Wheeling Central Opens New Season vs. Perry
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WHEELING -- The last time Wheeling Central took the field for a football game, they were counting down the final seconds of a 56-34 victory over Clay Battelle in the WVSSAC Class A state championship game.
Eight months later, it's back to square one for the Maroon Knights, who kick off a brand-new season Friday against Perry Traditional Academy on Bishop Schmitt Field.
"We’re excited because, when you’re coming in and you have a number of experienced players like we have coming back, we’re excited for it because they know the routine, they know the system," Wheeling Central head coach Mike Young said. "We just got to work on technique, work on execution to run the offense and aggression to run defense."
Friday will mark the fourth consecutive season with a meeting between Wheeling Central and Perry; Central has won each of the previous three. The two programs only have one more meeting between them in their history, a 39-28 Perry victory back in 2010.
Wheeling Central defeated the Commodores 41-8 last year.
While Wheeling Central is coming off a 10-2 campaign and Perry is rebounding off a 1-8 season, Young expects his opponents to present certain challenges..
"We always expect Perry to have speed and athletes," Young said. "This is their first game like it is ours. They've had one scrimmage, but they’ve got a young team. So we’re looking at our experience to be able to play very disciplined. But our kids have to play good ball because they can pull of a long run, they can make the long pass, and they can catch them. They can play and they’re aggressive."
Wheeling Central will be quarterbacked by senior Nico Kusic, who returns in that role with another offseason under his belt. In his junior campaign, Kusic passed for 1,310 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 767 yards and six scores.
"He’s come a long way, the way we thought he would," Young said of Kusic.
Young said new tailbacks Dustin Sanner and Eli Czapp can keep Central's ground game humming behind a senior-heavy offensive line.
"We got kids up-front that we feel like can open up some holes, with Cooper Jones and Dom Paesani, Olen Ames and Trent Lander and Seth Wodusky, just to name a few there."
Young says his returning linebacking duo of junior Trenton McCardle and senior Brady Ernest should factor heavily into Central's plans Friday, not just on defense.
"You got Trenton McCardleback, along with Brady Ernest. He’ll be a wingback and an outside or inside linebacker. He’s versatile. Of course, Dustin Sanner, we’re planning on him carrying the ball a lot and we’re planning on him playing some real good defense too."
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday where the Knights will run out onto the field for what is a special moment of every season.
"Well, you can’t wait for it to happen," Young said of starting week one. "It takes a long time for that first game to come, whether you’re playing at home or away. You know, you’ve been practicing for a month and you’re ready to go and you’re hungry to go hit somebody else other than your own teammates and you’re hungry to kick off the season and have success."