Jenkins caps off big week

PHS lineman named to Parade All-American team

By DAVE POE
PARKERSBURG —After a week that saw a parade of college coaches come to town seeking his services, Parkersburg High School lineman has been named to the prestigious Parade All-America team.

The 45th annual team will be featured in the Feb. 3 edition of Parade, which is distributed along with the Sunday edition of The Parkersburg News.

The team includes 58 athletes from 24 states, with Jenkins — a 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive guard —being the only West Virginia player on the squad.

The Parade announcement capped off quite a week for Jenkins, who received personal visits both at Parkersburg High School and at his home from West Virginia University head coach Bill Stewart, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel and Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, all of whom are seeking his services.

On Saturday night, Jenkins was in Morgantown, sitting alongside Stewart at the West Virginia University-Georgetown basketball game. Jenkins not only was recognized by the crowd, but it broke out into a chant of “We want Jenkins.’’ One student who brought an erasable board to the game wrote on it, “Jenkins - need a pen?’’

Honors are nothing new to Jenkins, who has become the most celebrated player in the 103-year history of Parkersburg High School, where he is only the second player to be named first team all-state for three years.

He is the first West Virginia athlete to win the Hunt Award — given to the state’s top lineman — in back-to-back seasons and the first Mountain State athlete to participate in the nationally-televised U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he was a member of the victorious East squad.

Jenkins previously had been named to the USA Today All-American team.

The Parade team is a particularly prestigious one when you consider that 13 of its previous members went on to win the Heisman Trophy and 156 are playing in the National Football League. When the New England Patriots and the New York Giants meet in the Super Bowl next Sunday, the Patriots will boast four Parade All-Americans —including wide receiver Randy Moss of DuPont High School —while the Giants will have three Parade honorees.

The spread in Parade centers mainly around Jeannette, Pa. quarterback Terrell Pryor, who was one of Jenkins’ East squad teammates at the All-American Bowl, where he was named the Most Valuable Player. Pryor, like Jenkins, still hasn’t announced where he is going to college.

Parkersburg High School coach Bernie Buttrey — who has guided the Big Reds to 27 wins in 28 games and back-to-back Class AAA state titles —was excited by the news.

“There’s just no end to the good news,’’ said Buttrey, who accompanied Jenkins to the All-American Bowl. “This is a first for our program. Josh makes such a good representative for Parkersburg High School.’’

Buttrey believes the recruiting battle for Jenkins is the most intense in state history. Buttrey sat with Jenkins at the West Virginia Duals wrestling tournament and it seemed like everyone in the arena was coming up and politely offering Jenkins their advice, which naturally was they wanted to see him become a Mountaineer.

“This has given our program a great deal of exposure,’’ Buttrey said.

Contact Dave Poe at

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