Bluefield 48, Graham, Va. 7

Braxton County 25, Lincoln 20

Bridgeport 38, Buckhannon-Upshur 7

Brooke 43, Parkersburg 42

Calhoun County 57, Gilmer County 20

Chapmanville 34, Sissonville 19

Clarke County, Va. 45, Berkeley Springs 0

Clay-Battelle 54, Trinity 0

Columbiana Crestview, Ohio 51, Oak Glen 6

Fairmont Senior 42, Robert C. Byrd 6

Fayetteville 47, Oak Hill 6

George Washington 55, Woodrow Wilson 14

Gilbert 40, Buffalo 0

Grafton 44, Philip Barbour 0

Greenbrier East 14, Lincoln County 12

Hedgesville 26, Washington 20

Iaeger 32, Mount View 6

Independence 29, Midland Trail 12

James Monroe 21, Narrows, Va. 7

Lewis County 56, Liberty Harrison 0

Loudoun County, Va. 38, Musselman 0

Magnolia 61, Tolsia 0

Man 34, Logan 7

Martinsburg 31, Stonewall Jackson-Manassas, Va. 17

Mount Hope 50, Big Creek 6

Nicholas County 40, Clay County 7

Notre Dame 46, Hundred 14

Pendleton County 49, Tygarts Valley 15

PikeView 34, Meadow Bridge 14

Poca 20, Nitro 14

Point Pleasant 57, Tug Valley 0

Ravenswood 20, Herbert Hoover 12

Richwood 37, Webster County 26

Ripley 19, Parkersburg South 7

Scott 26, Roane County 14

Shady Spring 14, Greenbrier West 7

South Charleston 40, Huntington 10

South Harrison 33, Doddridge County 27

Spring Valley 16, Princeton 6

St. Marys 28, Ritchie County 8

Tucker County 40, Pocahontas County 27

University 28, North Marion 7

Wahama 48, Lore City Buckeye Trail, Ohio 29

Wayne 22, Keyser 0

Westside 47, Liberty Raleigh 0

Wheeling Park 14, Morgantown 3

Williamstown 38, Tyler Consolidated 14

Winfield 17, Hurricane 16

Wirt County 39, Valley Fayette 8

Sherman vs. Wyoming East postponed

Preston vs. Hampshire postponed

THURSDAY

Cambridge, Ohio 20, John Marshall 15

East Fairmont 28, Elkins 13

Riverside 34, Capital 19

Zanesville Maysville, Ohio 13, Linsly 6

The Generals started a new streak of their own on Friday however, posting a 17-16 home win over the Redskins.

“It had been about 18 years,” said Winfield coach Willie Wilson. “It feels great. It’s good to get that monkey off of our backs. It’s been hard.”

Hurricane scored a touchdown with 2:38 showing on the fourth quarter clock to trim the Winfield lead to one point. But Winfield’s Josh Clark batted down the potential game-tying extra point attempt to seal the victory.

“Right before he kicked it, I told myself ‘you better jump up there and block it,’ ” said Clark.”It was a low kick but I got a hand on it.”

“It was a very big play,” Wilson said. “We probably should have scored another touchdown, and that might have broken their spirit. But stuff like that happens. We just overcame. I can’t help but think that we got some divine intervention in a couple of situations.”

On their first offensive possession, the Generals marched 55 yards in four plays – thanks in large part to a first down flea-flicker that saw running back Clark fling a strike to wideout Tyler Kincaid for a 52-yard gain.

The play set up a 33-yard field goal by senior kicker Matt Wilton that gave Winfield a 3-0 advantage with 8:20 left in the opening quarter.

The Generals got a break when senior defensive tackle Daniel Thomas pounced on a Redskins fumble deep in Hurricane territory with three minutes remaining in the first half.

Winfield took over at the Hurricane 19 and pounded the ball forward on five consecutive carries, culminated by a 6-yard touchdown by junior Toby Brown who lowered his shoulder and spun into the end zone with at least three Redskins draped on his back.   

Hurricane used two quarterbacks in the first half – Luke Briggs and Tyler Pate, but each went just 1-for-5 on their pass attempts. But Redskins receivers were partly to blame, dropping several would-be first down arrows that fell harmlessly to the ground.

