St. Marys ballcarrier Eli Wilson, who excelled at both running back and linebacker, was named to the Class A All-State first team defense. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

Wheeling Central dominated the West Virginia Class A high school football playoff field and Williamstown, its only regular season in-state opponent. The Maroon Knights lost two of their first six games and then reeled off six straight to win the school’s 13th crown.

The Maroon Knights also ruled Class A All-State, placing six first team members on the squad, which is voted on by coaches and members of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association and selected by the WVSWA.

Headlining the team at captain, however, is a Wildcat – Pendleton County quarterback Colton Roberson – one of a bevy of underclassmen for the Class A offense. Roberson, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore and one of nine sophomores or juniors on the offense, totaled 4,388 yards and had 60 total touchdowns guiding the Wildcats to the single-A semifinals where they fell to the Maroon Knights. He is joined on the team by classmate and favorite target Travis Owens, a 6-foot, 160-pound wide receiver who caught 65 passes for 1,189 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The state saw Wheeling Central’s offensive workhorse in first team running back Kade Koroneos, a senior who ran for a state record 415 yards in the finals after rushing for fewer than 1,000 prior to the playoffs.

He is joined on the first team offense by Maroon Knight teammates Dom Paesani, a 6-1, 270-pound junior lineman, quarterback and utility selection Nico Kusic, and placekicker Clay Petry.

The Cee-Bees, who were making their first trip to the state finals, placed four of its standouts on first team – junior quarterback Corey Coen, sophomore running back Caleb Hall, junior linemen Zach Gump and senior lineman Kooper Statler – a group that helped Clay-Battelle score a school-record 515 points.

Sherman’s third consecutive playoff appearance was spearheaded by senior wide receiver Trey Lester, whose 50 receptions, 1,104 yards, and 14 touchdowns.

Wahama, which had won 25 consecutive games before falling to Cameron in the playoff quarterfinals, placed a senior and a junior on the team.

Offensive lineman Alijah Hicks and junior running back Reezin Stitt represent the White Falcons, who will take a 42-game winning streak into the 2026 season.

Meadow Bridge reached the playoffs for the second consecutive year, going 7-3 in the regular season for the first time since 2015. A multi-purpose weapon, utility player Kaiden Sims, who ran for 1,544 yards and 20 TDs, was the Wildcats’ top selection on offense.

Cameron, which avenged last year’s Class A final loss to Wahama with an upset of the White Falcons in the quarterfinals, is represented on the offense by lineman Carter Paczewski.

The Class A first team defense consists of mostly seniors, as 11 of the 15 spots are held by upperclassmen.

Clay-Battelle senior Braden Ponceroff, a utility selection who was all over the field for the Cee-Bees, leads the group. He finished with 48 tackles, five tackles for a loss, and seven interceptions. Teammate and linebacker Cooper Payton also earned second team and led the Cee-Bees in tackles with 67.

Sherman’s Dawson Green, a 6-1, 235-pounder, is one of five linebackers on defense, including a sophomore – Cameron’s Talen Brown – and a junior – Meadow Bridge’s Bow Wykle. The Tide’s Colby Atkins, a sophomore, makes up one of the utility spots.

Defensive back Treyvon Bearhs is a junior from Wahama and one of three defensive backs, which include Tug Valley’s Bryson Elia and East Hardy’s Levi Price.

Wheeling Central defensive linemen Troy Mortakis and Maddox Stillion make up half of the front along with Wirt County’s Braden Whipkey and St. Marys’ Eli Wilson. Wirt linebacker Jake Moore also was a second team choice.

Rounding out the first team defense is punter Sam Marks from Tucker County.