CHARMCO – Now that the dust has settled on 2021 West Virginia high school football season, it’s time for the annual post-season honors to be doled out. Greenbrier West, which had 10 players selected as All Coalfield Conference members in November, had several players that earned the prestigious designation of All State on Tuesday.
Ty Nickell had the eighth best rushing total in 54 years of Greenbrier West football in only his first season in the backfield. On top of his 1,522 yards, Nickell’s 18 rushing touchdowns tied him with Marvin Moore (1971) and Malik Boatwright (2012) for the ninth best total in Cavalier football history. At 8.4 yards-per-carry, Nickell narrowly missed the best average in West history. Nickell had eight 100-yard rushing performances, seven games consecutively, including two of over 200 yards. His career-high of 269 yards came in a 38-8 win over Sherman, and he established a new school record for the longest rushing touchdown with a 98-yard scamper against Meadow Bridge. Seven of his touchdowns were over 40 yards. For his efforts, Nickell was selected as a Class A First Team All-State running back by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association, the 43rd Cavalier to earn first team honors. He joins former Cavaliers Rick Cline (AA, 1991), Jeremy O’Dell (AA, 1995-96), Trent Walker (A, 2006), Dylan Trout (AA, 2011), and Noah Brown (A, 2019-20) as first team all-state running backs. Nickell also earned Class A 2nd Team All-State running back honors from Coalfields & Co., an online and print media organization.
Chase Franklin was a three-year starter on the offensive line for Greenbrier West, making most of his starts at the center position. During his career, Greenbrier West went 27-16 with three consecutive playoff appearances. Franklin helped pave the way for two Class A First Team All-State backs in Noah Brown (2019-20) and Ty Nickell (2021). Behind Franklin, Brown was able to rush for 2,154 yards in 2019 and Nickell 1,522 yards in 2021. All told, seven backs tallied over 500 yards rushing during Franklin’s tenure, and Greenbrier West totaled 137 rushing touchdowns. Franklin earned Class A 2nd Team All State offensive line honors from the WV Sports Writers Association. Franklin is the 27th Cavalier to earn second team honors.
Chase McClung had one of the more memorable first seasons a Cavalier football player has ever had. McClung began the season at cornerback before moving to safety due to an injury to one of his teammates. McClung grabbed an interception in three straight games, pulling down picks against Pocahontas County, Webster County, and Meadow Bridge. McClung eventually moved back to corner and snagged his first career pick six in a win at Richwood. McClung’s final pick came against Mt. View in the regular season finale. One of McClung’s finest outings came against Sherman where he forced and recovered a fumble along with a career-high six tackles and a tackle for loss. McClung was selected as a Class A 2nd Team All-State Utility Defender by the WV Sports Writers Association, rewarding his versatility in the secondary. He is the 28th Cavalier to hold 2nd team honors. McClung was also selected as a Class A 2nd Team Linebacker by Coalfields & Co.
Dale Treadway became an invaluable member of the Cavalier offensive line group during his four years in Charmco. Treadway worked hard behind stalwarts Cole McClung and Hunter Starkey the past two seasons before breaking out this year in a starting role. Treadway proved to be versatile midway through the season when longtime center Chase Franklin injured his shoulder, sliding Treadway into the crucial position to finish out the season. Treadway delivered, helping the Cavalier offense rush for 2,947 yards and 35 touchdowns. West also tallied 1,001 passing yards as a team with 9 scoring tosses, a testament to his pass protection. Treadway was selected Class A Honorable Mention by the WV Sports Writers Association.
Greenbrier West has a rich tradition of All-State football players. The Cavaliers have had four first-team captains, three second-team captains, 43 first-team selections, 28 second-team, 25 Special Honorable Mentions, and 66 Honorable Mentions. Thirty-three Cavaliers have garnered All-State merit at least twice during their careers, one player nabbed the honor three times, and one player was recognized four times. West has had three players on the Class AAA team, 104 Class AA members, and 55 Class A. All of the 2021 selections earned the honor for the first time.