Hurricane turned its fortunes around in the third quarter, scoring 10 points on a 22-yard TD pass from Luke Briggs to Cameron Cooper and booting a 24-yard field goal off the foot of Aaron Browne to tie it at 10-10.

The Generals answered quickly however. Kincaid picked off a pass and ran it back 12 yards for a score to give Winfield a 17-10 lead following the point after kick by Wilton.

Three plays later, Nathan Lewis recovered a Hurricane fumble near midfield to stall a Redskins drive.

But Hurricane mounted a defensive stand of its own coupled with a 13-play drive that took the Redskins 90 yards and ate over eight minutes of the game clock before scoring the potential game-tying TD.

That’s when Clark came to the rescue. 

“It is disappointing” admitted Hurricane coach Willlis May. “But I knew it all along because of the week of practice we had. We didn’t deserve to win this ballgame. I thought we were going to throw up a big goose egg. Hopefully this is a wake-up call to our football team. We’re going to have to pay our dues all week and not expect to walk out there on Friday night and win. You can’t do that in Class AAA.”

Hurricane outgained Winfield 248 yards to 169.

Clark led all rushers with 55 yards on 19 carries. Kincaid had two catches for 65 yards.

Winfield will play host to Ripley on Friday, while Hurricane hosts Nitro for its home opener.

Hurricane 0  0  10  6 — 16
Winfield 3  7  7  0 — 17

W- Matt Wilton 33 FG
W – Toby Brown 6 run (Wilton kick)
H – Cameron Cooper 22 pass from Luke Briggs (Aaron Browne kick)
H – Browne 22 FG
W – Tyler Kincaid 12 interception return (Wilton kick)
H – Luke Briggs 6 run (kick blocked)

The Greenbrier owner Jim Justice was joined by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, pro golfer and Greenbrier professional emeritus Tom Watson and PGA officials, including PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem who joined via satellite in a live broadcast.

It is a six-year agreement between The Greenbrier — the tournament sponsor and host — and the PGA Tour.

“We are absolutely delighted that The Greenbrier, recognized as one of the truly great resorts and golf destinations in the world, will become a part of the PGA Tour in 2010 with the Greenbrier Classic,” said Finchem.

“Players and fans alike will be stepping into the American story and experiencing a true national treasure,” said Justice. “The genuine warmth of West Virginia will resonate among all that join us.”

More details from the press conference coming soon.

The Greenbrier Classic press conference

Tom Watson / photo by WorkmanMedia.net

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and Tom Watson share a moment at the first tee at 'Old White' following the press conference announcing the Greenbrier Classic tournament on the PGA Tour on August 5, 2009

Also see articles on www.wvgazette.com and www.register-herald.com

For more information about The Greenbrier, visit www.greenbrier.com

Johnette Nelson

Nelson is the Activities Director for the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Commission. She said that she is enjoying her new position.

“We have beautiful facilities,” Nelson said. “We have ponds that you can fish in, nice biking trails that you can mountain bike on, hiking trails, nice playground equipment and two great pools.”

Nelson came from Cabell County.

“I worked for the Greater Huntington Parks for 20 years,” she said. “It’s absolutely a thrill to be in Putnam County. There is a small town feel, but it has a little bit of everything to offer people. There’s the beautiful nature, wonderful restaurants and the wave pool is such a nice draw.”

“I’m proud to see how active Putnam County is and how family-oriented the people are,” said Nelson. “I’m excited about our events that will help bring families together.”

July is National Parks and Recreation Month.

According to the National Recreation and Park Association website, “America has celebrated July as the nation’s official Park and Recreation Month. Each July, recreation facilities and parks across the country the kick-off of summer programs, promote outdoor physical activities, and pull together community volunteers to make their outdoor space a better place for all.”

The Putnam County Commission recognized the efforts of the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Commission by recently making the following resolution:

“…Be it resolved that we, the Putnam County Commission, do hereby join with citizens of other communities throughout this great state to recognize that parks and recreation services are essential to our quality of life and declare July as “Parks and Recreation Month’ in Putnam County’.”

