Spring Valley sticking with the green, green grass of home

“There are some people at Spring Valley who would love to keep our grass,” George said Thursday during the Mountain State Athletic Conference media day at the Little Creek Golf Course.

“I’m one of those people who would much rather have FieldTurf so we can do a lot more things, but that’s probably not going to happen. That’s kind of where we are.”

League teams, particularly those with a great deal of speed, disdain the sprint-neutralizing grass and sometimes mud at Spring Valley.

Huntington High coach Billy Seals joked, “I’d pay for it if Spring Valley would go to turf.”

George joked that Seals will have to find another use for his money. The Timberwolves have long been known for huge linemen and a bullish running attack. Even last season when Spring Valley passed more frequently during a 9-3 season, the Timberwolves were comfortable on the natural surface.

“That’s kind of our mentality,” George said. “We’re a blue-collar school, a blue-collar community and that reflects on the football field.”

Spring Valley was picked third in the MSAC coaches preseason poll. The Timberwolves garnered 80 points and one first-place vote. Defending champion Huntington High was tabbed as the favorite with 93 points and five No. 1 votes.

With 90 points and four first-place votes, Cabell Midland was picked second. George Washington was fourth, followed by Hurricane, Parkersburg, Riverside, South Charleston, Capital and St. Albans.

“We’re excited to get into this season,” George said.

“We have a tough schedule like everybody else in the conference. We’re excited to get going on Monday and see what the season holds.”

This season appears to be different from those in the recent past. The Timberwolves have made the playoffs 14 consecutive seasons and plan to again, but likely won’t have the superstars to carry them.

“We’re used to being able to come in and say we have these guys with this offer, four or five (NCAA) Division I guys,” George said. “You look at WVU’s roster and we have a lot of guys there in Morgantown. This year, we’re not going to have a bunch of Division I football players — those 6-foot-7 linemen — but we’re going to have a good football team. We’re going to have good players at every position.”

Quarterback Dalton Fouch and linebacker Cody Shy — a pair of All-MSAC players — head the offense and defense, respectively.

“We played seven offensive linemen last year and five of them are back,” George said. “Our quarterback Dalton Fouch is returning. He was a great player last year. Cody Shy, a fullback/linebacker, is back. When you think Spring Valley football, we always have a guy like that. He never says a word. Great, great kid. He is a very, very physical football player, hard-nosed. You think about the way to play football, that’s Cody Shy. We’re proud of that type of mentality.”

Spring Valley opens Aug. 26 at home vs. Huntington High.