Wahama Coach Previews Pocahontas Football Playoff Game

Point Pleasant, WV – The Pocahontas County Warriors finished the regular football season with a three-game winning streak and a 7-3 overall record. The red-hot Warriors qualified for the state playoffs and will travel cross-state to Point Pleasant this Friday evening to challenge the undefeated Wahama White Falcons .

Wahama finished the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record. The combined record of Wahama opponents during the regular season was 43-59. The combined record of Pocahontas’ regular season opponents was 44-54.

Last season, the White Falcons made their first appearance in the state championship game and were defeated by Wheeling Central Catholic, 28-14. Wahama returned eight offensive starters from last season’s team, including junior QB Trenton Gibbs, senior fullback Anthony Grimm, senior RB Isaac Lee and four starting offensive linemen.

Ed Cromley has coached Wahama for 16 years. During that time, the White Falcons made the playoffs 11 times and reached the final four three times. The West Virginia Coach’s Association named Cromley the Coach of the Year for 2010.

Wahama outscored their regular season opponents 515 to 75, an average margin of 44 points. Cromley said it was a combination of good offense and defense that resulted in so many lopsided victories.

The coach says playoff football is different than the regular season.

“I think playoff football is extremely difficult to win a ball game,” he said. “Everybody’s out there and every time we’ve ever played any playoff game, it’s just a battle, and I know from winning, the team comes back really beat up and sore as opposed to a regular season games. They’re very, very tough games to win.”

Cromley says the White Falcons are outsized by a bigger Warrior team and will have to play a more physical game to win.

“I think it will be the team that comes out and plays more physical than the other team,” he said. “That’s usually what we look for. I think that Pocahontas County presents a lot of big, strong kids that we’re going to have to compete with. I think Pocahontas must eat more mashed potatoes or something than our kids because they’re a lot bigger than we are. But, I think we’re pretty similar in what we try to do with the ball and everything.”

The coach said he expects a high-scoring game.

“You know, it could be like a 38-32 game,” he said. “It could come down to that. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to stop Pocahontas’ offense, but I sure hope – for us to win, we’re going to have to score a lot of points.

“Their size and strength is – if they run the ball up the middle, it seems to be very tough and so, we’re just going to have to maintain a good position – you know, a good low position – and try not to get driven out, so they can just drive up the field on us.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Point Pleasant High School in Point Pleasant. The game will be broadcast live on WNMP-FM and WVMR-FM with Toney Minter and Emery Grimes bringing you the play by play.