MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A chance at history has been taken — or at least placed on hold — from the University High boys’ basketball team with the COVID-19 virus pandemic sweeping the sports world.
The Hawks were geared up to enter the WVSSAC boys’ state tournament, originally scheduled for this week, as the No. 1 seed in Class AAA, a deserved slot for a team that went 22-3 in the regular season and lost just one time to an in-state opponent.
Oh, and UHS sought to defend its state championship it claimed a year ago with essentially the same group, this time senior-laden with one more shot to get another title and earn the repeat.
Instead, the Hawks await a ruling from the WVSSAC whether or not the tournament will even take place. Bernie Dolan, WVSSAC executive director, doesn’t believe a ruling will be made this week with schools closed through at least March 27. When the decision to keep schools closed or reopen is reevaluated, the WVSSAC could move forward with what it expects to do.
So while hope remains alive that UHS will have its shot at repeating, the light becomes dimmer and dimmer. Instead, as the top seed and clear-cut No. 1 team in Class AAA heading in, how would this run stack up if UHS was able to accomplish a repeat in a sanctioned WVSSAC sport?
The feat is rarer than many may think. Dating back to 1976 — when girls’ basketball became a sanctioned sport — between UHS, Morgantown, Preston, Trinity and Clay-Battelle, there have been 66 team state champions.
Of those 66, 20 were followed up with another title.
The outliers are the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams at UHS, MHS and PHS, which have won 16 state titles between the three of them. There are nine repeat champions in that mix, including five-straight by the UHS girls from 2014-18.
Another dominant program has been with Mohigans girls’ basketball, winning nine state titles, including three repeats.
Coach Jason White, who won three-straight from 2014-16, knows how difficult the task is to win back-to-back, let alone back-to-back-to-back.
“It’s incredibly difficult, it’s hard enough to win one, let alone to repeat it and win two,” he said. “As the old adage goes, ‘Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good.’ You have to have bounces and breaks go your way. People forget, you’re playing the state’s best and doing it in such a condensed time frame. Another thing is taking care of the kids, getting them fed and asleep. You think a kid wants to go to bed right after playing, knowing they’re playing for a state title the next day?”
White also mentioned coaches rarely get sleep between games, trying to lock down a game plan and secure gym time to implement that plan. Having all these factors go right not only once, but at least twice in a row, makes repeating all the more challenging.
MHS athletic director John Bowers coached the Mohigans to back-to-back state football titles from 2004-05. Echoing White, Bowers believes more than just talent has to get you by.
“You need a lot of things to go your way,” Bowers said. “You have to win contested games, ball has to bounce your way. Most critical just might be staying away from injuries. If you have a group of young people to believe and sacrifice to the common goal, with all those other things, you have a chance.”
The Hawks could be the first area repeat champion in boys’ basketball and the first Class AAA program since Huntington in 2014-15 to win back-to-back. The only other local opportunity was Morgantown, which finished 27-0 and won the state title in 2016. The following season, despite losing four starters, the Mohigans went 20-7, before losing to Capital by two points in the state semifinals.
It was an opportunity at history, and coach Joe Schmidle knows what could have been.
“It was a chance for us to solidify ourselves as one of the top programs in the state,” he said. “It would have given us an edge over Morgantown, who has one. This could be the best team we’ve ever had at University High, but they’ll be forgotten by outsiders because they may not be able to prove it, and that really stinks.”
While awaiting word from the WVSSAC, Schmidle said he told his players to work out on their own to make sure they stay in shape in case the tournament does happen. Otherwise, it’s out of his control due to the regulations put in place.
“It’s honestly like not being able to see your kids,” Schmidle said. “We have ‘Family’ on our jerseys, and that’s what we are and always will be, no matter how this ends.”
Repeat champions
Boys’ cross-country
University, 2013-14
Morgantown, 2016-17
Girls’ cross-country
Morgantown, 2004-06 (2)
University, 2007-08
Morgantown, 2011-13 (2)
University, 2014-18 (4)
Football
Morgantown, 2004-05
Boys’ soccer
Morgantown, 1999-2000
Morgantown, 2014-15
Girls’ soccer
University, 2009-10
Girls’ basketball
Morgantown, 1992-93
Morgantown, 2014-16 (2)
Girls’ swimming
Morgantown, 2011-12
Boys’ tennis
Morgantown, 1996-97
To be determined
Boys’ cross-country
University, 2019-?
Girls’ cross-country
Morgantown, 2019-?
Girls’ soccer
Morgantown, 2019-?
Boys’ basketball
University, 2019-?
Girls’ tennis
Morgantown, 2019-?