“The resolution is to get people to realize that it is very important to have parks and recreation in our community,” said Nelson. “It’s one of the first things that people look for – schools and parks, when they are relocating to an area. They look for a livability factor and activities which we help to provide for families.”

The spotlight facility for Putnam County is undoubtedly the Wave Pool at Valley Park in Hurricane.

Valley Park Wave Pool/ courtesy of Putnam County Parks website

“We call it our sports complex because we have ball fields, soccer and open play with ponds,” Nelson said. “But the wave pool, with the slides and miniature golf – how great is that to have in your community?”

The Wave Pool has been upgraded this season.

“The slides have been renovated and we have delicious smoothies to enjoy while you sit and watch the waves,” Nelson pointed out. “We have even more things in the works for the future. We’re going for a beach theme, because it’s like the beach without the sand.”

The Putnam County Parks Commission also has a pool in County Park in Eleanor. But Nelson said that in July, they are going to reach out to other Putnam communities as well. Events are planned for Buffalo and Poca.

“It’s extremely important to reach out and take things to them,” Nelson said. “It makes it more convenient.”

On Saturday, July 11, the parks will sponsor “Animals and Story Time” at 10 a.m. at the gazebo in Poca.

“Jane Morse is a great story teller,” said Nelson. “She does a story time and brings animals with her so kids can talk about them and they get to pet them and learn more about animals.”

“Emily Dickinson Comes to Life” will be the feature event on Saturday, July 18 at 10 a.m. at the gazebo in Buffalo, promising ‘the audience will be transported back to the mid-1800’s’.

“Buffalo is such a historic town that we thought that it would be good to bring some history there,” Nelson said. “Deborah Conner does living history throughout the state as many characters. She’ll be Emily Dickinson and we’ll learn about her life, writings and poetry in that era.”

Valley Park in Hurricane will be the site of “Trucks with ‘Tude”, an event on Saturday July 25 at 10 a.m. until Noon featuring ‘big trucks, small trucks and trucks of all kinds, on display for children of all ages to enjoy climbing on and discovering.’

“It means ‘Trucks with Attitude’,” Nelson explained. “A lot of kids love to see trucks up close and personal. It will be a neat experience for them to be able to come and climb on a fire truck or touch a backhoe and see a dump truck and see how it works.”

Of course, the July events begin with the annual Fourth of July Celebration at Valley Park in Hurricane.

“It’s a huge celebration with free fireworks and a hot dog eating contest,” Nelson explained. “We’ll have cornhole games and inflatables for the kids to jump and play around in. we’ll have all kinds of neat things going on that day.”

The two pools will host “Dive In Movies” on the first weekend in August. “Hotel for Dogs” will be shown at the Wave Pool at Valley Park on Friday, August 7 at 8:30 p.m. and at the County Park pool in Eleanor on Saturday, August 8 at 8:30 p.m.

“It’s a great event to float around with your family and watch a movie outdoors,” Nelson said. “At the Saturday movie at County Park, we’re going to invite the children to bring a stuffed animal dressed like they’re going on vacation. We’re going to have a contest and they can win a gift basket.”

For more information, visit www.putnamcountyparks.com or call 304-562-0518.

Johnette Nelson, Activities Director of the Putnam County Parks and Recreation Commission

Kyle Cooper, Andy Fields and Terrell Martin played their prep football at Hurricane. But the trio had a unique opportunity to suit up as teammates again, representing the South Cardinals.

Andy Fields

“It was a week of fun,” Cooper said. “And it was great to play one more game with my two teammates. We spent the last four years together and had one more go at it.”

“I loved it at Hurricane,” said Fields. “It was a great experience. We were like a big family. We didn’t quite get everything that we wanted to get done, but we started something for the other classes to come.”

Cooper (6-foot-1, 215 pounds), Fields (6-0, 180) and Martin (5-11, 190) all plan on playing college football on Saturdays.

Cooper will play linebacker for Robert Morris University, a NCAA sub-division [formerly Division I-AA] team coached by Joe Walton, best known as a head coach of the New York Jets from 1983-1989 and offensive coordinator under Chuck Noll with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1990-1991. He has been the head coach at RMU since 1994.

“It’s an honor to be chosen to play in the North-South game,” Cooper added. “It’s awesome to be able to play with people you watched on film and played against all season.”

