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King Football Takes Its Throne on Thursday in the Ohio Valley

Annual high school preview set to hit the streets

Photo by Scott McCloskey Wheeling Park High School head football coach Chris Daugherty holds the school’s 2015 Class AAA football championship trophy with junior quarterback Cross Wilkinson. Wheeling Park sets out in defense of its crown this week with a Friday evening tilt against Perry, Pa.

WHEELING — The expectations are high this year for Wheeling Park and Magnolia high schools, as both teams set out to defend their West Virginia football championships.

And in Steubenville, where the expectations always are high, coach Reno Saccoccia is looking to take his Big Red squad the final step to a fourth state crown, as the team last year finished runner-up in Ohio Division IV after dropping a heartbreaker in the championship game to Columbus Bishop Hartley.

King football makes its return this week in both Ohio and West Virginia, with a month’s worth of work leading into a pair of games Thursday in Steubenville to kick off the action. The host Steubenville Big Red play at 5:45 p.m. Thursday at Harding Stadium against Woodrow Wilson while Wheeling Central faces Steubenville Catholic Central at 7:45 p.m.

With the start of a new season comes the release of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register’s 49th annual Football Preview. The section, often referred to as the “Bible of High School Football,” will appear in Thursday’s editions, with 140 pages dedicated to in-depth breakdowns of every OVAC team including predicted finish, and college breakdowns from West Liberty, Bethany, West Virginia University, Ohio State, Ohio University, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Marshall.

For Wheeling Park, junior quarterback Cross Wilkinson is hoping to keep the Patriots atop the Class AAA heap in 2016. He’s got a tall task ahead of him following the graduation of a deep and talented senior class.

For coach Chris Daugherty, the 2016 campaign is all about consistency.

“We want to be thought of for potential championships every year,” Daugherty said. “When you look at 2013 we were probably a game away — a play away, really. In 2014 we got beat by Capital and then 2015 we were lucky enough to win it all. We know how hard that is (because) a lot has to go into it. We just want to keep maintaining a certain level here and not have a dropoff.”

Wilkinson is key in making sure that doesn’t happen. He threw for more than 2,500 yards and 27 touchdowns last year on his way to being named The Intelligencer/News-Register Sophomore of the Year, and already has Division I offers from Marshall and Akron.

Park’s defense will be anchored by senior Jack Bence, a returning starter on the defensive line.

At Magnolia, Coach Dave “Doc” Chapman finds himself as the new boss for the defending Class A state champions. That can be both good and bad, as he inherits a team that’s experienced success — and now he has to keep it going.

“In coaching, when you win a state championship there’s not too many times in your coaching career you get a chance to win that last game,” Chapman said. “That’s an ultimate to your season in winning that last game. Last year was a special year. The core of guys that are coming back, mainly the skill kids, played well in that game.”

Quarterback Nick Priem is back for his third season as a starter. The senior accumulated 1,418 yards and 15 touchdowns in Magnolia’s state championship season.

Chapman also will rely heavily on Chase Street, Brooks Parsons and Peau Halahingano.

And in Steubenville, Big Red will feature a massive target on the outside in senior Charles Reeves (6-foot-6, 240 pounds) for whichever of the two junior quarterbacks, Johnny Agresta and Javon Davis, gets the starting nod.

A first-team All-Ohioan last season, Reeves led the team in receiving with 50 catches. Some scouting services have him ranked as one of the top prospects in the state.

Steubenville has qualified for the playoffs 15 straight years.

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