MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – “I’m going from one big rivalry game to another, I’m just trading a Falcon for a Hawk,” Morgantown High first-year football coach Sean Biser said, laughing.
The former long-time coach of the Keyser football team was referring to the Golden Tornado’s popular rivalry with Frankfort, both perennial Class AA powers out of the Eastern Panhandle. And even though Morgantown and University haven’t been state title contenders in recent years, the Mohawk Bowl is still one of those matchups football fanatics around the state know about.
With this year’s installment of the cross-town rivalry game, those tuning in will see flares of the past when both teams were fighting for a spot in the Class AAA playoffs or for a better position.
That’s due in part to Biser’s reinstatement of the Wing-T, the offense run by both Glen McNew and John Bowers when Morgantown was that title-contending powerhouse. While Biser was unable to play half of the scheduled season due to COVID-19 restrictions in Mon County and the team’s first two games against Musselman and Wheeling Park were rough losses, the Mohigans (2-2) awoke two weeks ago against Parkersburg South, rushing for 570 yards and downing the Patriots 55-21 in Parkersburg before returning home to put up 668 rushing yards against Linsly in a 61-40 victory.
Those two games caught the attention of UHS coach John Kelley, who after his win against Preston last week, stated Biser is the “master” of the Wing-T. But, even though the team’s new offense is clicking, if there’s anyone who can throw a wrench in the cogs it’s Kelley. Biser is ready for whatever his counterpart is going to send his way while trying to extend MHS’s two-game win streak against the Hawks (2-2).
“I don’t know about [being the master], but I appreciate that,” Biser said. “It’s not necessarily trying to beat coach Kelley and the Hawks, it’s more about us executing the way we’re coached to execute. He’s got so much experience, he’s a heck of a coach and does a great job. If we go in and try to outsmart him, then we’re going to outsmart ourselves. We just have to do what we do, execute and be fundamentally sound. If we do that, then we’ll have a chance.”
UHS brings a spread offense to the table, one the Mohigans should be familiar with after their last three opponents, Linsly, South and Wheeling Park, ran it or a derivative of it.
“I don’t know if you ever get used to it, but we’ve been playing against it,” Biser said. “They’ve got some great skill players and a quarterback who commands that offense. [Chase Edwards] is also dangerous with his legs which adds another dimension to it. Again, it goes back to what I said about our offense – we can’t control what they have, we have to just worry about ourselves and make sure our coverages are run the way we call them and done the way we taught them to do. If we do that we have a chance to be OK but if we don’t do that then it’s going to be bad for us.”
Despite all of this, Biser’s expectations are simple: Go out and win, and make the MHS community proud.
“I just want to win. I want us to play well and represent Morgantown High School in the best way possible. Really, that’s it,” he said.
Like many previous Mohawk Bowls, this game has playoff implications on the line. As both schools are teetering on the No. 16 spot, a win this week could give one of them the edge needed to get into the AAA bracket.
“It’s a huge game, we’d love to both get in. We can sit and worry about that all we want, but worrying is not going to do anything for us,” Biser said. “All we can do is come out, put our best foot forward, play the best game we can possibly play and whatever happens, happens. We can’t control other teams’ bonus points, what games are going to get played or not – we just have to control what we can control.”
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