photo by: Benjamin Powell

Cameron QB Karson Angel runs against Clay-Battelle on Saturday.

BLACKSVILLE – For the first time ever, the Clay-Battelle High School football team will play for the Class A state championship.

The third-ranked Cee-Bees defeated No. 7 Cameron, 24-12, on Saturday afternoon at the Joe and Louis Statler Athletic Complex in Blacksville, punching their tickets to the state championship game next week at Laidley Field in Charleston to battle No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic on Friday at 7:00 p.m.

“This team is a family,” second-year C-B head coach Aaron LaPoe said. “We don’t just put that word on shirts; these guys love each other and give everything they have for their teammates. Before every game, we turn the lights off in the locker room and listen to ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins, and whatever comes out of those boys’ souls comes out. Braden Ponceroff said it best when he spoke up and told everyone we aren’t just one person, we are a unit, and these guys played that way today and have done so all season.”

It was Ponceroff who made the biggest plays when it mattered most, coming away with a pair of interceptions and the go-ahead touchdown with a one-handed catch-and-run in the third quarter. It was his only reception of the afternoon, but it came at the ideal time, putting the Cee-Bees ahead 14-12 in the third, and for good in the second half.

Saturday’s win was a full-circle moment for Clay-Battelle, even with one game remaining on the calendar, as the hosts avenged the lone loss on the 2025 schedule, a 22-16 defeat to the Dragons in the opening week of the season on the road.

Fast forward 12 weeks and eleven consecutive victories later, and the Cee-Bees slayed the Dragons to do something no other team has ever done before in the history of Clay-Battelle football.

C-B junior quarterback Corey Coen led his team with 21 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns, adding 45 yards and the TD pass to Ponceroff.

The C-B defense forced five turnovers (three INTs and two fumbles) and held the Dragons to 49 rushing yards on 25 carries. Cameron senior quarterback Kason Angel completed 12 of 21 passes for 152 yards and a score, adding the three picks.

The Dragons, who upset No. 2 Wahama 42-16 on the road in the quarterfinals, finished the 2025 season 8-4 and reached the semifinals for the second year in a row.

“Can’t take anything away from Clay-Battelle, they earned the third seed and the win today,” Cameron head coach Tim Brown said. “We didn’t get the job done, but I’m proud of the effort of our guys today and all season.”

Saturday’s victory was the first for Clay-Battelle against Cameron after suffering 11 straight losses to the 2024 state runner-up.

“I kind of think my story is kind of like Lord of the Rings,” LaPoe said of making history with his Alma Mater in his hometown. “This is my Shire, this is my home. This is like one big community service project for me, and being able to give back to these kids, people, and the community means so much to me.”

BOX SCORE

Clay-Battelle 24, Cameron 12

Cameron 0 6 6 0 – 12

Clay-Battelle 0 8 8 8 – 24

SCORING SUMMARY

CAM – Angel 8 run (2pt no good)

C-B – Coen 1 run (2pt good/Coen 3 run)

CAM – Bonar 3 pass/Angel (2pt no good)

C-B – Ponceroff 38 pass/Coen (2pt good/Hall 8 pass)

C-B – Coen 4 run (2pt good/Coen 3 run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Cameron – Holland 18-62, Angel 7-(-13)-TD. Clay-Battelle – Coen 21-115-2TD, Hall 18-96, Clovis 1-7, Snodgrass 2-(-2).

PASSING: Cameron – Angel 12/21-152-TD-3INT. Clay-Battelle – Coen 2/7-45-TD.

RECEIVING: Cameron – Reed 5-60, Lilly 4-54, Bonar 2-28-TD, Holland 1-10. Clay-Battelle – Ponceroff 1-38-TD, Clovis 1-7.