Parkersburg South and Williamstown H.S. back in the state championship game

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - The Parkersburg South Patriots and Williamstown Yellow Jackets are headed to their respective class title games.

“You know I’ll talk about Williamstown too,” says Parkersburg South H.S. head football coach, Nathan Tanner. “Just having two Wood County Schools playing for a state championship, that’s a big deal for our community. It’s a really neat spot to be in.”

Parkersburg South is back in the class-AAA championship for the first time since 2003. Before any of south’s students were born.

“It means a lot,” says Psych student section leader, Bentley Kinzer. “It’s a lot easier to cheer for a good team than cheering for one who’s losing. It’s hard to keep yelling, but it’s pretty fun cheering for these guys.”

“I think it’s a good opportunity for the boys and I’ve watched a lot of them grow up since they were little. So, I think that they deserve it,” says Southside Psycho, Abbi Francisco.

And a few miles north in Williamstown, the Yellow Jackets are back in the class single-a championship looking for redemption after last year’s title loss.

“I think it’s really important that we come back,” says Williamstown high school cheerleader, Kameron Beck. “Because last year was definitely not how a lot of us planned the state game to go. So, I’m looking forward to them getting the state title this year.”

The road for these two teams has been met with a lot of its own hurdles.

Not only for the level of competition for both teams, but Williamstown has been playing without a single home game all season.

“Coming and supporting them and letting them know that the town is behind them is really important for them,” says Williamstown high school student, Riah Sprouse.

“We’re still a team, we’re still one family,” says Williamstown high school cheerleader, Lindsey Keller. “So, coming to support really shows that the whole town is involved and wants to be there.”

Williamstown is not only looking for redemption and the school’s third state title, but to add a fourth state title for the 2022 fall sports season.

“So, our cross-country teams both won – so, there’s two. And then volleyball,” says Williamstown high school athletic director and assistant principal, Jill Bryant. “And then, fingers crossed, we’re hoping that the football guys can bring home a state championship as well.”

And Tanner says that a state title win will be more than just getting south’s second football state championship, but a significant boost in morale for the school.

“I think whenever you have this many boys walking the halls with a sense of pride and a sense of self-confidence, I think it bleeds over into the student body,” says Tanner. “And a school like South that’s got 15, 16 hundred kids – whenever you have that – it bleeds over into the community as well. So, it’s a big deal.”

The Patriots will be playing the Huntington Highlanders this Saturday at noon and the Yellow Jackets will be playing the James Monroe Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. the same day. Both games will be taking place at Wheeling Island Stadium.

For more information on how to get tickets for the game, you can click on this link for Parkersburg South. And this link for Williamstown.

Copyright 2022 WTAP. All rights reserved.