CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jon Carpenter delivered the off-season's best quote the day before high school football preseason practice started:
"It's kind of like taking your wife to meet your ex-girlfriend."
The first-year coach at Capital High School was speaking of the Cougars' impending season opener at Riverside, where he served as an assistant coach for seven seasons under Dick Whitman.
It wasn't necessarily a salvo, but there's a reason "former" is always preferable to "ex" in terms of being ... well, vanilla. But vanilla Carpenter is not, and one of two season-opening games being played tonight in the area is sure to have a charged feel to it that is for more reasons than the excitement of another prep football season kicking off.
Capital, the fifth-ranked team in the Charleston Daily Mail Preseason Class AAA poll, is coming off a 6-5 season that can be described as nothing better than a disappointment. The Cougars' starting quarterback quit, All-State running back Keion Wright suffered numerous injuries that left him battered by season's end and by that time the only pass play the team seemed capable of running was an 8-yard in route that opponents were able to jump with regularity.
Coach Jack Woolwine retired soon after the season ended in an unfortunate hail of accusations regarding player recruiting aimed at other area programs that betrayed his good-natured persona.
Last season was hell for Capital football, and now Carpenter wants his team to dish a little of it out.
He can get started tonight. After all, a loss to Riverside (5-5 a year ago) in last season's opener was where it started to go wrong. The Warriors came into University of Charleston Stadium and, although outgained by Capital, benefited from numerous big plays in a 34-19 win that set the tone for the Cougars' inconsistent season.
Wright, a senior and the school's all-time rushing leader, is back and is healthy. Quarterback Josh Sharp returns after taking over the position midway through 2009, and junior fullback Dustin Pullin will help a beefy line plow open space for Wright to run.
Riverside, too, was on its way to bigger things last year when injuries took their toll and turned a 4-1 start into a .500 finish. Like Capital, the Warriors return their entire backfield (quarterback Seth Shanklin, running back Brian Blankenship and fullback Jimmy Ruiz) and this one is anything but a gimme for either squad.
The head of steam already built up in Cougars' camp this summer will provide the difference in this one. CAPITAL 28-20
Also tonight:
No. 6 George Washington (9-3) opted to move the Capital City Kickoff Classic away from UC Stadium to its home digs, where it will entertain Beckley (2-7) to begin the first full season of home games at the GW campus.
Beckley Coach John H. Lilly brings an immense defensive line to Steve Edwards Sr. Field tonight, and it will present a serious challenge to GW's inexperienced and comparably undersized counterparts on offense. It would not be surprising to see Patriots quarterback Nick Britton operating from the shotgun more than usual in order to give himself an extra split-second for plays to develop while his new line finds its bearings.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Jon Carpenter delivered the off-season's best quote the day before high school football preseason practice started:
"It's kind of like taking your wife to meet your ex-girlfriend."
The first-year coach at Capital High School was speaking of the Cougars' impending season opener at Riverside, where he served as an assistant coach for seven seasons under Dick Whitman.
It wasn't necessarily a salvo, but there's a reason "former" is always preferable to "ex" in terms of being ... well, vanilla. But vanilla Carpenter is not, and one of two season-opening games being played tonight in the area is sure to have a charged feel to it that is for more reasons than the excitement of another prep football season kicking off.
Capital, the fifth-ranked team in the Charleston Daily Mail Preseason Class AAA poll, is coming off a 6-5 season that can be described as nothing better than a disappointment. The Cougars' starting quarterback quit, All-State running back Keion Wright suffered numerous injuries that left him battered by season's end and by that time the only pass play the team seemed capable of running was an 8-yard in route that opponents were able to jump with regularity.
Coach Jack Woolwine retired soon after the season ended in an unfortunate hail of accusations regarding player recruiting aimed at other area programs that betrayed his good-natured persona.
Last season was hell for Capital football, and now Carpenter wants his team to dish a little of it out.
