Patriots host No. 1 South Charleston on Friday.
The George Washington Patriots are not only one of West Virginia's best high school football teams, but they are serving notice that – with an influx of talented freshmen – the future is now and later.
The Patriots were inadvertently left out of the top 10 last week – assuredly an oversight. They won’t be overlooked again after a decisive 55-14 victory over Woodrow Wilson High in the 2009 season opener at Beckley’s Van Meter Stadium.
There are still questions surrounding the Patriots, who reached the Class AAA state championship game before falling to No. 1 South Charleston.
George Washington starts two freshmen on defense – defensive backs Ryan Switzer and Dustin Crouser. The speedy Switzer is a 5-foot-10, 165-pounder who also plays running back and returns kicks and punts. The 6-foot, 195-pound Crouser does his best work on defense, showing fearlessness against opposing ballcarriers. Switzer had a 53-yard touchdown run and Crouser a collection of good hits.
The defense got an influx of new players after last year’s run to the state title game. Junior defensive back Eric Aluise had a 55-yard interception return and reserve receiver R.J. Simms had a 20-yard touchdown. Junior Dashawn Badger added an 82-yard catch-and-run, giving the Patriots nine touchdowns from six players.
The most important ingredient to GW’s big-play attack is senior Shaquille Williams, one of the few returning skill position players, who scored on 26- and 85-yard touchdown runs.
“We’ve got that capability,” George Washington head coach Steve Edwards Jr. told the Beckley Register-Herald. “We’ve got some really good athletes. That’s always good. When you’ve got kids like that, it always makes you look smart. I mean, really, you can’t teach that speed.”
As far as last week’s preseason top 10, not only was GW left out, but the No. 2, 3 and 4 teams lost their openers. No. 2 Capital fell to No. 8 Riverside, No. 3 Parkersburg lost to unranked Brooke and No. 4 Parkersburg South fell to unranked Ripley. Selecting a top 10 is an inexact science, obviously.
Putting GW No. 2 behind South Charleston doesn’t need science, obviously.
Friday night's South Charleston-GW game is expected to draw more than a capacity crowd at Steve Edwards Sr. Field in the South Hills area of Charleston. Tennis Club Road, which overlooks the field, will be lined with non-paying fans while the stands – featuring new aluminum bleachers – should be full.
This will mark the first meeting between the teams since South Charleston handed the Patriots a 39-8 defeat in the Class AAA state title game last December. This is also only the eighth game the Patriots have played at their campus field. George Washington – which plays the majority of its home games at University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field – is 4-3 at Edwards Field.
Their first night game at Edwards Field was Sept. 12, 2003, when an estimated 2,500 fans jammed into the facility to see the Patriots fall to Mountain State Athletic Conference foe Cabell Midland 14-7. South Charleston hasn’t missed a beat since its state championship, taking a 33-7 halftime lead on Huntington en route to a 40-10 victory on Friday night.
The Black Eagles’ top weapon is junior quarterback Tyler Harris, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more.
However, the matchup to watch will be George Washington’s revamped secondary against South Charleston’s new receiver corps. George Washington has four new starters in its defensive backfield – junior St. Albans transfer Duran Workman (free safety), Crouser (defensive back), Aluise (defensive back) and Switzer (defensive back). The lone returning starter at DB is Williams.
Williams had an interception against Woodrow and Aluise returned an interception for a touchdown in that game.
The Black Eagles, however, have new faces in their receiving corps. Basketball star Perry Henry caught a touchdown last Friday night, as did senior Tevin Spurlock, junior George Streater and senior Walter Obey.
Another game to watch will be Wheeling Park at Bridgeport. The Patriots' 14-3 victory at Morgantown was a surprise, if only because it was a road game. However, the Mohigans have lost their last three season openers.
The Indians last week played without WVU commitment Wes Tonkery, who was suffering from back spasms in the middle of the week. He’s expected to be healthy for the Patriots, who dropped a 48-7 beating on the Indians at Wheeling Island Stadium last October. The Indians reached the Class AAA quarterfinals before losing to George Washington, while the Patriots fell to University in last year’s quarterfinals.
Rich Stevens, a sportswriter for the Charleston Daily Mail, covers West Virginia for MaxPreps.
