Shadyside 12 – Monroe Central 0
Newscomerstown 33 – River 21
Martins Ferry 31 – Edison 21
Barnesville 39 – Meadowbrook 13
Mount Vernon 27 – Cambridge 13
Caldwell 48 – Buckeye Trail 3
St. Clairsville 48 – Buckeye Local 21
Brooke 35 – Parkersburg South 7
Bridgeport 42 – Toronto 0
Magnolia 48 – Williamstown 21
Bridgeport WV 29 – Wheeling Park 27
Harrison Central 36 – Weir 34

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As a three year starter for Wheeling Park, Boogie led the Patriots to 3 straight playoff berths, which included a trip to the State Championship game in 1991, when Boogie was a senior. In that remarkable season, Boogie Johnson rushed for an amazing 2,111 yards and 35 touchdowns. What is most phenomenal about those statistics is in 6 out of ten games during the regular season, Boogie only played in the first half.

When his high school career was finished, Boogie had rushed for more than 4,100 career yards and had clenched the coveted Kennedy Award as West Virginia’s top football player during his senior year. Boogie was also awarded the Gatorade West Virginia Player of the Year, and finished as a 4th Team USA Today High School All American.

Boogie was also a 3 year starter on the Patriot’s baseball team, and many will argue that baseball was his better sport.

Football did not stop at the High School level for Boogie. Standing only 5’7″ and 180lbs, Boogie had scholarship offers from nearly half a dozen schools including Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Clemson, West Virginia University, and Washington State. Boogie’s first choice was WVU, but they were recruiting him as a defensive back. Boogie chose to continue his academic and athletic career at Oklahoma State, where he accepted a full athletic scholarship.

As a redshirt freshman, Boogie started for Oklahoma State. He entered the National spot light on a Thursday night, televised game, against a highly ranked Nebraska team that was led by Tommy Frasier and Lawrence Philips. In that game Boogie accounted for more than 160 total yards, 130 of them rushing. He helped lead Oklahoma State into a 13-3 halftime lead, though Nebraska came back to win 23-13 in the final. During that season, Boogie rushed for just over 600 yards in 7 games before his season was cut short by a twisted knee injury.

The rest of Boogie’s career was hampered by injuries. He broke his collar bone his sophomore year, just three days before the season opener, and in his junior year Boogie tore his knee again against Nebraska in the fourth week of the season.

While his football career was cut short, the lessons he learned on the field prepared him for life.

Boogie now resides in Wheeling with his partner Natalie Spence, and his two kids Savion (12), and Amarie (3). He is an assistant coach of the Wheeling Park football team and Para Professional at Wheeling Park High School in the special education department.

I was able to sit down with Boogie for a short Q/A session:

Q: How did you get the nickname “Boogie”?
A: “From my Mom. When I was a baby, I was told that I was always jumping around. One particular time I was at the hospital and I guess I was jumping all over the place dancing and the Doctor said “he’s boogying”, and from then on, my Mom always called me Boogie.”

Q: What do you remember most about being at Wheeling Park as a student athlete?
A: “The comradery that was built. My best friends then are the same people who are my best friends now. The friendships that were built have lasted my whole life.”

Q: Is there a particular play that you remember most?
A: “My favorite play was called “Sprint Draw”, it was a simple play where you just step to the side and the QB hands you the ball on a draw. I loved that. I loved just being in space and finding my own way out.”

Q: Is there a particular game that you remember more than most?
A: “Man, that’s tough… there were so many great games. We had a lot of good games. Capitol played us very tough in the Championship game, and we had to play John Marshall twice in 3 weeks, and they gave us all we could take for 4 quarters… but I would have to say Mt. View in the State Semifinals. They were one of the biggest, most physical teams I’ve ever seen in AAA football, to this day.”

