W.Va. has plenty of weapons in receivers and kicking game

WHEELING — W.Va. has a plethora of pass-catching options as well as a lethal place kicker for Saturday night’s 79th annual OVAC Rudy Mumley All-Star Football Game at Wheeling Island Stadium.
The Mountaineers have announced their wide receivers, tight ends and special teams performers, including Cameron’s Wes Starcher, Clay-Battelle’s Landon Savage, Brooke’s Chase Hile, Madonna’s Andre Crossland Jr., Weir’s Damir Mowder, John Marshall’s Hayden Gaiser, Cameron’s Slaton Pettit, Cameron’s Mason Scott, Madonna’s Wesley Molish and Linsly’s Ramello Derr.
HILE (6-0, 155) turned out to be one of the best-kept secrets in the Ohio Valley last fall as the Bruins’ weapon.
He made 10 of 13 field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards. He was also perfect on 17 PAT attempts and punted for a 34.5 yard average.
He was accorded first team status on the W./Va. Class AAA all-state team, as well as all-OVAC and all-Valley.
Also a standout soccer player, he also ran track for the Bruins.
He will attend West Liberty University to continue his academic and athletic careers.
Hile is the son of Krista Brettell of Wellsburg.
STARCHER (5-7, 140) was a wide receiver and linebacker for the Dragons who advanced to the Class A state championship game before falling to a powerful Wahama squad.
Also a standout on the OVAC Class A baseball champions as a junior, he is the son of William and Christie Starcher of Cameron.
SAVAGE (5-6, 180) had 309 receiving yards and four touchdowns last fall for the Cee-Bees. He also ran for 58 yards.
He also ran track in high school.
He was honorable mention all-W.Va. Class A and honorable mention all-OVAC.
Savage is the son of Andrew and Alicia Savage of Blacksville.
CROSSLAND (6-2, 190) had more than 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for the Blue Dons last fall. A two-way standout, he made more than 200 tackles and had 11 interceptions during his career.
He was a two-time all-Valley honoree, as well as all-OVAC honorable mention.
He will attend W\VU.
Crossland is the son of Andre Sr. and Steffanie Crossland of Weirton.
MOWDER (6-1, 210) caught 29 passes for 593 yards and nine touchdowns for the Red Riders.
He was first team all-OVAC and honorable mention all-W.Va.
He will attend Fairmont State University to continue his academic and athletic careers.
Mowder is the son of Patrice Smith of Weirton.
GAISER (6-0, 158) had 508 receiving yards and six TDs on 29 catches last fall for the Monarchs. He excelled on defense, as well, charting 26 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pair of passes. He also punted 31 times for a 33.8 average.
In addition to football, Gaiser also played basketball and baseball for four years.
He will attend West Liberty University in the fall.
Gaiser is the son of Jeremy and Joni Gaiser and they reside in Moundsville.
PETTIT (6-0, 160) was a key figure in the Dragon’s run to the W.Va. Class A state championship tilt. He accounted for 1,466 all-purpose yards, running for 885 and catching passes for 393. He had 19 total touchdowns. On defense, he made 54 tackles, picked off two passes.
He was named first team all-OVAC and first team all-Mason Dixon. He earned honorable mention all-state.
In addition to football, Pettit was an accomplished wrestler at Cameron, winning a W./Va. State title as a senior. He was an OVAC runner up three times and placed all four years.
He is entering an electrician’s apprenticeship.
Pettit is the son of Carl and Holly Pettit of Cameron.
SCOTT (6-1, 150) is another multi-sport standout for the Dragons. He caught 24 passes for 503 yards for an average of 21 yards-per-catch. He finished with 12 touchdowns, Defensively, he made 24 tackles and picked off five passes.
He was accorded first team status on the all-W.Va. Class A all-state squad, as well as all-OVAC where he was the Class A Player of the Year. He was also first team all-Mason Dixon.
He was also a member of the basketball and track teams.
Scott will attend West Liberty University.
He is the son of Gabe and Bethany Scott. They reside in Cameron.
MOLISH (6-3, 210) played tight end for the Blue Dons, but earned most of his accolades on the defensive side of the football where he made 71 solo tackles, had a trio of quarterback sacks and forced three fumbles.
He was first team all-OVAC; second team all-W.Va. Class A was OVAC all-Academic four years.
He also played baseball and wrestled in high school.
Molish will attend Fairmont State University to continue his academic and athletic careers.
He is the son of Ryan and Jennifer Molish of New Cumberland.
DERR (5-9, 150) had 37 catches for 646 yards as a senior for the Cadets.
He will attend West Liberty University to continue his academic and athletic careers.
Derr is the son of James and Santesha Derr of Wheeling.