’Jackets host Central in W.Va. small school showdown
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- Defending Class A state champion Wheeling Central head coach Mike Young’s Maroon Knights are ready for a battle come 7 p.m. Friday against undefeated Williamstown.
The Class AA, No. 2 Yellowjackets of head man Chris Beck have previously had 10-0 regular seasons 10 times in school history. That includes the last one in 2023 when WHS ran the table under Beck en route to a perfect season and the Class A state championship.
Coach Young’s squad has played a tough schedule and are locked in for at least one home playoff game despite a current 5-4 record and a No. 6 rating.
“This is the biggest one. They’ve all been a challenge this year. It’s been challenging,” admitted Young. “I’m very proud of how they’ve come together and overcome the losses and still play hard and positive toward getting the next game and a win.
“We played a good Cincinnati team there last week and they were fast and aggressive. We were able to hang with them and beat them.”
Williamstown, which also had a 9-0-1 regular season in 1961 under head coach James Carpenter, kept it close for a half last fall before losing 47-19.
“I think these weeks are always fun,” Beck said. “It grabs guys’ attention. The focus is always there.
“They know the challenge that awaits Friday. I think it’s a game as a player and a coach you want to be a part of.”
The experienced Wheeling Central program rolls back into Yellowjacket Field for the second straight year.
“They are very good. They are senior heavy, which is a little bit different for a Central team,” Beck added. “They start eight or nine seniors on both sides of the ball. They’re an experienced team. A team that has a lot of playmakers across the board. It starts with 2 (QB Nico Kusic) and 10 (RB Dustin Sanner). Both of those guys are phenomenal. It’s usually not just one guy brings them down so you got to get a lot of hats to the ball.
“We got to be disciplined, reading our keys and try to limit those big plays if we can. That kind of starts with both sides. Can you control the line of scrimmage? They are very, very good up front so our guys will be challenged there. They got a lot of size. How our defensive line responds. How our offensive line responds probably will go a long way to determine how this game goes.”
Kusic is a dual-threat quarterback like Williamstown’s Breck Allen, while Sanner is 24 yards from 1,000 and has scored 15 touchdowns while averaging 7.2 yards a carry.
“We’ve got a battle this week. They are 9-0 for a reason. They are pretty good,” said Young. “I like our kids. I like how hard they play. I like the aggression they’ve developed and the camaraderie as a team.
“We see their talent. We’ve seen them grow and develop and coach Beck is an excellent coach. He does a great job with the program and they play us tough all the time no matter what. It’s going to happen again this week too.”
Areas of concern last week for the Yellowjackets came in the kicking game and being a little banged up.
“I think we got healthy for the most part. I expect most hands to be on deck and we’ll see how it goes, and we’ll see how the game plays out,” said Beck while adding of the kicking issues “hopefully better.
“(Carter) Hoops was dealing with a little bit of an ankle injury last week and it showed, but he’s been pretty good actually for us. Their guy (Clay Petry), he’ll kick the ball 70 yards into the end zone on kickoffs. It’s not like barely a touchback. He buries it back there. A phenomenal kicker. Very, very good.”
Along with converting all 32 of his extra points, the senior Petry, who was a first team all-stater in 2025, has made all four of his field goals, which includes a 47-yarder.
While Young’s squad has been challenged countless times this season, the recipe for winning doesn’t really change.
“I really think that’s where the game is going to be won and lost is in the trenches because both teams have veteran lines,” Young admitted.
“Both teams have good skill people and I think the game will be won and lost with blocking and tackling up front.”
Beck and the Yellowjackets, who are led in rushing by Daniel Cunningham (112-836-14) and Allen (99-710-7), know what they’re up against.
“It’s a huge game, but it’s not the Super Bowl,” Beck stressed. “Just excited for the opportunity. I think it’s going to be a great game. We need to play well and if we don’t then things can go south on us in a hurry like last year.
“We’re just excited to go play and finish out the regular season. They got a really, really good team that’s well coached and we’ll see how our guys kind of stack up.”
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com