Princeton’s Brad Mossor dives for extra yards during a high school football game this season. (Photo Provided)

CLARKSBURG — Princeton High state championship standout Brad Mossor is considered one of West Virginia’s top offensive players. Nitro lineman Xavier Patterson is among the state’s top defenders. As such, they are captains for the 2025 West Virginia Sports Writers Association Class AAA All-State team.

It was, however, a Herculean effort by Mossor that made the difference in Princeton’s 36-35 win, giving the Tigers their first state football crown.

“What makes Brad special is his competitive spirit and his will to win,” said Princeton coach Nate Tanner, whose star player highlights the WVSWA’s 87th All-State team, which is voted on by coaches and selected by association members. “With Brad, if you put him with a pack of wolves, he’ll come out leading the pack. It doesn’t matter what stage, whether it be practice or the state championship game. He wants it all, and he wants to beat anybody that’s in his way, too.

“I think that’s what makes him special. Obviously, he’s a great athlete, but the intangibles I just spoke of, that’s what makes him tick, and that’s what makes him different.

Patterson finished the season with 84 tackles, 38 quarterback hurries, 33 tackles for loss and two blocked field goals.

The second team All-State captains are Chapmanville quarterback Dakota Dalton on offense and Spring Valley linebacker Beau Christopher on defense.

As for Mossor, he rushed 24 times for 115 yards and four touchdowns and caught five passes for 132 yards and a touchdown in the final. For the season, he scored 46 total touchdowns on offense, defense, and special teams – 27 rushing, 13 receiving, three returning punts, one returning kickoffs, and two returning interceptions.

His season totals: 89 receptions for 1,384 yards, 122 carries for 921 yards, 13 punt returns for 314 yards, and 10 kickoff returns for 632 yards.

“I may be biased, but I don’t know how you could say he’s not,” Tanner said when asked if Mossor is the best player in the state. “Here’s my selling point: five touchdowns in the state championship game, playing tailback, playing receiver, playing defense. All year long, we played against eight playoff teams, and he did what he did. Statistically, he did what he did mostly in two or three quarters a game, so seeing what he’s done on this playoff run, it’s miraculous, it’s amazing.”

Dalton completed 115 of 158 passes (72.8 percent) for 1,955 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also rushed 36 times for 279 yards and seven touchdowns. Christopher finished with 111 tackles, including 22 tackles for loss. He also had two sacks and intercepted one pass.

The first-team QBs are Princeton’s Chance Barker and Herbert Hoover’s Peyton Grigsby.

Barker completed 180 of 258 passes for 3,121 yards with 30 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also ran 68 times for 268 yards and three touchdowns. Grigsby completed 181-of-292 passes for 3,240 yards with 36 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

Running backs who received first-team All-State include Ripley’s Cody Lawrence, Herbert Hoover’s Blake Fisher, and Elkins’ and Logan Beam.

Lawrence rushed for 1,728 yards and 18 touchdowns. Beam, who transferred to Elkins from Philip Barbour for his senior year, had 206 carries for 1,355 yards and 25 touchdowns. Fisher ran for 889 yards on 120 carries and 21 touchdowns.

The wide receivers earning first-team All-State recognition include Trey Ward of Chapmanville and West Virginia University commit Malachi Thompson of Nitro. Ward, who caught eight passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in Chapmanville’s upset victory over Bridgeport in the quarterfinals, finished the season with 37 catches for 818 yards. He also tallied 132 yards in kickoff returns and 124 yards in punt returns.

The first-team All-State offensive line is senior laden with upperclassmen Da’Ron Parks of Nitro, Mighty Lopez of Herbert Hoover, Bryson Lowther of Bridgeport, and Dae’shaun Floyd of Fairmont Senior. The lone underclassman up front is junior Landyn Moore of Princeton.

North Marion’s Toby Michael also received first-team All-State honors at the utility position after a season in which he carried the ball 139 times for 1,251 yards and 25 touchdowns.

While primarily a running back, Bridgeport’s Gavin Williams received first-team All-State honors at the kicker position. He had 127 carries for 1,981 yards and 27 touchdowns. On special teams, 59 percent (47-79) of Williams’ kickoffs were touchbacks.

On the defensive side of the ball, the honors for Nitro and Chapmanville continued to pour in, as Nitro’s Cohen Lusher and Chapmanville’s Josh Porter being named first team at defensive line.

Lusher had 23 sacks this season to go with 110 tackles, 50 tackles for loss, 44 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Porter tallied 95 total tackles, 5.0 sacks and one fumble recovery.

The first-team linebackers are senior Preston Kovach of Chapmanville and Wyatt Sowards of Nitro.