Fields will play defense at West Virginia Wesleyan while Martin is slated to be a slot back for the Fairmont State offensive unit.

“It was a great opportunity,” said Martin of the North-South experience. “I like playing with my friends again. It’s one last chance to go out with a bang.”

One North-South tradition is the trading of helmet decals. The players bring their own equipment but swap the decals, many players having multiple logos covering their entire helmet.

Terrell Martin

But on the South squad, there was an abundance of the familiar Redskins decal on many helmets.

“Everyone likes Hurricane I guess,” Martin laughed. “We brought some extra stickers with us.”

It’s been a little tougher for Corey Good to get statewide recognition for his football exploits than most of the other all-stars, coming from a small Class A school. The former Buffalo Bison was determined to make the most of his final opportunity however as a member of the South all-stars.

“It’s been a great feeling playing with all these bigger guys,” he said. “Some of these guys we get to see a lot on TV and they get a lot of credit. So it was nice to play with them.

Good (6-0, 150 pounds) sees his future as being either a wide receiver or a defensive back at the next level. But he filled in as the Bison quarterback in his senior season.

Good is undecided on his college choice as of now.

“I would like to play football,” he said. “Hopefully I can show everyone what I can do. But it was nice to represent Buffalo.”

Poca’s Kerry Casto joined a legacy of dozens of former Dots to put on the red South jersey to close out their high school football life.

“It feels good to represent Poca,” Casto said. “We usually have one or two [players] come up here every year from Poca. I’m glad to be a part of it.” 

Casto (6-foot-3, 265 pounds) is expected to be an invited walk-on at West Virginia University.

“It’s been a dream of mine to play for the Mountaineers,” he admitted. “I’ll probably be on defense. I’m a little small to be on the offensive line.” 

The North defeated the South 22-0 in the 2009 game.

Martin contributed in many ways, rushing six times for 13 yards, catching a pass for a three-yard gain, running back two kickoffs for 61 yards and intercepting a pass.

Cooper ran four times for 16 yards and Good caught a pass good for 10 yards.

Corey Good, Kyle Cooper and Kerry Casto pause following a workout for the N-S Football Classic last week.

Appalachian Power Park

Zeke Spruill of the Rome Braves is only 19, but he’s already shown he’s a serious competitor. After being picked out of a Georgia high school in the second round of the 2008 Draft, Spruill led the Gulf Coast League with seven wins and posted a 2.93 ERA last year.

Zeke Spruill

Now, in his first season at the Class A level, he’s been tabbed to start for the Southern Division in the All-Star Game.

Spruill (7-3) has had little trouble putting down league hitters so far, putting up a 3.33 ERA over 11 starts and 12 appearances — picking up a save in his one relief outing. The right-hander threw eight shutout innings against the Lexington Legends on May 8, and he’s only allowed more than three runs in a game once this season.

Although Spruill clearly deserves the honor of starting the All-Star Game, he was hardly the only legitimate candidate after the promotion of Boston prospect Casey Kelly from the Greenville Drive to the Carolina League’s Salem Red Sox. Supporting Spruill on the Southern Division staff will be standout hurlers such as Charleston’s Hector Noesi (3-4, 2.44 ERA), Lexington’s Robert Bono (6-4, 2.27 ERA) and Savannah’s Robert Carson (4-5, 2.63 ERA).

Of course, the Southern Division team can also look forward to summoning Charleston’s Pat Venditte out of the bullpen. Venditte, the ambidextrous pitcher the Yankees grabbed in the ’08 Draft, leads the league with 20 saves and has 39 strikeouts and one walk in 28 2/3 innings. He’s allowed only three earned runs thus far for a 0.91 ERA.

Offensively, the Southern Division will look for help from Bowling Greens’ Tim Beckham, Asheville’s Jordan Pacheco, league batting leader Tim Federowicz (Greenville) and league home run leader Melky Mesa (Charleston).

The Northern Division, in the meantime, can count on solid pitching from Hagerstown’s Marcos Frias (4-2, 2.65 ERA), Lakewood’s Tyler Cloyd (7-3, 3.05 ERA) and Greensboro’s Johnny Dorn (7-5, 3.15 ERA). While Cloyd and Dorn each started Saturday and aren’t likely to turn in long performances in Tuesday’s game, the presence of both will give the club a boost.

