The season's over, but South Charleston's coaches and players are ready.
Ready for the rampant expectations that await them next August when the new season begins. That's what happens when you polish off back-to-back Class AAA state championships like the Black Eagles did Saturday at Wheeling Island Stadium.
SC knocked off No. 1 seed Brooke 28-7 for its second straight title, becoming just the seventh team to repeat in AAA since the SSAC divided the state into three classes of competition in 1958.
"Man, I'm ready,'' said Perry Henry, the junior receiver-defensive back who was named the Black Eagles' MVP for Saturday's game. All he did was pick off the game's first pass and bring it back 44 yards for a touchdown and later turn two short Tyler Harris passes into touchdown receptions of 86 and 45 yards.
"We're going to celebrate a little bit, but we're set on another mission to come back here again. It's just a blessing. God blessed us, so we'll just have to thank God. It's just lovely. You've got to appreciate God.''
Three-peats aren't exactly common in Class AAA football. In fact, only Charleston High (1968-70) has managed to capture three titles in a row under the current format.
But with what SC returns next season - seven players who have started games on offense, and eight who have started on defense - the expectations should be warranted.
"Our expectations are really big,'' said junior quarterback-strong safety Tyler Harris, a leading contender for the Kennedy Award as the state's top player.
"I know that everybody that was doubting us will probably still keep on doubting us. It doesn't matter. We have two championships right now back to back, and we've won the MSAC twice. We need to defend again.''
Coach John Messinger, who has guided the Black Eagles to 29 wins in their last 30 games, didn't back away from the expectations following Saturday's victory.
He realizes that most of the team's spectacular array of skill-position players are coming back - led by Harris, Perry, 1,400-yard rusher Ray Coleman, receiver-kick returner Moe Makhene and even reliable place-kicker Dakota Sanders. Also scheduled to return are defensive stalwarts such as end George Streater, linebacker Jevaugnte' Allen and sack machine Ray-Sheed Coleman.
"We've got a lot back,'' Messinger said, "and we've got some talent coming up. We have to build ourselves a line, but we were able to do it [after] last year.
"We've got some guys who are going to have to play out of position for us, just like Davontae Edwards did this year. He's probably the fourth-best running back on our football team, no doubt, but what happened was we had to play him at center. He's done a good job there, and he got it done all year. We're going to have to play some of these kids out of position again next year, but you know what? We've got a whole bunch of them who are freshmen and sophomores who are not playing basketball, and at 2:30 Monday, they'll be right in there getting after it.''
Messinger said the returning players are committed to getting stronger and improving.
"Just like last year,'' he said, "I've already got questions from the kids. 'Where are we Monday?' At 2:30, we're back in the weight room. It doesn't stop. Nothing changes.''
A few teams ended dry spells at this weekend's Super Six.
Brooke appeared in its first title game since 1992. Man last made the finals in 1984. But the only one who made the most of its chance was Madonna, which claimed its first state championship since 1987 with a 27-7 win over the Hillbillies. Madonna fell to Williamstown in last year's title game.
The Blue Dons did it this season largely with an impenetrable defense, which permitted just six touchdowns and 44 points over a 14-game schedule.
Madonna exacted a bit of revenge on Man, which ousted the Dons from the semifinals of the state baseball tournament last June. The Dons stacked up Man's dependable ground game and made the 'Billies throw a season-high 26 times, and they hit on just nine.
"We wanted to shut down the run,'' said Max Nogay, Madonna's senior quarterback-defensive back. "They have a very powerful running game. We executed the defense very well, and we forced them to pass.''
Madonna needed to regain its focus after a long-awaited victory over Wheeling Central in the semifinals - a game many people were calling the "real'' Class A title game.
"Our whole goal was to stay focused,'' Nogay said. "Last week, a lot of restaurants were giving us free dinners, and it was just a big week for us. But we stayed focused and we broke down film and executed this week at practice, and it paid off.
"We came to the stadium, and it wasn't a new feeling. We were all familiarized with everything, and everything was great.''
Quick kicks
- Estimated attendance for the three games was about 14,000, far short of the Wheeling Super Six record in 1998, when more than 21,000 tickets were sold. Brooke brought the most fans, around 4,500.
- Scores of the three title games were nearly identical - with SC beating Brooke 28-7 in AAA, Bluefield topping Wayne 27-7 in AA and Madonna besting Man 27-7 in the A contest.
