PARKERSBURG — A significant absence will exist during the upcoming high school girls basketball season.

Parkersburg Catholic, which has a proud and rich tradition in the sport, will not field a team for the 2024-25 campaign. The collective decision by school administrators and the coaching staff was made in October and was based on the limited number of players who planned to participate.

In the offseason, one player elected to transfer and another (Seneca Lang) underwent season-ending surgery. That left first-year coach Bob Carr with five players.

“As an organization, we came to the realization we were only counting on five to six young ladies who could play basketball,” PCHS athletic director Larry Thompson said. “When discussions started, we weighed our options versus playing games and injuries. We made the decision to cancel games this year and use it as a developmental year.

“This year, there are no seniors. We don’t plan to lose any of them and add a couple from middle schools then hit the ground running.

Parkersburg Catholic and the girls state basketball tournament have been synonymous since the school went unbeaten with back-to-back state titles in 1977 and 1978. The Crusaderettes, who also won a state title in 2022 with a perfect record, have 10 state titles and four runner-up finishes as part of their legacy.

Administrators covered every inch of the building attempting to recruit. Marty Vieheller, who resigned from his head coaching post with the PCHS girls at the conclusion of last season, assisted in any way he could.

“We exhausted all our options,” Thompson said. “I talked with every young lady in the building more times than I can count. We had former players speak to the girls. We had alumni who are teachers talk to them. It was just one of those things you don’t want to force them to do something they don’t want to do.

“With our rich tradition here at Parkersburg Catholic, we didn’t want to do any disrespect and come across a certain way. We felt it was the best decision to cancel the season and get ready for the following year.”

There is light at the end of the tunnel for PCHS. The middle school program consisted of 16 players. The numbers were comparable at the elementary level as well.

“COVID really hurt our organization — that’s why we are in this situation,” Thompson said. “Because of COVID, we didn’t have a middle school program for some time. We didn’t have a sustained feeder program for the girls. Now that we have added the middle school program, in due time our numbers will grow and we will be able to field full teams.”

As for Carr’s arrival with the program as a first-year coach, Thompson touched on the passion he brings to the table. That feeling will continue through the current development phase then flourish into the 2025-26 season.

“Bob is passionate about the sport and the development of kids into great athletes,” Thompson said. “He is doing everything he can for this program.

“It was a very tough and difficult decision, but I think we made the right decision.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com