Frias, who was roughed up for four runs — only two earned — by Lakewood on June 18, is likely to start. While he’s only gone longer than five innings in four of his 11 starts, he’s held opponents to a .238 batting average and has 55 strikeouts compared to 15 walks on the season. Frias has also never surrendered more than three earned runs in an outing this year.

While such a pitching staff gives any team a good chance to win, the Northern squad’s real power is, well, it’s power. With Hickory teammates Michael Bianucci and Erik Morrison, Hagerstown catcher Derek Norris and Greensboro first baseman Ben Laseter in the lineup, the Northern team can rely on big swings and longballs to get runs across the plate.

Bianucci, Norris, Morrison and Laseter are all among the league leaders in slugging percentage, and Bianucci and Norris have been among the league’s home run leaders throughout the season. Laseter and Bianucci are also paving the way in extra-base hits.

Goodnight, baseball
Before the game gets underway, of course, the league’s top sluggers will have a chance to flex their muscles in the South Atlantic League Mountain State Slugfest at 6:00 p.m.

Savannah outfielder Sean Ratliff, who has seven big flies this season, will look to power the Southern team, and he’ll be joined by Mesa (14 homers), Pacheco (7) and Augusta’s Juan Perez (7).

The Northern team will send Bianucci, Laseter and Greensboro’s Justin Bass to the plate in the home run derby. Bass has 11 home runs this season, and 17 of his 46 hits in ’09 have been for extra bases. West Virginia’s Calvin Anderson, who has seven homers this season, will also be swinging for the Northern cause. Norris, who’s hammered 14 bombs, may also participate.

More is at stake than divisional pride. The contest is divided into two rounds of 10 outs per batter. In the first round of the derby, players representing the winning division will be treated to dinner at Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center in the neighboring town of Nitro, W.Va.

Only the top three sluggers from the first round move on to the second round, and the champion will be awarded a “Road Trip Prize Package,” which will include an MP3 player, noise canceling headphones and a portable DVD player.

The winner of the bash contest, though, may not even be a member of any South Atlantic League team — the Power have announced that a local high school player will participate in Slugfest.

More than a game
While fans have to wait until Tuesday evening for the big event, the official South Atlantic League All-Star Game Jamboree begins Monday night. Appalachian Power Park will open to the public at 5:35 p.m. for Fan Fest, which will offer a silent auction, an autograph session with the every player on both All-Star rosters and a concert featuring The Davisson Brothers and The Hillbilly Gypsies.

After the figurative fireworks show that will be Tuesday night’s game, the Power will host a literal fireworks show to cap off the celebration.

Story courtesy, South Atlantic League website

For more information, go to www.WVPower.com

West Virginia Power

Rosters

2009 North-South game

Here are the rosters:

