Cameron Dragons Football Preparing For Shot At School History
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CAMERON - As their football team awaits a chance at history, the community of Cameron is buzzing with excitement.
The Dragons are preparing to play in their first state championship game in school history when they take to Laidley Field in Charleston on Friday to play Wahama for the Class A title. After seeing the support from their semifinal game, the Cameron faithful- and indeed the Ohio Valley at large- figure to keep it up leading into the championship bout.
"The school has been tremendous, the community's been tremendous," Cameron head coach Tim Brown said. "We had send offs from the school when we left after our Thursday practice last week, and it'll be the same thing this week.
"We had police escorts, fire department escorts, EMS escorts. Goodness, when we came back from the game last week, we had Monroe County picking us up. They had organized the police officers in this area to have us escorted from the Ohio side, up through New Martinsville and Wetzel County to Marshall County. Ohio County was coming on the radio to congratulate us and talk to us. Everybody in the Ohio Valley has been tremendously supportive, and that's exciting because you know, a lot of times you're doing battles against these people. It's been really interesting to see how supportive the entire Ohio Valley has been."
Cameron (12-1) will face the White Falcons (13-0) after knocking off the top-seed in Class A in the semifinals, undefeated Tug Valley. While the players are preparing for the biggest game in their school's history, Brown is striving to maintain his players' focus.
Seems like it's so far, so good.
"The kids are very excited," Brown said.
"But they're also very hungry and very focused. For instance, today my defensive coordinator and assistant offensive coordinator, they give up their lunch, eat lunch with the kids and watch film. That's been all year long, they've been discussing and talking with them. It's tremendous, the amount of effort and focus that these kids have put in all year, and they're going to continue that throughout this week."
Despite some turnover from a large senior class, this year's Dragons squad has proven themselves time and time again.
"We just traveled five hours and played a semifinals game that has never been done before, and the boys were completely focused on the game, the game plan, doing exactly what the coaches are telling them to do," Brown said. "They're communicating between each other on the field and on the sideline when they come off, and I don't see them doing anything differently this week. This is one of the most mature, most focused groups that I have seen as far as attacking the game plan and preparing."
The Dragons have been consistent contenders in recent years, with only 16 losses since 2016- less than two per-season. Cameron has also won the last three girls basketball Class A state championships. Brown sees the town itself as a big reason for that.
Tim Brown
"As a Cameron graduate, and as a coach here in the 90's, the 2000's, and then leaving this community and coaching in Columbus Ohio in a big atmosphere, and then coming back and watching the community with a new appreciation for them and for the coaches- just seeing how involved everyone was, it made me appreciate it for," Brown began. "When you live here, teach here, coach here, you can sometimes take things for granted. But when you go somewhere else and see other places, then you come back and see why there's so much success in Cameron in all sports."
In only a handful of days, the Dragons will have their shot at bringing home yet more gold in the schools' first championship game appearance. That's just as big for the coaches as it is for the players.
"For me, it feels like I'm finally giving back in a way that I can, using my knowledge, my experience," Brown said. "I don't want to say 'me' very much, because if I didn't have the coaches, the parents, the administration, if I didn't have my wife, all these people who support us and allow us to spend all our time being teachers or coaches, then we wouldn't have this success.
"Because of our work ethic, the kids see it and they buy into that work ethic. I saw adults crying after the semifinal game, I saw some big, tough men, who I wouldn't want to fight, in tears. It definitely means a lot to this community, and it means a lot to me. I've had sons and nephews come through the program, I have a grandson on the team now, I've got relatives through me and my wife on the team now. They all feel like your kids, but some of them are actually blood related. It means a lot, it really does."