Q: In Wheeling Park’s locker room, there is a picture of you hanging on the wall. How does that make you feel?
A: “It’s great; it is really a great feeling. The kids I coach now were not even born then. They look at the wall, and look at me, and they are like “Coach, that’s you!”. My youngest son and his teammates see the picture and his friends run up to me and say “You’re on the wall”, and it means a lot to me that I was appreciated.”

Q: What advice do you have for all the young student athletes in the Ohio Valley?
A: “I played at 5’7″ about 180lbs. In the Ohio Valley, I always hear people say that you cannot get recruited in this area, that our kids are not big enough, or good enough, or whatever it may be. You have to believe in yourself and your ability. Believe that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Work hard, and push yourself, especially when nobody is watching… when nobody is around to see it, that is when you need to push yourself the hardest. You can do anything you put your mind do, and never let somebody tell you that it can’t be done… you can do anything in life.”

Barnesville 21 – John Glen 13
St.Clairsville 34 – Crestview 24
Cambridge 32 – John Marshall 26
Edison 36 – Oak Glen 12
Martins Ferry 28 – Buckeye Local 13
Brooke 39 – Parkersburg 17
Union Local 21 – Meadowbrook 19
Indian Creek 33 – Weir 0
Strasburg 59 – St.Johns 0
Harrison Central 47 – Claymont 37
Cladwell 29 – Newscomerstown 21
Megadore 21 – Linsly 7
Van 34 – Paden City 6
Magnolia 54 – Tolsia 0
Shadyside 42 – Beallsville 0
Bishop Donahue 57 – Cameron 0
Monroe Central 34  - Columbania  26
Williamstown 41 – Tyler Consolidated 0
Fort Frye 38 – River 14
East Liverpool 16 – Beaver Local 10

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Wheeling Island and Death Valley in Steubenville  hosted the McDonalds OVAC Kickoff at their respective stadiums.

The first official OVAC winner in the Ohio Valley was Steubenville Big Red, as they were able to wrap up their contest minutes before Wheeling Central put the finishing touches on Bellaire.

Steubenville and Wheeling Central both set the tone early as they pulled their starters early in the 2nd half.

Steubenville topped Inkster 36-0 in the shutout, while Wheeling Central tumbled Bellaire 56-7

Wellsville and Toronto went toe to toe for 4 quarters with the Tigers squeezing out a 13-12 victory.

In the late afternoon double headers, Wheeling Park let Morgantown have their way in a 41-7 blowout.  The Bridgeport Bulldogs lived up to the preseason hype handling Steubenville Central in another big victory.

Wheeling Centrals offensive line opened up huge holes, allowing Marcus Clifford to run wild for 275 yards, all of which came in the first half.

Up the river, Steubenville Big Red opened their season by downing Inkster in dominating fashion 36-0.

At Wheeling Island, Wheeling Park will host Morgantown, and Wheeling Central will entertain the Bellaire Big Reds.

In Steubenville at Death Valley, Steubenville Big Red will match up with Inkster, and Steubenville CC with host a highly ranked Bridgeport squad.

In another Ohio battle, Wellsville will host Toronto in small school action.

We’ve waited, and now the time is finally here… its football season!

The Eagles Skipper found himself in a tough situation, being nearly 600 miles from his home in Atlanta, Georgia and without a catcher due to injury the coach did what he has done for so many years and that’s scout. After evaluating the nearly five dozen catchers that entered the showcase that day he approached Riley about playing with his already talented team for the weekend. With little hesitation the Red Devil catcher accepted the offer and found himself behind the plate the following day catching against the Ohio Warhawks. Over the course of the next two days Riley caught an additional 4 games and landed the Eagles into the playoff round that was slated to begin on Sunday morning at Brooke High School.

While the years of attending camps and catching for many teams prepared him to perform behind the plate, they did not prepare him for what was about to happen. Following the late Saturday game against Kingsville Neal Post, the coach that has mentored 52 major league players including Michael Barrett and Marquis Grissom approached Riley’s father about the young catcher joining the Eagles on the road for an additional 5 tournaments through the months of July and August. Overwhelmed by the situation, they went home to discuss the proposition and decided to accept his offer. The following day after a loss in the second round of the playoffs to Oakville Royals, Riley found himself in a van heading to New York City. While in New York they were able to attend Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty and view the Mets organization.