NORTH BEARS
Player Pos Hgt Wgt Class School
Tyler Anderson OLB-TE 6-1 220 AAA Morgantown
Tommy Brunoni RB-LB 6-2 215 A Parkersburg Catholic
Casey Cochran RB-CB-P 5-8 155 AAA Musselman
Asa Coplin WR-LB 6-3 195 AA Grafton
Ray Cox OL-DL 5-11 230 AA Grafton
Blake DeBord MLB 6-1 230 AAA Martinsburg
Dominique Dixon FB-LB 6-0 225 AAA University
Anthony Domico OL-DT-DE 6-0 245 AAA Fairmont Senior
Ricardo Farrow WR-CB 5-8 162 AAA Wheeling Park
Cameron Gallagher QB-S 6-1 195 AA Grafton
Dante Greco OT-DT 6-0 270 A Madonna
Cullen Grover C-T-DE 6-4 205 AA Tyler Consolidated
Tyler Hanna OL-DL 6-2 225 AA Magnolia
Jonathan Haun K-P 5-11 195 AAA Fairmont Senior
Devin Hilling RG-DL 6-0 325 AAA University
Jordan Holliday C-DE 6-3 225 AAA Parkersburg South
Brandon Hyler QB-S-P-K 6-4 205 AAA Jefferson
Chanz Jarrell RB-DB-DE 5-10 190 AAA Parkersburg
Lonnie Kiser OG-DE 6-2 240 AAA Ripley
Dewey McDonald QB-RB-WR-LB 6-1 195 AAA Jefferson
Eric Mendenhall RB-FS 6-1 185 AAA Wheeling Park
Tyler Milton RB-S 6-1 205 AAA Preston
Derek Mitchell WR-DB 6-2 192 AA Point Pleasant
Josh Morgan C-DE 6-1 205 AAA East Fairmont
Mike Nolet T-DE 6-0 295 AAA Martinsburg
Seth Parsons QB-FS 5-10 165 AAA Ripley
Derrick Rovira FB-DE 6-1 230 AA Weir
Kyle Smith OL-DL 6-5 275 AAA Parkersburg
Derek Spitzer RB-SS 6-0 180 A St. Marys
Derek Stahl TE-DE-OLB 6-1 210 AAA Wheeling Park
Daniel Strosnider QB-RB-WR-DB 5-11 190 AAA Morgantown
Brandon Tucker RB-WR-CB 5-9 180 AAA University
Jason Utt WR-DB 6-0 185 AA Magnolia
Joey Voithofer OL-DL 5-11 230 AAA Morgantown
Matt Wilmer RB-LB 5-11 187 AA Keyser
Jake Young FB-LB 6-3 230 AA Ravenswood

Coach: Mark Nardone, Wheeling Park; Assistants: Michael Johnson, Taylor County Middle School; Drew Toth, Grafton; Mark Yoho, Grafton; Manager: Williams “Sarge” Cordery

SOUTH CARDINALS
Player Pos Hgt Wgt Class School
Seth Angell G-DE 5-11 245 AAA Princeton
Tyler Bartley QB-S 6-2 175 AAA Cabell Midland
Mike Brooks OL 6-5 325 AA Mount View
Tyler Browning QB 6-2 185 AAA Lincoln County
Richard Campbell OG-T 5-11 300 AAA South Charleston
Kerry Casto T-E-K 6-3 265 AA Poca
Kyle Cooper FB-LB 6-1 215 AAA Hurricane
Marcus Fox FB-LB 6-0 200 AAA St. Albans
Corey Good QB 6-0 150 A Buffalo
Greg Jones RB-DB 5-10 180 AAA George Washington
Xavier Jones TE-DE 6-3 225 AAA South Charleston
Ryan Justice G-DE 6-5 235 AA Gilbert
Josh Kay T-E 6-1 230 AAA Capital
Jake Kelly TE-LB 6-2 210 AAA Capital
Nick Kisiel FB 5-11 190 AA James Monroe
Kegan Knapp OL-DE 6-3 249 AA Greenbrier West
Chris Lawson RB-SS 6-0 190 AA Oak Hill
Da’Von Marion RB-S 6-0 200 A Mount Hope
Terrell Martin RB-WR-S 5-11 190 AAA Hurricane
Joey McComas WR-FS 6-5 206 AAA Spring Valley
Kyle McGraw T 6-3 295 AA Wyoming East
Tim Miller WR-S 6-2 145 AA Webster County
Seth Morris FB-LB 6-0 230 AAA Spring Valley
Pat O’Dell QB-DB 5-10 165 AAA Nicholas County
Gary Pritt OL-LB 6-3 294 AA PikeView
Josh Sammons QB-WR-FS 6-0 230 A Matewan
Andrew Senior C-NG 6-3 265 AAA Huntington
Aaron Slusher RB-MLB 5-11 205 AAA South Charleston
Robert Smith OT-DT 6-3 325 AA Summers County
Ryan Stafford QB-ILB 6-4 225 AAA Woodrow Wilson
Bryan Staten OT-DE 6-0 255 AAA Princeton
Joey Stevens RB-SS-P 6-2 205 AA Chapmanville
Roland Willis WR-S-K-P 5-10 150 AAA George Washington
James Woods FB-LB 5-11 215 AAA Capital
Vashawn Wood WR 6-4 205 AAA Woodrow Wilson

Coach: Bennie Hopkins, Valley Fayette; Assistants: George Beard, Valley Fayette; Ted Spadaro, Princeton; Eddie Souk, Mount Hope

North-South Basketball game

The game will tipoff at 7:45 p.m., with a 3-point contest and a slam dunk contest at 7.