He can get started tonight. After all, a loss to Riverside (5-5 a year ago) in last season's opener was where it started to go wrong. The Warriors came into University of Charleston Stadium and, although outgained by Capital, benefited from numerous big plays in a 34-19 win that set the tone for the Cougars' inconsistent season.
Wright, a senior and the school's all-time rushing leader, is back and is healthy. Quarterback Josh Sharp returns after taking over the position midway through 2009, and junior fullback Dustin Pullin will help a beefy line plow open space for Wright to run.
Riverside, too, was on its way to bigger things last year when injuries took their toll and turned a 4-1 start into a .500 finish. Like Capital, the Warriors return their entire backfield (quarterback Seth Shanklin, running back Brian Blankenship and fullback Jimmy Ruiz) and this one is anything but a gimme for either squad.
The head of steam already built up in Cougars' camp this summer will provide the difference in this one. CAPITAL 28-20
Also tonight:
No. 6 George Washington (9-3) opted to move the Capital City Kickoff Classic away from UC Stadium to its home digs, where it will entertain Beckley (2-7) to begin the first full season of home games at the GW campus.Beckley Coach John H. Lilly brings an immense defensive line to Steve Edwards Sr. Field tonight, and it will present a serious challenge to GW's inexperienced and comparably undersized counterparts on offense. It would not be surprising to see Patriots quarterback Nick Britton operating from the shotgun more than usual in order to give himself an extra split-second for plays to develop while his new line finds its bearings.
The Patriots should win, but it won't come easily. GW 21-13
In Friday's season-openers:
No. 1 South Charleston (13-1) at Huntington (0-10) - Highlanders Coach Billy Sears will have to wait at least another week for his first West Virginia high school win. SC has too many weapons with too much experience. SC 30-10
Nitro (1-9) at Poca (3-7) - Nitro QB Bodie Johnson had the best night of his career the first time he played the Dots, in 2008. The Wildcats have more of a running game, now, and while Poca QB Jason Cuffee will put up good numbers this season the jury is still out on the Dots' defense. NITRO 27-20
Hurricane (5-5) at Winfield (3-7) - The Redskins look good after a rare year out of the playoff field. The passing game is there, the running game is gaining ground and the defense is solid. It's a rivalry, yes, but Hurricane is well ahead of the Putnam County curve here. HURRICANE 22-10
Class AA No. 3 Ravenswood (9-3) at Herbert Hoover (6-5) - Hoover opens with as stiff of a challenge as the Huskies will get in 2010. The Red Devils are in good position to make a deep playoff run this season after not reaching the semifinals since 1976, their last state championship season. RAVENSWOOD 24-12
Class AA No. 6 Chapmanville (6-5) at Sissonville (3-7) - The Tigers lost utility stud Todd Terry but bring back a ton of talent. Sissonville has shifted several key returnees to new positions, and it will take some time in game situations for those guys to find their footing. CHAPMANVILLE 20-8
Buffalo (3-7) at Gilbert (6-5) - After a two-year playoff absence, the Bison look like contenders for a bid. Gilbert lost much of its experience from a season the Lions snuck in the playoffs as a No. 16 seed. BUFFALO 22-14
Statewide Lock of the Week
Class AA No. 4 Wayne (13-1) at Class AA No. 5 Keyser (8-4) - Keyser reached the Class AA quarterfinals last year with an inexperienced, defensively fueled squad. The Pioneers, who beat Keyser 22-0 in Wayne County in last year's season opener, lost their top six players to graduation, but have made a habit of reloading to keep themselves one of the top programs in the state year after year.
Wayne might again be able to fill such holes. But such a road trip so early in the year will leave the Pioneers vulnerable to a team that now has the upper hand in experience led by preseason All-State linebacker Damon Thorne and speedy defensive back Wes Washington. KEYSER 17-7
Last season: 157-51 (.755)
Contact sportswriter Derek Taylor at derek.tay...@dailymail.com or 304-348-5170.