Following the brief stay in New York the team loaded up the vans and preceded down south to Atlanta for a week of practice before heading off to there next tournament at the University of Troy in Alabama. After the Troy tournament it was back to Atlanta for a few days of practice before heading back to Alabama for a tournament at the oldest ballpark in America, Rickwood Field.

Immediately following the close of the Rickwood tournament it was back into the vans for the last tournament of the summer, the AAU 19u National Tournament at the Washington Nationals Spring Practice Facility in Viera, Florida. While in Viera, the team was able to stay at nearby Cocoa Beach. The four day tournament consisted of teams from all around the United States with many of the players already committed to or playing in Division 1 college programs. Day four found the Eagles competing in the finals of the Gold Round against the Louisiana Warriors. While the outcome was not what they wanted, the team finished with a silver medal and was awarded the Sportsmanship Award.

While the summer stint with the Eagles may be temporally on hold, there are plans to reunite with his teammates in the fall for a weekend tournament in Troy, Alabama.

For West Virginia, this is only their second OVAC All Star Game victory of the 21st Century. For Coach Tom Bruney, it was his first victory in an All Star Game.

Box Score:

West Virginia 24, Ohio 14
1 2 3 4 T

West Virginia 0 3 7 14 24
Ohio 0 7 0 7 14

O – Dierkes 6 run (Cook kick)
W – FG Molinari 47
W – Ferguson 3 run (Molinari kick)
W – Ferguson 1 run (Molinari kick)
O – Wiggins 16 pass from Smith (Cook kick)
W – Varner 1 run (Molinari kick)

Statistics

Rushing:

West Virginia 33-113-3td
(Ferguson 10-57-2td, Wallace 14-46, Bates 5-9, George 2-6, Varner 1-1-td, Hood 1-(-6);

Ohio
27-96-td
(Dierkes 13-64-td, Hardesty 4-18, Thomas 3-2, Smith 6-16, Spence 1-(-4).

Passing:

West Virginia 9-12-60
(Wallace 9-11-60, Hood 0-1-0);

Ohio 15-33-157-td2x
(Dierkes 5-12-43-x, Smith 10-21-114-x).

Receiving:

West Virginia
(George 2-19, Yocum 1-7, Taylor 3-26, Bates 1-5, Kuhar 1-8, Ferguson 1-(-5);

Ohio
(Callarik 1-19, Nicholes 4-37, Rataiczak 1-1, Ricchetti 1-11, Spence 3-42, Wayt 1-9, Wiggins 1-16-td, Kimble 1-16, Thomas 2-6).

First Downs: West Virginia 12; Ohio 13.

Fumbles: West Virginia 1-0; Ohio 0-0

Penalties: West Virginia 5-25; Ohio 6-27.

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The opening session of the day will be an All-Skills Clinic for girls in grades 1-8 from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Players in grades 9-12 are welcome for the afternoon and evening sessions. From 12:30-3:30 p.m., players can choose between setter training and outside hitter training. Right back training will also be covered in the setter clinic. The final session will run from 4-7 p.m. and allow players to choose between defense and middle hitter training. Instruction will also be given on developing a strong serve during the defense portion. On-court instruction will be given by Bethany head coach Courtney Kline, the 2009 PAC Coach of the Year, with other staff consisting of USAV club coaches, collegiate coaches and collegiate players.            

The cost of each session is $30, but any player choosing to participate in two clinics will receive a discounted rate of $25 per session.            

For more information, you can contact Head Coach Courtney Kline at 304-829-7165 or by e-mail at ckline@bethanywv.edu. You can also visit our web site at http://www.bethanywv.edu/athletics/varsity/volleyball and print out a registration form