Martinsburg Bulldogs named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard

MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the Martinsburg (W. Va.) Bulldogs have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its fourteenth year honoring football.

This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Bulldogs ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!

In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Spring Valley 31-7 in the WVSSAC Class 3A state championship contest on Saturday, December 1 marked the completion of an incredible 14-0 season — and earned Martinsburg an invitation to the Tour of Champions.

Following a slow start, the Bulldogs scored 17 points in the final five and a half minutes of the second quarter, and were never threatened from then on in securing Martinsburg's third straight Class 3A state football championship, and the school's seventh state title in nine years, at Wheeling Island Stadium. The 24-point win also extended Martinsburg's winning streak to 42 games over the last three seasons.

Bulldog quarterback Grant Harman opened the game's scoring on a 20-yard run with 5:28 left in the opening half. Then, following RJ Barrett's block of a Spring Valley punt, Trey Sine picked up the loose ball and returned it 26 yards for a 14-0 Martinsburg lead. Spring Valley took a gamble on its next drive, and attempted to convert on fourth-and-2 from its own 32-yard line, but failed. Christopher Catlett booted a 29-yard field goal just seconds before intermission to put the champions up 17-0.

Harman and Chelo Teneval hooked up for a 30-yard scoring strike and Harman scored from 25 yards out before Spring Valley broke up the shutout by scoring on a fourth quarter 11-yard pass play. Harman completed five of nine passes for 72 yards and rushed for 126 yards on 14 carries to lead the way for the Bulldogs. Teneval caught two balls for 72 yards. The Bulldogs, who have beaten Spring Valley in each of the last three state title games, held Spring Valley to just 88 yards rushing on 36 carries and 167 total yards.



Martinsburg opened postseason play with a 35-0 shutout of Hurricane before kicking in the door to the Final Four with a 49-20 trouncing of Parkersburg. The Bulldogs then bumped Musselman from state championship contention with a 42-14 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Spring Valley. David Walker's club opened the season with a 62-12 win over Loudoun Valley. Then, following a 42-6 triumph over Woodson, the Bulldogs blanked Eastern of Washington, DC 47-0 to open the season 3-0. Martinsburg did not lose a game for the third straight season and outscored its opposition 732-127 on the year. The Bulldogs posted six shutouts and held nine foes under 10 points, while scoring 50 points or more in seven contests.

Having won its 42nd straight contest, Martinsburg set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Bulldogs the top-ranked team in MaxPreps' West Virginia Class 3A Rankings, Martinsburg is the best team in all of West Virginia. The Bulldogs are ranked 165th in MaxPreps' National Rankings!

These incredible season achievements have earned the Martinsburg Bulldogs an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Tuesday, January 8 at approximately 7:15 p.m. at halftime of the boys basketball game.

For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.