MORGANTOWN — Eric Snyder now has one game under his belt as head coach of the University High School football team.
It’s a job two decades in the making for the longtime assistant coach, but after just a few months at the helm, that first game seemed like it took a lifetime to complete.
After a Week 1 bye, the Hawks traveled to Parkersburg South and had to wait out a two-hour storm delay before an eventual 49-20 setback to the homestanding Patriots.
“The football gods baptized me with fire during that game for sure,” Snyder said.
Snyder can remember just one other time when he was part of such a long delay, though that came before the game even kicked off several years ago. Last Friday’s delay occurred between the first and second halves.
“These kids hadn’t eaten anything since pregame meal,” Snyder said. “For them to last more than two more hours, they were probably going to run out of fuel. Members of our staff went to get them food. Parkersburg South was very hospitable and gave us leftover food from their concession stand, as well, so I have to give them a lot of credit for that.”
The restlessness of waiting out the delay is one thing; meeting the hunger needs of teenagers is another, but so much more strategizing needed to be done in order to compete. The Hawks had to adjust their offense once the game finally got underway to deal with the unwavering rainy conditions.
They also had to compensate for the injuries sustained by their starting center and starting quarterback.
University attempted 30 passes in the first half and none in the second half.
“We essentially changed the style of football we were playing,” Snyder said. “For our backup quarterback to come in and handle things well, that was very satisfying. Our offensive line also did a nice job coming together to protect the guys behind them.”
UHS also made some positive changes on the defensive side. After Parkersburg South scored on its first four possessions, the Hawks limited the Patriots to just two scores in the second half and no points in the fourth quarter.
“They were ripping through us pretty good in the first quarter, but our defensive staff came up with some adjustments that really stalled them out for the second quarter,” Snyder said. “We’re a young staff, and for them to develop that kind of communication with each other as a team was way beyond schedule, in my opinion. I think that they’ll be able to make similar adjustments happen in future games.”
University’s next chance at a win comes tonight against Buckhannon-Upshur. The Buccaneers are 0-2 so far and have yet to score a point, but that doesn’t mean this won’t be a tough battle.
The team is coached by 2003 BU graduate Sloan Baisden, a former all-state quarterback for the Buccaneers.
“I knew that name sounded familiar,” Snyder said. “He comes from a generation of Buckhannon-Upshur football that is big and physical. They always want to pound the ground with their running attack. They lay the foundation with some solid plays and then build upon that. They can run the same pass play so much, but it always keeps working because they drill it into their quarterback and receiver so much. They have great timing and run crisp routes and that makes it hard to cover.”
University will be playing several backups again this week as the injuries to the starting center and quarterback are still being evaluated. A timetable for their return will be released early next week.
“We took a lot of hits from every which way,” Snyder said. “I think going up against the competition of South, we did a phenomenal job. The outcome didn’t come the way we wanted it to, but the kids answered the challenge and they fought hard. Now, we have to build upon that will to win.”
With this being the home opener for the Hawks, Snyder anticipates a large crowd and a fired-up student section. It will also be senior night for his 11 players of the class of 2025.
“It will be a good representation of University High football,” Snyder said.
By MATTHEW PEASLEE/For The Dominion Post
