Hungry Bears look to raid Bees’ nest
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NEW MANCHESTER -- The Oak Glen football team is looking to salvage what's left of its 2017 campaign, while East Fairmont is looking for its first win.
The Golden Bears will take on the Bees at 7 p.m. Friday night at home on senior night.
Oak Glen (2-5) enters the game coming off of a 48-29 loss last week on the road to Harrison Central.
"Our kids did not give up," Oak Glen head coach Ted Arneault said. "They are fighters. In the second half we showed we are capable of executing. Harrison Central is a very good football team. We had a tough time matching up against them in the first half. Give credit to c (Justin) Kropka and his staff."
The Huskies scored the first 48 points of the game.
East Fairmont enters the game coming off of a 49-0 loss at Liberty (Harrison). Wes Eddy, a graduate and former coach at Brooke, is in his first season as head coach.
"It is always nice to come back," he said. "When I was at Hedgesville we played Wheeling Park. When I was at Princeton we played Wheeling Park. It is nice to come back and see people you know. It is always nice to come back. It will be a special evening."
East Fairmont likes to run the ball in a conventional I-type offense. Defensively, Arneault sees many similarities in the Bees' 4-2-5 scheme.
"They mirror us," he said. "Coach Eddy is from the valley. It is going to be a fun game. I am looking forward to the matchup against him."
The Bees have 10 teams from West Virginia on their schedule this season. So far, they lost to North Marion (27-14), Grafton (10-9), Bridgeport (36-0), Elkins (21-14), Lincoln (44-7), Philip Barbour (41-14) and Liberty.
"The team has struggled since making a semifinal appearance in 2007," Eddy said. "We are rebuilding. We only have 27 kids out this season. Defensively, we played some really good games. We have improved every week. Our strength of schedule is almost absurd. We have played four teams who are in the top 16 right now. The combined winning percentage for the team's we have played is about 65 percent. Our schedule is tough to say the least. Our kids are battle tested; there is no doubt about it."
After winning back-to-back games to improve to 2-2, the Golden Bears have been outscored 126-57 in their last three games.
"We have to execute," Arneault said. "We have to control the football. We can't turn it over. We have to establish the run. We want to set up the pass instead of just relying on the passing game to make plays. We want to be balanced on offense. Defensively, we want to stop the run or at least slow it down."
Oak Glen's previous two games were on the road, and the Golden Bears end the season with two straight road games.
"This is a special night," Arneault said. "It is one of my favorite nights. Everybody wants to play their best for the seniors. The seniors have done a good job changing the culture here."