CARDINAL CONFERENCE HAS MANY QUESTIONS

LOGAN, W.Va. — Heading into the high school football season, the Cardinal Conference has many questions. Will Mingo Central, led by first-year head coach Joey Fields, be able to repeat as Class AA state champs? Will the Wayne Pioneers be able to bounce back and have a more Wayne-like season? Will the Chapmanville Tigers and Logan Wildcats be able move up the ranks and break out of their 5-5 funks? n Will the Poca Dots finally win a game? n Who else will step up and make it to the post-season? Those questions will be answered in the coming months as the prep football season is set to kickoff off soon with the Aug. 25 openers. Mingo Central and Kennedy Award winning quarterback Jeremy Dillon saved face for the conference last season by going 4-0 and winning the Class AA state championship with a 32-7 victory over Fairmont Senior at Wheeling Island Stadium. The conference's other three playoff teams - Sissonville, Herbert Hoover and Winfield - all went down to defeat in the opening round. Sissonville, ranked No. 4 in the state in Class AA, came close but was upset, 29-27, at home by No. 13 Weir. The Indians closed the season with a 9-2 record. Sissonville's only previous loss during the season was to Mingo Central. No. 12 Herbert Hoover had its season end with a 48-27 loss at No. 5 Fairmont Senior. The Huskies finished 7-4. Winfield, ranked No. 11, lost 38-28 at No. 6 James Monroe. The Generals closed with a 7-4 mark. Six of the Cardinal Conference's 10 teams finished .500 or better last season. Chapmanville coach Rob Dial said the conference looks to be even stronger this fall. The 6-foot-5 Dillon led the Miners to a 14-0 season in football as a quarterback and to the school's first state championship. He threw for 2,852 yards and 37 touchdowns and ran for 1,205 yards and 24 more TDs. In 443 touches on offense, Dillon committed just five turnovers, only three interceptions and he two lost fumbles. Dillon has verbally committed to Marshall University to play basketball. Dial said the loaded Miners have to be the favorite, not only to win the Cardinal but also to make it back to Wheeling. "I don't think there's a bad team in the Cardinal Conference," Dial said. "You have to start with the defending Double-A state champs Mingo Central. They're going to be the favorite and they will be very good this year with all the talent that they have coming back." Logan first-year coach James Toth agreed, saying the Miners will be tough to beat. Last year's three playoff teams will also be very strong again, Dial said. "You will also hear a lot from Winfield, Herbert Hoover and Sissonville," Dial said. "That's three Kanawha Valley teams that made the playoffs last year. "I expect all three of them to be very, very good this season." Just like his Tigers, Dial said the Logan Wildcats and dynamic quarterback David Early, will also be a force to be reckoned with. Wayne, a usual contender for the playoffs and the state championship, struggled in recent years. Last year, the Pioneers were just 4-6 after a 5-5 mark in 2015 began their slide. Wayne was 10-3 as recently as 2014. The 2012 season produced a 14-0 state championship season when the Pioneers won the Class AA state title. In 2013, Wayne was 13-1, falling 14-13 to Bridgeport in the state championship game at a snowy Wheeling Island Stadium. "Wayne is much better than they were last year," Dial said. "They didn't hardly lose anyone. People are talking that this will be like a Wayne team from years ago when they were making the state semifinals and finals on a yearly basis. Wayne is going to be good." The Poca Dots, after three consecutive winless seasons, have been the butt of many jokes across the state. Dial said he thinks Poca, riding a 37-game losing streak going back to the 2013 season, will be better this year. Toth said he expects Poca and Wayne to be improved and Chapmanville will be very good. "There's really not a bad team in the conference," Toth said. "You just can't go asleep in the Cardinal Conference because it's just too good of a conference."

CARDINAL CONFERENCE HAS MANY QUESTIONS

Photo Credit: Herbert Hoover Athletics

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