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ALBRIGHT: Top 5 MOV sports moments of 2018

One of the best parts of covering high school sports in the Mid-Ohio Valley every season is the abundance of great athletic feats within the News and Sentinel's coverage area. An actual cornucopia of success annually spreads joy around the area from January to December because of the extraordinary abilities of student-athletes and coaches from our 24 schools. State championships, new state records, one amazing run for a Doddridge County football player, the possible birth of two dynasties, a gone-viral trick play, a Big Red continuing his path to pro football as well as many others ...

ALBRIGHT: Parkersburg Catholic girls’ basketball team responds well to success

While Parkersburg Catholic girls’ basketball team’s recent win over reigning Class A state champion Wheeling Central two Saturdays ago was impressive, it was not the main game of Marty Vierheller’s squad I eyed during the past nine days. Interest turned immediately to the follow-up home contests against undefeated Notre Dame (Thursday) and a 2017 state-tournament qualifying Trinity squad (Saturday) featuring a five senior lineup. Two teams, like Central, who were not intimidated by the Crusaderettes’ nine state title banners. How would Coach V’s squad handle the 65-60 ...

Winter tab publishes Thursday

­-Mountain State online message boards overflowing with reasons (some irrational) why the West Virginia Sports Writers Association screwed up the all-state football teams means only one thing: Winter sports season is underway. Debates raging on throughout December and shifting toward the gridiron award winners until the days following the release of the 2018 Kennedy Award recipient statewide Dec. 23. News flash ... I believe the writers selected the most deserving candidate on the gridiron. Deserving well describes our selections gracing the cover of the Winter Sports Tab, which ...

ALBRIGHT: Young Yellowjackets grew up

If Terry Smith’s annual review of his Williamstown football team isn’t a positive one, something is wrong. Every year, Smith sits down and asks if his team got better and it did. Pay no mind to Wheeling Central’s second handling of the Yellowjackets in 2018. Creating ideal competitive conditions with a team featuring four returning starters on each side of the ball depending on youth against a veteran Central squad proving a tall assignment. A fact not helped when as many as six Maroon Knights honored on the Class A all-state first team appears a distinct ...

Another year of picking

As hard as it is to believe, some “winter” sports are already underway. Despite the calendar saying it truly is still fall, it sure hasn’t felt like it outside the past couple of days. Nonetheless, we continue to push on here in the sports department and we are down to our final two editions of pigskin picks. In week 13, the Stanford at California game was postponed, which we will add in following its completion this week. While the standings show what appears to be a comfortable 13-game lead for myself heading into the final 44 picks — everyone on staff picked Stanford ...

MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: WVU’s missed chances

For the average college football fan it may have been the most entertaining game of the year. Two of the best quarterbacks in America. Points galore. Excitement to the finish. But for Mountaineer fans it was a roller coaster of emotions, from euphoria to dread and back and forth again several times. And as we have become far too accustomed, the roller coaster crashed at the bottom. It was a fun ride for some, but not so much for us. If you are reading this column you most likely watched the game, and to review all the ebbs and flows and the stats would take more space than we have ...