bates, Brooke; JB Barrick, Spring Mills; Ayden Bishoff, Preston; TaJhan Blackwell, Huntington; Caleb Bryan, Wheeling Park; Tay Calloway, Capital; Mondrell Dean, South Charleston; Deondre Crudup, Morgantown; Zach Dillon, Cabell Midland; Justin Frohnapfel, John Marshall; Christian Gist, Capital; Cooper Hardman, Cabell Midland; Jaxon Holbert, St. Albans; Chris Hulmes, Greenbrier East; Isaac Isabell, George Washington; Chase Keener, Spring Mills; Bryce Morris, Martinsburg; Ripley; Michael Ray, George Washington; Trevor Sardo, Hampshire; Clayton Sharp, Spring Valley; Samahji Simon, South Charleston; Ryan Smith, Buckhannon-Upshur; Noah Waynick, Huntington; Noah Westfall, Ripley; Jace Whetsell, Morgantown; Elijah Williams, George Washington; Kam Wells, St Albans; Shyliek Kinney, South Charleston; Nemo Roberts, Cabell Midland; Karrington Hill, Capital.
