MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When Carson Poffenberger stepped into a gaping hole left by former Morgantown big man Nick Malone, he didn’t expect his junior season would end in a Region I upset. He didn’t imagine the entire state tournament would end early, either, but COVID-19 had other plans.
After a strenuous offseason, with fall sports teams the first group to try and navigate how to maintain a sense of normalcy, the Mohigans’ basketball season finally began. But, within days of those first practices, Gov. Jim Justice shook the West Virginia sports world and put a halt to any WVSSAC sanctioned practices until Feb. 15.
Poffenberger and his teammates are some of the lucky ones in this season – “knock on wood,” he said – having not faced any quarantine yet or miss any games. They came into the season ranked No. 5 before defeating two ranked teams back to back, Martinsburg and Musselman, to claim the No. 1 spot in the state. A loss to RCB and subsequent wins over Buckhannon-Upshur, Parkersburg South and University have allowed them to stay No. 2 behind George Washington.
“This season has been great so far, I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” Poffenberger said. “I’d say we’re coming to a point in the year where the biggest thing is, for me, we’re playing a lot more games and starting to, I don’t wanna say bog down on us, but it’s more than we’re used to. That’s one of the biggest things we’re trying to overcome. We played six games in 11 days, this week we’re turning around and we just played UHS [and] RCB, then Saturday we play Bridgeport. It’s just a lot of games.”
But those high honors wouldn’t have been attainable without the 6-foot-7 senior forward, who is averaging 13.7 points per game. His accolades aren’t occupying space in his mind, though, as he’s more focused on getting his team to the first-ever 4A state title game.
“That’s our goal as a team and me personally for sure,” he said. “Otherwise I want to do whatever I can to get us there. I’m not some guy that’s caught up on stats, I’m not caught up on personal accolades more so than I want to see the team succeed.”
Poffenberger had to face challenges of his own, though, to be in a position to lead the Mohigans as well as he has, the biggest being getting back into playing shape. Over that hump, he’s now looking to instill what he’s learned over the last four years into the underclassmen.
“The biggest thing I’m trying to tell the younger guys is, ‘Just enjoy it.’ As a senior everyone says that high school goes by in the blink of an eye, but you take that for granted when you’re younger,” he said. “I think as a senior I can look back and agree with that statement. I try to tell my younger guys to just enjoy it, even on your worst days try and be happy where you are, go after it and give it your all.”
Despite what happens this season, Poffenberger will be stepping onto the pine for Shepherd University next winter, announcing he was joining the Rams men’s basketball team in early March.
His decision was based not solely on distance, only three hours from his hometown in Shepherdstown, but was mostly dictated by how he was treated by the team and staff.
“The biggest thing that stood out to me at first talking to coach [Justin] Namolik and coach [Jason] Boardley was the vibe I got for what the program stood for, the kind of character the coaches recruit,” Poffenberger said. “Even when I met the team for the first time, they all shook my hand, they all looked me in the eye, it’s that stuff you don’t think about as a college student. Most college students don’t care about that but to me, it means a lot. I feel it shows how high character they are.”
He also loves the small-town feel Shepherdstown has, with its historic downtown and eclectic restaurants. He sees the support residents have for the Rams; it all reminds him of home.
But just as he’s wrapping up his high school career, he took time to reflect on the chance to have a senior season – something many were without this past year.
“It’s amazing. You put all the work in throughout your entire career to hopefully make a run at some point and achieve the goals you have. To be able to, as of now, able to try and achieve that you can’t put into words how great that is. I’m just hoping our team gets to reap the benefits of what we have worked for, and what I know I have worked for, too,” he said.
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