MORGANTOWN — For Morgantown High head coach Sean Biser and the Mohigan football team, the 2021 season wasn’t ideally what they pictured to begin the year.
MHS finished the regular season with a record of 5-5, before bowing out of the Class AAA state playoffs in the first round to Bridgeport by a score of 34-7.
The Mohigans opened the year with two-straight losses. The first to visiting South Charleston ended in a score of 37-28, and the following week saw the same story unfold when MHS made the short trip south and went home with a road loss at Bridgeport, 31-20.
The next week saw a turnaround for Biser and his team, as they defeated Hedgesville handily by a score of 63-19. This gave MHS some momentum going into a huge game on the road against Woodrow Wilson. Despite fighting hard, MHS left with a loss by just one point, 28-27, and found itself at 1-3 just four games in.
The next four games would reveal a different MHS team, however, as the Mohigans earned wins in three out of the next four contests, bringing their record to an even 4-4 and giving them a lot of momentum going into the Mohawk Bowl against highly ranked University.
Then-sophomore quarterback Maddox Bowers suffered an MCL sprain late in the year and was sidelined with a few games to play. A loss to UHS would set the Mohigans back slightly, but they bounced back to finish the regular season at .500 by defeating Spring Mills in the season finale.
“We found our stride toward the end of last year and we found what we like to do scheme-wise,” Bowers said. “Injuries made guys step up and play and they played well so now we have a variety of different guys that can be used offensively. Being our third year in the system, we are getting more comfortable in the system with the language and assignments.”
As mentioned by the now-healthy MHS QB, this will be the third year with Biser as the head coach and really only the first year that will feel mostly normal for him and his team, as COVID has hindered the first two. This has given the players and coaches more time with each other during the offseason to practice and work out.
“One of our biggest things this summer has been the time our kids have out in the weight room,” Biser said. “We aren’t where we need to be by any stretch, we aren’t as strong as we should be, but as a whole we are much stronger than we have been. The heart of our team has gotten much stronger and it shows by the time they’ve put in during the offseason. The kids have really bought in to our program and have really spread the word and encouraged more kids to come out, and we have some great effort put into the team.”
One goal that stays true among the entire Mohigan team is simply winning. With a strong lineup on both sides of the ball, and some starters healthy once again, MHS is looking to make some noise. Bowers said he thinks they have what it takes.
“Our goal is to return Morgantown High back to where it belongs, which is playing in the first week of December and I believe we have a good shot to make a run this year,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of experience returning and our guys have been putting in the work in the weight room and on the field.”
The Mohigans will begin the 2022 campaign in similar fashion as the last as they face the Black Eagles of South Charleston on a Thursday, Aug. 25, this time on the road.
They return home the following week to host Bridgeport in the home opener for MHS on Sept. 2.
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