BECKLEY — Faraway Beckley, W.Va. is going to get a big dose of the Friendly City this week, as both the boys and girls soccer teams from Wheeling Park and Wheeling Central are making the trek down to the WVSSAC state soccer tournament, taking place inside the YMCA Paul Cline Memorial Youth Sports Complex beginning on Wednesday and running through Saturday.

The Wheeling Central girls are seeded No. 1 in Class A-AA, while the boys are seeded No. 2 in the same class. Both Wheeling Park teams are seeded No. 2 in the Class AAAA brackets. There are four teams in each bracket.

The Maroon Knight girls (18-3-1) are set to face No. 4 James Monroe (14-4-1) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the first round. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.

This year is the first time that a Wheeling Central team will compete in the state tournament. The Maroon Knights feel prepared heading into the game.

“All week we have been preparing for the state tournament,” Wheeling Central girls head coach Bill Konkle said. “We have been reviewing the four teams in our bracket and focusing on how to defend and attack them.

“Our first matchup is against James Monroe, which has a couple of strong forwards that we have been preparing the defense for. We also feel we will have some opportunities moving the ball forward, so we focused on possessing the ball in the midfield and finishing our opportunities at goal.”

The winner of Wheeling Central’s game, and the winner of No. 2 Lincoln vs. No. 3 Sissonville will play in the girls Class A-AA championship game on Friday at 1 p.m.

The Maroon Knight boys (18-3-1) will face No. 3 Frankfort (14-4-3) at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday in what will be the second trip down state for Central’s seniors. The Maroon last made the state tournament in 2023.

“The team is really loose, which is good,” Wheeling Central boys head coach Brian Komorowski said. “They’re not overconfident, but they know the job they have in front of them and they fell they can achieve it. That’s a real good thing.

“It helps being down here two years ago, going through the drill of what’s the hotel, what’s the field like, what’s the schedule like. There’s always going to be nerves when you get to this level and if you’re not nervous then there’s something wrong with you, you should be nervous. This is what everybody’s been working for all year. Everyone’s excited, optimistic, yet nervous.”

The boys’ championship game between the winner of Wheeling Central’s game and #1 St. Joseph Central vs. #4 Braxton County will take place on Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Wheeling Park’s boys (18-3) will face No. 3 Hurricane (16-3-1) in their semifinal matchup on Thursday at 12:30 p.m., a rematch of the two team’s regular season game on Sept. 6, a 1-0 Hurricane win.

The Patriot boys lost in the state semifinals last year to Woodrow Wilson, who is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will face No. 4 Morgantown in the opposite semifinal. The championship game for Class AAAA’s boys is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

“Our team is very excited about the opportunity to participate in the final four state championships in Beckley,” Wheeling Park head coach Mario Julian said. “The players have worked extremely hard in practice to ensure we are prepared to compete at our highest level and execute our game plan.

“We are hoping that our talents and experience will inspire this group of young men to win the championship.”

Wheeling Park’s girls (17-2-2) will face No. 3 Oak Hill (19-2-1) on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in their own state semifinal game. The Patriot girls make their return to Beckley after last making it to states in 2021, where they lost in the state championship game.

“The WP girls are playing Oak Hill tomorrow,” Wheeling Park head coach Tom Smith communicated via text. “Our approach to the game is as follows: focus on our strengths, what makes us tough to deal with- our counter attack, pace and ball control when needed, all while limiting the opponents strengths, which is their striker who has managed to accumulate 51 goals this year.”

“Our game plan is as follows: shut down their striker, counter attack off their mistakes, and play with a lot of emotion.”

No. 1 George Washington and No. 4 Morgantown face off in the opposite semifinal. The semifinal winners will play on Saturday at 1 p.m.