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Binegar’s boys ready to get some wins this year

After PCHS went 0-8 last season

PARKERSBURG — After going through sort of an unusual high school football season last year, Parkersburg Catholic head coach Lance Binegar is obviously looking for a better outcome this fall than what happened to the Crusaders en route to an 0-8 record in 2017.

And that hope began for PCHS during the ongoing WVSSAC three-week coaching period this month, with second-year Catholic grid boss Binegar seeing his team so far “doing very well in the weight room and in attendance at practice.”

“My goal when we first started talking this year to the kids here about football was 22 players, which I would love to have,” said Binegar, since that number would give him both a full offense and defense to go against each other in practice.

Binegar and his staff are working right now with 17 players, “but we are still hoping to add a few stragglers to put us at 20 or over,” he said.

That’s because when Binegar, who when last season came to a close, “ended up with 11 on the team, and that was it with all the injuries we had and things we had to deal with,” he said. “So we had just enough to get by at the end.”

And that was with the Crusaders not quite playing a full season last fall.

Versus Gilmer County in week 9, “we were up to play them at our homecoming,” said Binegar. “But it actually got canceled the night before the game and I didn’t even know about it. The kids actually told me, because it came from here (at PCHS) that they were canceling, so I had no idea.”

And a week before that game, Williamstown was supposed to be the visiting opposition for Catholic. “But that got canceled because of the (eight-day IEI industrial chemical warehouse) fire (on the southside of Parkersburg),” said Binegar, “which I’m assuming is why Gilmer got canceled too, because even though the fire was done, people were still worried about breathing in any lingering toxic materials.”

But with more players this year and a more conducive schedule, “we should be a lot more competitive this year,” said Binegar. Instead of opening up with Magnolia again, the Crusaders kick off their 2018 campaign with a game at Paden City, “so that’s a big change that’s better for us,” he noted. “They’re more on the level we’re on than Magnolia.”

Then Catholic has opted in week 2 to play a home game on Friday, Aug. 31 at Don Drumm Stadium in Marietta against Ritchie County at 7:30 p.m. “Since we have some kids from Marietta on the team, we wanted to play a game up there,” said Binegar.

And at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 behind PCHS, the Crusaders will play what is believed to be their first actual “home” varsity football game at the school with Calhoun County the foe. “That will be a special game for us,” said Binegar.

One big thing the gregarious Binegar has in his favor this year is that “we return everybody; we didn’t lose anybody to graduation, which is a good thing, because they all have experience now,” he said, what with all his players getting playing time last year.

That means that the offensive backfield will return intact this season with seniors Ty Sturm and Aidan Stotts, junior Jeb Boice and sophomore Xavier Collie, who “as of now is going to be our quarterback,” said Binegar.

However, Collie started last season at QB as just a mere freshman, but then was replaced by Boice until he got hurt and Alex Schriner played the position as well.

“Collie was a freshman playing against men, so he had kind of a rough start at it,” said Binegar.

“But he has come along, been working in the offseason, and is bigger, taller and can grip the ball better. He can sling it around now.

“So that helps whenever we can leave him at quarterback and put Jeb at tailback, since Jeb can throw the ball, run the ball, kick the ball, return the ball. I mean Jeb can do just about anything, so when we can leave him at running back that really helps us out a lot.”

Up front for the 2018 Crusaders on the offensive line, juniors Jalen Brunny and Joel Stophel are both back. Plus, “we’re hoping to get (junior) Josh Cowan back in time for the season after he suffered a knee injury, tearing his ACL in basketball,” said Binegar, “and also had Wade Smitley transfer in who’s 6-6 and 320 (pounds), so he’s a big man.”

Rounding out the PCHS O-line will be sophomore Ethan Lang “at tight end again this season,” said Binegar, who also landed a pair of twins in juniors Logan and Braedon Ayers who played basketball and ran track for Catholic as sophomores.

In fact, Binegar noted that “I probably have 12 or 13 juniors this year, so that’s a good solid group to have especially as upperclassmen who will hopefully be here next year too.”

Binegar, at this point in just the start of pre-season drills, thinks his 2018 squad is “pretty solid” so far. “I’m actually pleased with the way we’re progressing, because most of them remember everything we did last year. So now we just get to tune it up and we can actually run different stuff out of it, instead of a kind of bland offense.”

On the prevent side of the ball, Binegar sees that “our defense is probably going to be pretty strong too, with again returning everybody.” Sturm will be at middle linebacker with Brunny at an end, Smitley and Stophel at the down tackles, Boice back at safety, junior Nick Stricker returning at corner, the Ayers twins fighting for spots and Binegar’s “Flying Hawaiian,” Stephan Nguyen, out for his first year ever playing football.

“So although again I’ll be teaching some of the newcomers how we want things done,” said Binegar, “most of the others know their roles, so I’m very pleased with the progress and very happy.”

Going back to last season, “it is very difficult to say,” related Binegar, “but we were in probably half of our games last year. We eventually though just ran out of gas, and very close at times with people.”

Despite the Crusader gridders going winless last season, nevertheless “I want them to remember last year,” said Binegar, “because I want them to know that’s an awful feeling, and that what we needed was a change of attitude.”

Binegar saw that before his team ever hit the field this month, what with “not having to remind them to lift after practice,” he said.

“I have coaches in the weight room, but these players love the weight room, and that’s very good for a small school like Catholic, because they know the routine. They’ve got it on the board, and they just go to town. I don’t even have to get on any of them any more about it. I used to have to, but not any more.”

When Binegar was asked what would happen when PCHS wins that first game this year, he blurted out, “Go nuts!” But then he added with a hearty laugh, “we’ll be celebrating — I can tell you that much.”

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