The South leads the series with 22 victories compared to four for the North squad.

Here are the rosters:

North Bears
Player, School Hgt Avg
Jonathan Alvarez, Musselman 5-10 10.2
Cameron Cato, Martinsburg 6-3 10.2
Darius Dillard, Tucker County 5-7 13.0
Noah Fischer, Ripley 6-3 23.3
Preston Hartman, Keyser 6-2 15.6
Matt Kiger, Williamstown 6-5 17.0
Dewey McDonald, Jefferson 6-1 21.0
Bruce Patterson, Ravenswood 6-4 14.6
Seth Quirk, East Fairmont 5-10 20.0
Michael Riggins, Park. South 6-4 14.2
Isaac Thornton, Martinsburg 6-3 18.1

Coaches: Dave Rogers, Martinsburg; Mick Price, Ravenswood

South Cardinals
Player, School Hgt Cls
Jeremy Adkins, Spring Valley 6-3 17.7
Brandon Burgraff, Matewan 6-0 25.0
Neil Dillon, Wayne 6-1 19.1
Matt Goolsby, Chas. Catholic 6-3 9.0
Chris Lawson, Oak Hill 6-0 13.4
Da’Von Marion, Mount Hope 6-0 27.0
Steven McComas, Scott 5-9 17.9
Ryan Powers, Woodrow Wilson 5-11 15.3
Gentry Shrewsbury, Wyom. East 6-4 21.0
Aaron Slusher, S. Charleston 5-11 9.8
Chase Smith, George Wash. 6-2 23.1
Kyle Snyder, Sissonville 6-1 16.4

Coaches: Pat McGinnis, Winfield; Rich Skeen, Sissonville

All-time North-South All-Star Basketball series
1983 – South 117, North 114 (OT)
1984 – South 133, North 108
1985 – South 136, North 98
1986 – South 129, North 112
1987 – South 114, North 109
1988 – South 125, North 103
1989 – South 107, North 99
1990 – South 119, North 108
1991 – South 110, North 109
1992 – North 105, South 100
1993 – South 114, North 113
1994 – South 122, North 112
1995 – South 120, North 102
1996 – North 115, South 112
1997 – South 127, North 109
1998 – South 116, North 102
1999 – South 137, North 103
2000 – South 112, North 95
2001 – South 117, North 110
2002 – North 88, South 74
2003 – South 97, North 95
2004 – South 108, North 105
2005 – South 115, North 96
2006 – South 114, North 107
2007 – North 101, South 91
2008 – South 117, North 99

James Eminger

The 2009 Hurricane graduate was soaking it all in as he reflected back on his final prep season.

“It’s pretty cool being at the North-South game,” Eminger admitted. “I really didn’t expect this much. I was just wanting to have a real good senior year. I got more than I expected out of it.”

“It’s a great honor and James deserves it,” said Hurricane coach Brian Sutphin who was taking in the game as a spectator. “He really had a good year and he worked hard. He was an example for our younger guys. He pitched and played outfield for us. He can play all three outfield positions. James really came into his own this year.

“It’s really nice to see things like this happen for good kids that work hard. He was always a team guy that put the team first.”

James Eminger

Hurricane enjoyed a fantastic season, going 27-8 and placing in the top five in Class AAA virtually all year. The Redskins lost to No. 1 ranked Nitro 9-8 in the Region 4 finals, one win away from a state tournament berth.

“We had a really good lineup,” Eminger said. “All the way through, we were pretty strong.”

Eminger’s baseball future is unclear for now.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I guess I’ll find out soon. It’s a possibility if the right opportunity came along. It would have to be a pretty decent scholarship because with the Air Guard, I’m getting all of my college paid for.

“As of right now I’m getting ready to take my [tests] and physical for the Air Guard. I’ll be joining most likely. I’ll probably be going to Marshall University.”

Many college scouts were in attendance at the North-South game.

“I was pretty excited about playing in the North-South game and pretty nervous too,” Eminger said. “You never know what could happen here with all of the opportunities and with the people here watching. I’m just looking to have a good time.