Kovach tallied 69 solo tackles and Sowards concluded the season with 110 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, four batted passes, two interceptions and one sack. Bridgeport’s John Knight (90 tackles, 15 solos), Spring Valley’s Zeke Lewis, and Princeton’s Landen Krane round out the linebackers. Lewis, who was the Mountain State Athletic Conference defensive player of the year, finished with 68 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

Krane, who had two interceptions in the state championship game, concluded the season with 77.5 tackles,10.5 tackles for loss.

First-team defensive backs are John Marshall’s Landon Snyder, Greenbrier East’s Kaden Stone, and Fairmont Senior’s Jason Walker.

Snyder had 62 tackles and intercepted three passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Walker tallied 33 tackles, five pass breakups, and four interceptions.

Three utility spots were filled by Princeton’s Kalum Kiser, Capital’s David Robinson Jr., and South Charleston’s Malcolm Brown. Despite missing three games for an injury, Kiser managed 67 tackles and 22.5 for lost yardage, along with seven sacks and a blocked kick. Parker Keller of Ripley rounds out the first team at punter.

Second team includes Nitro quarterback Eian Duffy, who completed 215 of 335 passes for 3,556 yards and 41 touchdowns.

Nitro’s running back, Chris Radcliffe, also received second-team honors at the running back position in addition to Nicholas County’s Devin Nash and Greenbrier East’s A.J. Godfrey.

Radcliffe rushed 159 times for 1,227 yards and 15 touchdowns. Nash, who rushed for 492 yards and seven touchdowns against Lincoln on Sept. 18, finished the season with 1,301 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns.

Godfrey, in 229 carries, rushed for 954 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Princeton’s Wyatt Cline received second-team honors at the wide receiver position, joining John Marshall’s Cain Martin.

Cline, in the Tigers’ state-championship winning season, caught 46 passes for 987 yards and 12 touchdowns. Martin caught 51 passes for 646 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Monarchs, who won six games for the first time since 2021.

The second-team offensive line was laden with Big 10 team members, including Bridgeport’s Noah West, Elkins’ Owen Stanley, North Marion’s Evan Miller, and Robert C. Byrd’s Braydon Hendricks. Jaxson Swiney of Cardinal Conference member Winfield rounds out the All-State offensive front.

Fairmont Senior quarterback Anthony Smith and Nitro’s Takye Porter received second-team honors at the utility position. Smith completed 139 of 243 passes for 2,279 yards and 26 touchdowns. Porter finished the season with 1,594 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. Winfield’s Jaxin Alexander is the second team kicker. He made all 20 of his extra point attempts and was 5-5 on field goals, including a 42-yarder. He also averaged 37.8 yards on 16 punts.

The Big 10 also dominated the second team defense with Fairmont Senior’s King Abercrombie, Robert C. Byrd’s Trevor Dean, and Elkins’ Devin Hulver making up three players of a four-man front.

Dean finished the season with 64 total tackles, 25 quarterback pressures, 8.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. Hulver had 92 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss, as well as four sacks. Abercrombie tallied 28 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and four sacks. Second-team defensive lineman David Browning of Chapmanville had 44 tackles. The linebackers – Winfield’s Clay Cramer (100 tackles), Keyser’s Owen Rotruck (34 solos, 76 assists, 19 for loss), and Hampshire’s Brent Evans (52 solos).

PikeView’s Peyton Mounts had five interceptions to earn one of the defensive back spots on second team with Winfield’s Gannon Boggs and Nitro’s Jalei Burnette.

The second-team utility spots featured Robert C. Byrd’s Isaiah Heflin, Herbert Hoover’s Sam Kee, and Greenbrier East’s Nate Suttle, who had five interceptions for the Spartans.

Suttle tallied five interceptions. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Kee not only had 26 tackles — 21 solos and five assisted — but also had four pass breakups, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, one fumble recovery

East Fairmont’s Karson Church was named the second-team All-State punter. Church hit 24-of-24 extra-point attempts and was 2-for-2 field-goal attempts, including a 41-yard field goal.

Wooden plaques in the shape of West Virginia that include the high school name, player’s name, licensed WVSWA logo and year of the honoree are available to All-State first team, second team and honorable mentions and can be purchased from the Bear Wood Company through WVSWA.org or Bearwoodcompany.com.

