CHARMCO- It’s barely a week into September and we’re already bearing down on week number three of the West Virginia high school football season. What a season it’s been so far for the Greenbrier West Cavaliers. The Cavaliers opened the 2023 schedule with a resounding 41-7 win over Pendleton County. Head coach Kelly Vaughan got the victory in his first game at the helm. West debuted its brand spanking new FieldTurf playing surface. Five Cavaliers found the endzone. It was a great night for everyone involved in Charmco. One week later, Greenbrier West traveled down Route 20 to clash with old foe Summers County. The Bobcats were full of hope coming off their opening week win over Pikeview. That optimism was dashed as the deep West running back corps was on full display. The Cavaliers piled up 425 rushing yards and four touchdowns in notching their first Coalfield Conference win of the season, a 42-14 dismantling of Summers County.
The Cavaliers now turn their sights to a home matchup with the Pocahontas County. It’s been a rocky start to new Warriors’ head coach Brad Carpenter’s season. Carpenter has only two seniors on his roster of 25. The young Warriors have fallen victim to both Tucker County and Moorefield, and the two opponents have averaged 59 points per game in defeating Pocahontas County. Greenbrier West has averaged 41.5 points per game in its first two games which could spell more trouble for the Warriors. The Cavaliers own a four-game winning streak over Pocahontas County, and the last three games between the two schools ended in lopsided shutouts in favor of West. A bright spot for the Warriors is the fact they’ve put up 28 points this season, 20 of them in the loss to Moorefield.
Greenbrier West has fired on all cylinders early in the season. The ground game churned out 633 yards and eight touchdowns. Jake Pate has 171 yards on 21 carries, an average of 8.1 yards per carry, and three touchdowns to lead all ball carriers. Five backs have scored a rushing touchdown in the first two contests. Tucker Lilly has seven receptions for 28 yards and two touchdowns. Lilly can also take some credit for the success of the running backs with his exceptional downfield blocking. Cole Vandall has matured in his role at quarterback. Now in his third season under center, Vandall has become a more efficient passer. Vandall is 14-25 for 171 yards. More importantly, he’s tossed four touchdown passes and only one interception. West had never thrown four touchdown passes in its first two games, ever.
Ethan Holliday continues to be the Swiss Army knife for Greenbrier West. Holliday has 94 yards on 10 carries, two receptions for 31 yards, two kickoff returns for 41 yards, 3 punt returns for 86 yards, and that’s not all. Holliday is tied for the team lead in solo tackles at 11 and leads all West defenders with four tackles for loss. If West were charting pancake blocks, Holliday would probably be looking for an IHOP endorsement. His enthusiasm permeates the West locker room, making him an inspirational leader as well as a performer.
Line play has been the catalyst for Greenbrier West. Senior Jacob Whitt has been the torchbearer for the group. Playing both ways, Whitt is a tactician on offense and is tied for the team lead in sacks. Seniors Trent Parker and Jacob Nutter are also big parts of the unit. Peyton Ford, a junior, and sophomore Logan Berry complete the offensive group. Both have worked hard at becoming assets to the lineman squad. Daron Vaughan is enjoying more time on the defensive line with the depth West has. Vaughan has 14 total tackles on the young season.
Brandon Poticher and Moses Gray have been the breakout players of 2023. Poticher leads all Cavaliers with 21 tackles and is tied with Holliday for the team lead with 11 solos. Poticher scored his first career touchdown in the Summers County win, a 47-yard rush that swung momentum in the Cavaliers’ favor. Gray is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and scored twice in the week one win over Pendleton County.
The kicking game remains a steady factor for Greenbrier West. Hayden Ridgeway is 9-10 on PATs and has been reliable on kickoffs. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, Isaac Agee has only been called upon twice to punt. His first punt pinned Pendleton County at their own five-yard line in week one and Agee is averaging a respectable 33.5 yards per punt.
Pocahontas County will rely on sophomore quarterback Brady Carpenter to captain their offense. The Warriors employ a multitude of formations and will typically line up with two tight ends, making their sets somewhat of a throwback in the age of spread offenses. Junior lineman Dennis Wilfong is an imposing figure at 6’ and 302 lbs. On offense, he lines up at right guard with 6’, 265 lb. sophomore Jacob Bennett beside him at tackle. Senior center Cody Lewis is a solid 293 lbs. and freshman left guard Gavin Doolittle checks in at 234 lbs., giving Pocahontas County one of the larger lines the Cavaliers will face all season. Haydon Moore is very active in the Warrior secondary. Freshman Logan Keatley punter has seen a lot of action thus far in the season.
One area the Cavaliers could use some improvement in is penalties. West has been penalized 18 times in two games, costing the Cavaliers 183 yards. Look for Greenbrier West to focus on paying attention to detail this week, eliminating mistakes, and fine-tuning their execution in all phases of the game.
For those that may have missed it, home kickoffs will be at 7 P.M. this season. Pregame radio coverage begins at 6:30 on Rock 95. There are no livestreams or delayed broadcasts of the event.
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