Eminger was the lone representative from a Putnam County school on the South squad.

“It’s really a great honor just to be playing in the North-South game,” he stated. “There were some really great players here – some of them already got drafted [in the MLB First year Player Draft last week].  It’s pretty cool to get an opportunity to play on the same field as some of these guys.”

The annual all-star showcase for outgoing seniors was moved to Buffalo’s Gator Field this season after previously being scheduled in Nitro. But it no doubt made Eminger’s final high school game a little sweeter, playing close to home.

“The baseball facilities in Putnam County are a lot nicer than a lot of people might think,” Eminger said. “Sometimes we don’t get the recognition that we deserve here for our fields. And the turf at Buffalo is great. They never have to worry about rain.”

Getting the chance to put on the Hurricane Redskins uniform one more time also meant a great deal to Eminger.

“That was nice,” he admitted. “I was definitely glad to do that one more time.”

Hosting the North-South game is quite a feather in the cap for Buffalo, South coach Steve Price said. He can certainly appreciate the significance being a coach at Van, a Class A program also. 

“[Buffalo coach] Jimmy [Tribble] does an excellent job here,” Price said. “It’s a nice honor to be able to host an event like this. Four years ago when we came down here, it wasn’t close to this nice. There are some nice ballparks in our state. It wasn’t like that 15 years ago. People are taking some pride in their baseball now.”

The South swept the doubleheader, winning the first game 7-4 and squeaking out a 1-0 victory in 10 innings in the nightcap.

Eminger takes his cuts during the workout portion of the 2009 North-South baseball games.

The South swept the doubleheader, winning the first game 7-4 and squeaking out a 1-0 victory in 10 innings in the nightcap.

“It’s a great honor for the kids,” said South coach Steve Price, who is also the head coach at Van. “It also gives some of them a chance to get looked at by some college scouts and maybe get some opportunities that they would not have had previously.”

The players also had the opportunity to put on their respective school’s uniform with a chance to represent their community one last time.

It wasn’t all just an exhibition however. There was added motivation for the South players, Price said.

Martinsburg, Lincoln and Moorefield – all North schools – won state championship titles in their respective classes in Charleston a little over a week ago.

“The South got swept this year at the state tournament,” Price pointed out. “All of our kids ended their seasons on a sour note. It’s a pride thing.”

Selecting an all-star squad is not an enviable task, Price said.

“The hardest part was when [Valley Fayette] coach [Joe] Craffey, [Riverside] coach  [Mike] Carte and I had to sit down and pick this team,” Price admitted. “With all of the good schools in the South, it was hard. But with this team, we can just line them up and sit back and have fun watching these guys play. I think we did a pretty god job selecting the team.”

Tyler Wilson of George Washington and Derek Ash of Riverside were among the area players who suited up for the South squad.

“It was a nice surprise for me to get to play here,” said Wilson, who batted .472 with eight home runs, 42 RBI and 51 hits for GW this season. “I played hard all year, trying to get all that I could get. I was hurt [in his junior season] so I tried to make up for it this year. I just wanted to come here and play and have fun. I know most of the guys having played against them for four years. We’re all good friends.”

“I’m excited to be able to play with a lot of great players,” said Ash, who was 26-for-26 in stolen base attempts for the much improved Warriors this year. “We had a chance to catch up and talk about some of the games we played this season.”

Wilson plans on playing baseball for West Virginia University Tech.

Ash, who pulled off a rare dual feat by also participating in the North-South soccer game last fall, is undecided on a school but sees baseball in his future.

“I like baseball the most,” Ash claimed. “I want to play baseball at the next level. I’m narrowing it down. I want to make a decision soon. It feels great to have the Riverside uniform on for now.”

Hosting the North-South game is quite a feather in the cap for Buffalo. Price can certainly appreciate the significance, being a coach at a Class A program himself. 

“[Buffalo coach] Jimmy [Tribble] does an excellent job here,” Price said. “It’s a nice honor to be able to host an event like this. Four years ago when we came down here, it wasn’t close to this nice. There are some nice ballparks in our state. It wasn’t like that 15 years ago. People are taking some pride in their baseball now.”