Colonels look for 3-0 start in home opener

By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

Winchester — The James Wood High School football team is moving on and moving up.

After an opening game that saw the Colonels (2-0) surrender 394 yards on defense, James Wood coach Mike Bolin couldn’t have been happier to how his team responded in last week’s 35-14 win against the Musselman (W.Va.) Applemen.

James Wood will try to keep it going tonight against 1-2 Hedgesville (W.Va.) in the team’s home opener at Jerry L. Kelican Stadium, which will feature a halftime ceremony honoring the school’s newest Hall of Fame class.

“Defensively, we were much better fundamentally in the second week,” Bolin said. “We played our assignments and played our responsibilities, and we didn’t always do that in the first week.” The performance was even more impressive given that it was the first game without standout Jesse Barnes, a defensive tackle who also plays offensive guard. Barnes is out for the year after suffering a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament and two medial meniscus tears in the season opener.

“It hurts a lot to lose him,” Bolin said. “But one man’s adversity is another man’s opportunity. We moved some people around, and they stepped up and played really well.”

That’s bad news for an Eagles spread offense that doesn’t have anyone who averages more than 30 yards per game on the ground and a quarterback in Zack Layhew who is 4-of-27 passing for 75 yards.

What might be even worse for Hedgesville is facing another strong running attack. The Eagles surrendered 438 yards rushing in a 30-7 loss to Mountain Ridge, Md., last week, and the Colonels feature an offense that averages 438 ypg, including 318 ypg on the ground. Brock Lockhart (four touchdowns leads the area with 489 yards.

“They’re a young team, but they’ve got a solid scheme,” Bolin said. “We just want to come out strong and set the tone early.”

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.