MORGANTOWN –Last season may have been one of the best yet for the Trinity Christian football team. The Warriors finished with a 7-3 record that included a first-round visit to the Class A playoffs, head coach Christopher Simpson finishing as a finalist for coach of the year, and multiple players with all-state and all-conference honors in just the third season as a football program.
Simpson returns multiple starters with experience on offense and defense, something he knows will help his team take the next step.
“Our mission is to continue to build the program both from a community standpoint and the ‘on-field’ product. We return a good dose of our athletes from last year and we expect to take another step forward into the playoffs,” Simpson said. “I was honored to be a finalist for coach of the year. I take it as a great honor and I owe it all to our players and staff for their hard work and dedication. Making the playoffs in our program’s third season and only the second season under my leadership puts us ahead of schedule in my book. We return two seniors with all-state honors in Levi Teets and senior Kyle Knight. We expect a huge year from all-conference junior Carmelo Kniska, as well.”
Teets, a senior running back and safety, who also appeared at the state track meet this year, returns after earning all-state honors, mentioned previously. He hopes to lead his team back to the playoffs and past the first round. But he knows he has help behind him.
“We really have been working on a lot of fundamentals. We have some of our skill guys back with Zane Yeater, Kyle Knight, and Carmelo Kniska, but we also have a lot of new faces that will really help us out this year,” he said. “Having a new quarterback this year, we have been working on getting our timing down. I really believe we have the pieces to get back to the playoffs this year.”
A well-balanced brand of football was what helped the Warriors make it to the playoffs last season. In 10 games, TCS averaged 23.9 points per game, while only allowing 12.6 to its opponents. Three of the Warriors’ victories came by way of shutout, and in two of the games, they scored more than 50 points. That balanced attack is something Simpson hopes to build on.
“We need to stay mentally focused and keep our football IQ at a high level. My staff takes great pride in teaching the game at a different and higher level. We push our Athletes mentally and physically and it pays off for us. We will stick to our systems and keep relying on our team speed and IQ,” Simpson said. “Coming off a season long injury is senior Zane Yeater. He had two amazing years at Paden City with all-conference honors before transferring to us. He plays all over the field and is a difference maker.
“We have also seen great growth from our line. Our men competed and did really well this offseason. Returning a majority of our line has seen great growth in strength and conditioning. We return two-year starter, junior Caleb Parks at center. Sophomores Aaron White and Landon Goodwin return to the left side of the line for their second starting season.”
One thing will be new to the team is the quarterback. Freshman Parker Hopkins enters into the starting role in his very first year as a member of the team. Simpson is confident in the ability of his young QB however, saying he could be a key difference-maker.
“It was good to get back together and catch up. We had a successful 7-on-7 versus some 3A, 2A and A teams and it went better than we expected. Team chemistry is at an all-time high and our men are getting focused for a long season,” Simpson said. “We also saw great leadership and growth in freshman QB Parker Hopkins. He proved to me that he has the potential to be a big-time player for us.”
The Warriors will begin their journey back to the playoffs at home Aug. 26, as they host Hundred, a team they defeated 63-0 a season ago. Their schedule also includes multiple opponents from both Ohio and Maryland.
For a smaller school like Trinity, most students participate in multiple sports. For a football team to have this kind of success at a school the size of TCS, it takes more than just the players, something Simpson and his team are more than aware of.
“We continue to push the growth of the school and take our place in that process seriously. The support that we have received from the administration and the community has been overwhelming and exciting. It’s an honor coaching at Trinity Christian with such amazing staff and athletes,” he said.
“It continues to build the school and display what the school is. For years, Trinity Christian was primarily a basketball school. Our efforts have built our programs and the positive coverage that we have received has helped the school over a long range of growth.”
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