2025 WVSWA Class AAA All-State

First team offense

Pos Player School Cls Hgt Wgt

QB Chance Barker Princeton Sr. 6-2 200

QB Peyton Grigsby Herbert Hoover So. 6-0 170

RB Cody Lawrence Ripley Sr. 6-1 205

RB Blake Fisher Herbert Hoover Sr. 5-10 190

RB Logan Beam Elkins Sr. 5-8 200

WR Malachi Thompson Nitro Sr. 6-4 200

WR Trey Ward Chapmanville Jr. 6-2 173

OL Da’Ron Parks Nitro Sr. 6-5 310

OL Mighty Lopez Herbert Hoover Sr. 6-2 245

OL Landyn Moore Princeton Jr. 6-5 290

OL Bryson Lowther Bridgeport Sr. 5-10 220

OL Dae’shaun Floyd Fairmont Senior Sr. 6-4 305

Util Brad Mossor (c) Princeton Sr. 5-10 180

Util Toby Michael North Marion Sr. 6-0 180

PK Gavin Williams Bridgeport Jr. 6-0 170

First team defense

DL Cohen Lusher Nitro Sr. 5-11 190

DL Josh Porter Chapmanville Sr. 6-0 240

DL Xavier Patterson (c) Nitro Sr. 6-2 265

LB Preston Kovach Chapmanville Sr. 6-1 215

LB John Knight Bridgeport Sr. 5-9 190

LB Zeke Lewis Spring Valley Sr. 6-1 209

LB Landen Crane Princeton Sr. 6-0 220

LB Wyatt Sowards Nitro Sr. 5-11 200

DB Landen Snyder John Marshall Jr. 6-0 170

DB Kaden Stone Greenbrier East Sr. 5-9 140

DB Jason Walker Fairmont Senior Sr. 6-0 270

Util David Robinson Jr. Capital Jr. 5-9 168

Util Kalum Kiser Princeton Sr. 6-0 225

Util Malcolm Brown South Charleston Sr. 5-10 170

P Parker Keller Ripley Jr. 5-11 175

Second team offense

Pos Player School Cls Hgt Wgt

QB Eian Duffy Nitro Sr. 5-11 160

QB Dakota Dalton (c) Chapmanville So. 6-3 200

RB Devin Nash Nicholas County Sr. 5-11 200

RB A.J. Godfrey Greenbrier East Sr. 5-10 210

RB Chris Radcliffe Nitro Sr. 5-9 195

WR Cain Martin John Marshall Sr. 5-8 185

WR Wyatt Cline Princeton Sr. 6-0 180

OL Noah West Bridgeport Sr. 6-0 250

OL Owen Stanley Elkins Jr. 6-1 260

OL: Jaxson Swiney, Winfield Sr. 6-2 220

OL Evan Miller North Marion So. 6-4 295

OL Braydon Hendricks Robert C. Byrd Sr. 6-4 290

Util Anthony Smith Fairmont Senior So. 6-0 190

Util Takye Porter Nitro So. 5-91 160

K Jaxin Alexander Winfield Jr. 5-11 161

Second team defense

DL David Browning Chapmanville So. 6-3 225

DL King Abercrombie Fairmont Senior Jr. 6-1 260

DL Trevor Dean Robert C. Byrd Sr. 5-10 215

DL Devin Hulver Elkins So. 6-1 245

LB Clayton Cramer Winfield Jr. 5-9 170

LB Owen Rotruck Keyser Sr. 5-10 185

LB Brent Evans Hampshire Sr. 6-1 208

LB Beau Christopher (c) Spring Valley Sr. 5-10 195

DB Peyton Mounts PikeView Sr. 6-0 170

DB Gannon Boggs Winfield Jr. 5-8 160

DB Ja’lei Burnette Nitro Sr. 6-1 210

UTL Isaiah Heflin Robert C. Byrd Jr. 5-11 175

UTL Sam Kee Herbert Hoover Sr. 6-1 195

UTL Nate Suttle Greenbrier East Sr. 5-9 160

P Karson Church East Fairmont Sr. 5-11 187

Honorable mention

Tony Silvester, Elkins; Brody Hamric, Greenbrier East; Benji Adkins, Chapmanville; Grayson Lambka, Keyser; Braydon Mullins, PikeView; Jaxson Heskett, East Fairmont; Kaiden Helmer, Shady Spring; Cole Runner, Grafton; Landon Eversole, Hampshire; Julian Bailey, Robert C. Byrd; Caden Hill, Point Pleasant; Blade Adkins, Lincoln County; Leo Jones, Lewis County; Wes Conley, Bridgeport; Gavin Murphy, East Fairmont; Mykell Taylor, Herbert Hoover; Gabe Martin, Bridgeport; Drew Mann, Winfield; Cory Maynard, Brooke; Jakori Clark, Capital; Aiden Oldaker, Lewis County; Logan Cook, PikeView; Jake Belcher, Princeton; Abbott Dahl, Grafton; Tommy Nash, Keyser; Roscoe Dean, Hampshire; Dom Crawford, Keyser; Coleton Hellems, Nicholas County; Mason Markonich, John Marshall; Brian Poindexter, North Marion; Jackson Moore, Ripley; Jimmy Bowling, Princeton; Grant Burdette, Greenbrier East; Brady Lacek, Shady Spring; James Lowe, St. Albans; Miguel Cain, Spring Valley; Grant Yost, Brooke; Eli Bausley, South Charleston; Logan Gump, North Marion.