CHARMCO – Time flies when you’re having fun. The West Virginia high school football season hits week number eight this Friday night. Where has the season gone?! If things go as planned, this will be the true midpoint of the season for Greenbrier West. The Cavaliers enter their open week, yes, this isn’t a bye (more on this in a moment), with a 6-1 record. When they resume play on October 21, they’ll have three regular season games remaining. If they advance to the Super Six, they’ll have exactly seven more games to play. That’s a lot of football left to look forward to. There are also a lot of memorable moments to look back on.
First, let’s get this straight. Open weeks are not bye weeks. An open week is simply a break in the regular schedule. A bye week is something that occurs in tournament play in which a team automatically advances to the next round without having to play a game. The Cavaliers are in the midst of their regular season. The playoffs begin Nov. 4. Incidentally, there are no byes in the WVSSAC football playoffs. West Virginia schools have an 11-week window in which they’re allowed to play 10 games. That open week can fall anywhere within the schedule. Some schools choose week one giving them an extra week to prepare for the season. Some schools like to be open in week eleven, allowing their team time to rest and recuperate from the rigors of a month-long training camp and ten straight weeks of football. For schools without playoff aspirations, athletes can move on to winter sports practices. You get the idea.
Greenbrier West set their goals high. A trip to Wheeling is what they desire so a break at the midway point is just what the doctor ordered, literally. The Cavaliers have fought the injury bug over the last two games so this break will go a long way toward giving several players time to heal. This is also valuable time for the coaching staff to evaluate the season, scout, and prepare for the remainder of the season.
Let’s look at what’s transpired so far in 2022. After both hot and cold scrimmage performances, the staff was unsure how the team would respond in week one. Buffalo came to Charmco with a new coach and high hopes. The Cavaliers remembered the sting of an opening week, overtime loss in 2021 and put the Bison away early. Ty Nickell rushed for 248 yards and three touchdowns, Cole Vandall added a touchdown carry, and Dalton Heath pulled in a receiving touchdown from Tucker Lilly. All of West’s scoring came in the first half of a 33-0 win. A surprising bonus in the game was Hayden Ridgeway who matched the Cavaliers’ entire 2021 output for made extra-points in his first-ever outing. The game was halted with 5:17 remaining in the third quarter due to lightning and was later declared a final.
West welcomed Summers County in week two, the 56th meeting between the two schools. Ty Nickell staked the Cavaliers out to a 13-0 first-half lead. Ethan Holliday and Cole Vandall each added a touchdown in the fourth quarter for a 26-0 victory. Evan Vandall, Dalton Heath, Brandon Poticher, and Daron Vaughan each had a fumble recovery for the stout Cavalier defense.
The Cavaliers ventured to Dunmore in week three for a meeting with the Pocahontas County Warriors. Holliday took a Lilly pass 66 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage and Greenbrier West never looked back on their way to a 54-0 romp. Holliday added a 30-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to go with two Nickell scoring runs. The Cavaliers also scored on the last play of the first half when Kadin Parker returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown. Nickell ended the night with 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. Vaughan and Trent Parker each had a fumble recovery, and Isaac Agee had a second Cavalier interception.
Upper Glade was the sight for one of the most memorable Cavalier wins in the storied history of the program. Nickell set a West record with five rushing touchdowns in the first half, and Ridgeway tied a Cavalier record with seven extra-point kicks. Holliday was a defensive force with 17 tackles, an interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery, and 4 tackles for loss. Cole Vandall and Roy Loudermilk added interceptions for the stingy Cavalier defense. The 61-0 win was the largest shutout victory in school history.
West returned home in week five for a homecoming showdown with Meadow Bridge. Holliday started the scoring with an 11-yard run followed by a 57-yard Lilly to Parker touchdown connection. Nickell got his first of three touchdowns on the night in the first quarter followed by Reney Cordial’s first career touchdown, a five-yard crowd pleaser. West’s defense got in on the action in the second quarter with a Holliday 79-yard interception return and a 32-yard Cole Vandall fumble return. Holliday had two interceptions on the night and added a fumble recovery. Vaughan had a third fumble recovery for the Cavaliers. West’s 54 first-half points were a school record and the Cavaliers also set a program record with their fifth straight season-opening shutout. Nickell hit the 1,000-yard rushing milestone in only five games, tying a school record. I’d be remis if I didn’t mention Raelyn Palmer won homecoming queen and Megan Poticher first runner-up. Nickell was the homecoming King and Cordial the first runner-up. To cap a perfect night, the players sprinted to the hillside overlooking Cavalier Field and serenaded the crowd with “Country Roads.”
The Cavaliers hit the road in week six to renew a series with the Shady Spring Tigers. A steady rain fell on the artificial turf all evening, but it didn’t affect the Cavaliers’ effort. The Tigers did become the first team to score on Greenbrier West, taking their opening drive in for a touchdown. West trailed for all of 2:45 as Nickell scored the first of his five touchdowns on the night. Nickell’s effort was his second five-score night of the season and his third 200-yard game. Cole Vandall added a late touchdown carry before the Tigers added a meaningless score in the last minute. Jacob Nutter recorded three sacks for the West defense while Heath and Cordial each had a fumble recovery in the Cavaliers’ 41-12 win.
Two undefeated teams squared off in Lindside in week seven, but the Cavalier faithful would come away sorely disappointed. West was finally bitten by the turnover bug, something that hadn’t happened to them all season. The Cavaliers threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, severely hampering their chances for a win. Trailing 17-0 in the third quarter, the Cavaliers put together one of the best drives of their season. West embarked on a 17-play, 85-yard drive, but ended up turning the ball over on downs at the Maverick five-yard line. The Cavaliers would end their first half of the season by dropping a 27-0 decision at James Monroe.
Where do they go from here? West returns home on Oct. 21 to host the Sherman Tide. The game will serve as Greenbrier West’s Breast Cancer Awareness Night. In week ten, the Cavaliers will look to settle a score with Midland Trail in Hico in a game with huge playoff and Coalfield Conference implications. West returns home in week eleven to face Moorefield for the first time since 2015. West will honor their senior members before the game. Following the last home game, the WVSSAC will set the dates and times for the playoff field. The Cavaliers have an excellent shot at hosting a first-round game if they can win their final three contests.
Individually, Nickell is currently twelfth on the Cavaliers’ single season rushing list with 1,357 yards. His 21 rushing touchdowns is tied for the sixth most in a season at West. Nickell is also sixth on the school’s career rushing list. Finally, Nickell is fourth on the career rushing touchdowns list. Holliday has the team lead for interceptions with three and forced fumbles with two. Vaughan leads the Cavaliers with three fumble recoveries. Nutter holds the team lead in sacks with four and Nickell has the most tackles for loss with nine. Ridgeway’s 29 extra-point kicks are the most for a Cavalier since the 2013 season.
There’s still work to do in Charmco. Forgive the Cavaliers if they continue to work hard and not take a bye.
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