PARKERSBURG — Another chance to win a football game is right in front of the Parkersburg Big Reds.
Coach Matt Kimes’ team will be looking to continue their series winning streak when the red and white take on rival Parkersburg South on Friday at 7:30 pm at the Erickson All Sports Facility.
2024 will be a different situation for the Big Reds, especially considering they will have to deal with the 2023 graduates and a slew of injuries thus far.
PHS senior Cooper Kancade completed 48 of 75 passes for 475 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions and knows this season is long.
“Even though we’re down 1-2, I’m happy with how we played.” “That’s what I thought,” acknowledged Lewis, who totaled 14 tackles and five grabs for 54 yards.
“We just need to finish games, get guys healthy and get the team playing together again.”
Lewis moved from outside receiver to the slot.
“Everything is going well.” “Me and Cooper have been working together and I think everything’s coming together and we’ve added some new plays,” Lewis admitted. “We definitely dominated the game in Morgantown but obviously we didn’t win so I’m not happy.”
“That was a good foundation for the season. After that game, we lost a couple of guys and played South Charleston and played a decent game. Then the Hurricanes, one of the best teams in the state, fought them for two quarters but just couldn’t get the win.”
Kankade, who attempted one pass midway through last year’s game when David Parsons was sent off, shared his thoughts on this season so far.
“I’m glad.” He said, “We’ve had some good, long, consistent drives, but we haven’t really made a lot of big plays to get in the end zone. They’re definitely capable of coming through, we just haven’t been able to get on them yet. So, (Morgantown) is definitely a heartbreaker.”
“Obviously we’re upset about the loss, but we have to go back and practice and focus on the next game. We played pretty well against South Charleston. We ran the ball really well. We didn’t pass it very well. They (Hurricanes) are a good team and we kept up with them the whole first half but we just weren’t there at halftime.”
After trailing 14-0 to the Redskins, freshman Brady Thorne returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to put the Big Reds within 21-14 at halftime.
“It was huge.” Kancade said of Thorne’s return: “It switched our whole energy.”
The key going into Friday night’s game against the Patriots will be the point guard’s admission. “I think we just do what we can to keep the ball, keep the ball safe and make sure we don’t make any unnecessary silly turnovers.”
Lewis added about the kickoff return: “It’s demoralizing to be down 14-0, but we have a lot of confidence in Brady and it’s good to see him in form and the kick returns have energized us on all sides of the ball.”
Lewis said he only played a little bit in his sophomore season with the contenders before making his first start last year.
“The atmosphere was great. Obviously we had lost the year before. The emphasis in the offseason was on getting back what we had lost last year and for them to beat us. Coach made sure we knew about it.” Lewis continued, “What impressed me most about last year’s match was “Students were able to charge onto the field at the end of the game.”
Kancade will make his lone start in Friday night’s rivalry game, but he also served as the holder for kicker Casey Stanley in both his sophomore and junior seasons.
“It’s definitely a big game. It’s like the Super Bowl for the kids here.” Kankade said. “This is something everyone looks forward to all year long. It’s really great. We’ve been waiting for this for a really long time.”
The quarterback shared his memories of 2023. “There’s not a lot of defense going on. It’s a high-scoring game. They expect us to play defense. It’s always nice to see the defense play defense.”
Kankade added about the rivalry and the players, “I just know some of the kids over there. I’m friends with them, some of them we played baseball together.”
“Not at all. We are competitors now. Our friendship is not in the present, but in the past and future.”
Lewis feels the same way about PSHS.
“In the offseason, yeah, you can be friends off the field, of course, but the minute you step inside the lines, it all falls apart.” “The whole town comes together to watch the game,” he said.
“It’s one of the biggest games in the entire state and the biggest traditional rivalry. We love playing it every year and getting the bragging rights for at least one year.”
Lewis said he was just trying to do his part for the team as a senior leader.
“We need to give them a chance to ask questions.” Lewis said about helping the underclassmen, “As an upperclassman, you’ve got to know what you’re doing. You’ve got to know everything on the field, even if it’s not your position, what’s going on.”
“They always ask me questions defensively and me and Coop try to help them offensively.”
Coach Kankeido felt that the underclassmen “filled the gap very well. There’s not a lot you can expect from young kids, but they’ve been working really hard.”
“They did their job and did what they had to do. That’s really the main goal, to win two in a row. We’re trying to keep the winning streak going. I don’t think we need unnecessary penalties. Penalties kill our drives.”
The quarterback also said he doesn’t mind scrambling when necessary and has some runs designed for him.
“I like it,” Cancade said about running when he needs to: “Anytime I get hit, I feel like the more contact I get the better I play. When the pocket collapses, I just have to try to make a play. I think our passing game is going well. We’ve been without Ty (Tan Parsons) for two weeks. The young guys who replaced us are getting a good understanding of what the offense is like.”
“I think our team chemistry is definitely improving. I think we’re going to get stronger and stronger as the year goes on. I think we’ll be a totally different team at the end of the year than we were at the beginning of the year.”
Whatever the outcome of Friday’s game, Lewis fully understands the bigger picture.
“One week at a time.” Lewis stressed: “You have to focus on one team at a time. You can’t ignore anyone.”
“You can’t really look at one team being better than another in the state. That’s all we’re striving for right now is to get a playoff seeding.”
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com.