Horace Blankenship

The final score is deceiving, but Berkeley Springs lost its bid for a state tournament berth on Friday, March 9, at East Hardy High School in the Class AA Region II title game to Petersburg 41-27. The Indians came into the contest an underdog, but took the fight to Petersburg, before a late rally gave the Vikings the double-digit victory.

"We had about a two minute mental lapse that really cost us," said Berkeley Springs coach Chad Brinegar. "I thought we had a good plan and did a very good job of implementing it, until we lost focus for a brief period of time. Petersburg came into the game averaging more than 60 points a game. We took away their outside game and did a good job of being patient on offense. We were right there, but just could not quite get it done. Give Petersburg some credit, however. They did a good job of handling the ball and making free throws in the final minutes of the game."

With six minutes and 40 seconds remaining in their sectional championship game against Frankfort, in Berkeley Springs on Thursday, March 1, the Indians held a 14-point lead, 45-31. However, the Falcons went on a furious run and tied the game at 47-47 with 2:34 remaining in regulation, before Berkeley Springs reasserted themselves and pulled away for a 58-51 victory and the opportunity to play Petersburg in the Region II championship game tonight, March 7, at East Hardy High School.

"We had things under control and kind of let it get away," said Berkeley Springs coach Chad Brinegar. "But, our kids settled down and pulled out the victory. Keeping their composure like that at the end of the game says a lot."

Three Indians scored in double figures and three more at least six points, leading Berkeley Springs to a 61-50 victory over Clear Spring on Wednesday, February 21 in Berkeley Springs.

"We really had some balanced scoring tonight," said Berkeley Springs coach Chad Brinegar. "Anytime you can get everyone involved in the offense it makes things really tough on opposing defenses. Tonight we were able to do that."

Berkeley Springs High School crowned their first state wrestling champion since 2003, when junior Cody Reed pinned Ryan Fickiesen from St. Mary's in 2:48 of the 189 pound Class AA-A final at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington on Saturday, February 24. Reed's victory, his 52nd of the year against only two losses, lifted the Indians to a ninth place finish in the team standings.

Oak Glen easily won their 11th consecutive team title, despite crowning no individual champions. The Golden Bears scored 168.5 points to easily outdistance runner-up Point Pleasant. The Black Knights scored 86.5 points followed by Williamstown 79.5, Herbert Hoover 75, Grafton 74, Calhoun County 72, Shady Spring 72, Clay County 71.5, Berkeley Springs 70.5, and Greenbrier West which scored 69 points to round out the top ten.

The Berkeley Springs girls basketball team was hoping for a little magic, the type they experienced two years earlier when they upset Frankfort to win the Region 2, Section 2 championship, despite being thoroughly dominated by the Lady Falcons during the regular season. A similar stage was set when the two met for the sectional title on Thursday, February 22 at Hampshire County High School.

Of course Frankfort was aware of the history and intent on not letting their guard down, not going into the game overconfident. They were concerned, but prepared and it showed as they ended the Indians' season with a 60-44 win to claim the Section 2 title.

Derek Hovermale (103), Tyson Bennett (160) and Cody Reed (189) brought home top honors from the Class AA-A Region II wrestling tournament held in Grafton on Friday, February 16 and Saturday, February 17. The trio will be joined by Josh Connor and Brad Reed, who placed second in the 112 and 119 pound weight classes, respectively, along with Jake Stotler who finished third in the 285 pound class.

"I thought our kids did a good job," said Berkeley Springs coach Darrell Bennett. "We brought eight kids to the regional and five made it to the finals. Even though I'm pleased, it could have been even better because we lost a close match in the semifinal and had a good opportunity to claim two more individual titles."

For the second time in less than a year, former Berkeley Springs High School standout Tone Belt has been named the Big East's Most Outstanding Male Field Performer at the conference track and field meet.

Belt led the Cardinals to a second place finish with victories in both the long jump and high jump. He also competed in the Triple Jump and earned a third place finish, to score 26 points at the Big East Conference Track and Field Championships held in Akron, Ohio on Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18.

The Berkeley Springs boys basketball team shook off the "snow rust," and avenged an earlier loss by beating Musselman, 63-45, on Friday, February 16, in Berkeley Springs.

When the longtime rivals first played on January 30, Berkeley Springs had one of its worst shooting nights of the season, making only eight of 41 shots,

Mountaineers reel in a Top 25 recruiting class

West Virginia University signed 26 football recruits to national letters of intent on Wednesday, February 20. The 26 member class, ranked 25th nationally by Scout.com, features three junior college players and 23 former prep stars.

Berkeley Springs completed its regular season last Friday, February 9, splitting matches with Clarke County and Martinsburg.

The Indians defeated Clarke County 54-24, before losing to Martinsburg, by a single point, 39-38.