BLACKSVILLE — For the first time in 29 years, there will be a new head coach on the sidelines in Blacksville this fall to lead the Clay-Battelle High School Cee-Bees onto the field.
Aaron LaPoe was approved as the Cee-Bees’ new head coach Wednesday night and will take over for long-time coach Ryan Wilson who recently resigned after 29 years at the helm earlier this year.
“I am very excited to be the next head football coach at Clay-Battelle,” LaPoe said. “This position holds a lot of responsibility in following someone like Coach Wilson, someone I greatly admire. I wouldn’t be in this position without his mentorship and guidance. I want to make him and the entire C-B community proud.”
LaPoe, who played at C-B from 2000-2003, is the all-time leading rusher in school history with 5,638 yards. He also holds the record for career rushing attempts (961) in state history.
“We are very excited to have Coach LaPoe as our next head football coach,” C-B athletic director JR Krafft said. “He’s committed to helping young men in their football journey and cannot wait to watch the relationships between our he and our athletes develop. We are confident he will help develop young boys into fantastic football players and men.”
He was a preferred walk-on at WVU before joining Fairmont State for his final three years of college. He is also the former head coach of South Middle School and was an assistant at Capital High School in 2014 when the Cougars won the Class AAA state championship.
LaPoe, a sophomore biology teacher at Clay-Battelle, said he sort of feels like Spiderman in the current scenario.
“I kind of feel like I’m in the car with my uncle and he’s reminding me that with great power comes great responsibility,” LaPoe said with a chuckle. “Once Coach Wilson retired I had some older folks within the community and even some of my students telling me how they would love to see me take the position and that meant a lot to me. When people who are important to you are all pulling you in the same direction it makes a difference.”
The Cee-Bees will kick off the 2024 campaign and their first under LaPoe on Aug. 30 at home against Hundred.
