Connect Bridgeport Sports: Class AA All-State Team has Distinct Indian Flavor as Bridgeport has Five Selections on First Two Units

Class AA All-State Team has Distinct Indian Flavor as Bridgeport has Five Selections on First Two Units

By Jeff Toquinto on December 12, 2019 via Connect-Bridgeport.com

The Class AA All-State team was released today by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association and, not surprisingly, the team has a heavy Bridgeport flavor to it. The Indians, the 2019 state champions thanks to their 21-14 title game win against Bluefield, have five selections on the first two teams.

Bridgeport land three first team picks. The selections include seniors Carson Winkie and Trey Pancake as first-team linebackers and junior Devin Hill as an offensive lineman selection.

Winkie caps a senior season that saw him win the most valuable player award in the title game at Wheeling Island Stadium with the all-state pick. Although Winkie finished the year known for his power running after being inserted at tailback at the regular season’s midway point, he was a force on defense all year.

By season’s end, Winkie easily led the Indians with 96 tackles. That number could have been higher had it not been for Bridgeport’s ball control offense that kept teams off the field in a recipe aimed at winning.

“Carson definitely deserves all-state honors, especially on defense,” said BHS Coach John Cole. “He made big plays all year on defense, and particularly in the playoffs. People know him because of his running numbers (including 200 yards on a Super Six record 43 carries in the title game), but he was just a force on

defense.

“What makes it special is he earned it through hard work,” Cole continued. “He put in the time and it paid off for himself and this team.”

Pancake was right beside Winkie causing havoc to opposing team’s offensive attacks at linebacker. The senior finished the year with 69 tackles, which was second on the team.

“Trey’s put in a lot of time as well and he’s started since his sophomore year,” said Cole. “He got better each year, but this year he was tremendous. He’s another one that made big plays in big games.

“The thing with Trey is he may not be the fastest or strongest, but his football IQ would be hard to beat,” Cole continued. “That IQ overcame anything he lacked. The other thing was he was the one who not only could deliver the big hit but could drop back into pass

coverage. This is well deserved.”

The naming of Hill is not likely a surprise for those that followed him as a sophomore. Hill had the rarity of starting during his sophomore campaign and has backed up the decision to get minutes with a monster year.

Hill was a key component in a ground game that rushed for 4,092 yards on 715 carries (5.7 yards per rush). The team rushed for 292.3 yards per contest.

“Devin really came into his own and you could tell he was more comfortable this year,” said Cole. “The big thing is he’s making calls on his side of line and was a leader.

“He’ll go after backers, block down on a big man or go one on one if needed,” Cole continued. “He could do that because he pushed a lot

of weight in the offseason and made himself better.”

The Indians had a pair of players on the second team. Defensive lineman Michael Watkins and utility player Devin Vandergrift were named to the unit.

Watkins showed in his senior year that tackles don’t just open things up to allow the linebackers to make plays. Instead, he showed the tackles could get the job done as well as he finished third on the team with 56 tackles and a team-leading 3.5 sacks.

“Michael deserved to be on this team. He had his best year after having what was kind of learning year last year,” said Cole. “He played on both sides of the ball and played on both sides well.

“It was impressive to see him running down quarterbacks, getting inside and outside pursuit and making plays outside the box,” Cole continued. “He just got extremely good with his reads and was a handful all season.”

As for Vandergrift, he summed up the term utility. On offense, he was the club’s quarterback completing 17of-36 passes for 347 yards with three touchdowns, while rushing 68

times for 508 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Vandergrift was also among the tackling leaders with 49 stops in the defensive backfield, while tying for the team lead with four interceptions. He also managed to add a 74-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as a frequent contributor on special teams.

“He really did a little bit of everything,” said Cole. “His competitive nature is a reason for it.

“Vandy isn’t a big kid, maybe 160 or 170 pounds, but he was solid on both sides of the ball,” Cole continued. “The best example of his value is we had him starting at corner and moved him to safety where he had a week to learn a new position and didn’t miss a beat.”

Bridgeport had two seniors earn honorable mention status. Brian Henderson, the upback and early-season tailback who also started in the secondary, was special honorable mention. Sam Romano, a transfer from Notre Dame, was a special teams standout from punting to returning kicks and punts as well as being the team’s top receiver. He earned honorable mention status.

Here is the complete list of Class AA selections as chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

First Team

Honorary selection - Alex Miller, Roane County, Sr.

OL – Don Woodworth, Keyser, Sr.

OL – Zach Frazier, Fairmont Senior, Sr. (captain)

OL – Devin Hill, Bridgeport, Jr.

OL – Tanner Jenkins, Wyoming East, Sr.

OL – Dalton Ray, Keyser, Sr.

WR – Logan Vance, Clay County, Sr.

WR – Drew Hatfield, Mingo Central, Sr.

QB – Gage Michael, Fairmont Senior, Jr.

RB – Ethan Payne, Poca, Jr.

RB – JJ Davis, Bluefield, Sr.

RB – Caleb Bower, Wyoming East, Jr.

K – Jared Griffith, Lewis County, Sr.

Utility – Hunter Patterson, Oak Glen, Jr.

Utility – Daylin Goad, Mingo Central, Jr.

Utility – Nick Vance, Winfield, Sr.

Defense

DL – Sean Martin, Bluefield, Sr. (captain)

DL – Matt Stone, Poca, Sr.

DL – Kyler O’Connor, Oak Glen,Jr.

LB – Carson Winkie, Bridgeport, Sr.

LB – John Covert, Winfield, Jr.

LB – Jackson Biser, Keyser, Sr.

LB – Trey Pancake, Bridgeport, Sr.

LB – Ben Kee, Herbert Hoover, Sr.

DB – Michael Lemley, Oak Glen, Sr.

DB – Toby Payne, Poca, So.

DB – Haven Chapman, Shady Spring, Sr.

P – Erick Bevil, Shady Spring, Sr.

Utility – Josh Huffman, Roane County, Sr.

Utility – Jeremiah King, Robert C. Byrd, So.

Utility – Sebastian Spencer, Weir, Sr.

Second Team

OL – Lance Payton, Fairmont Senior, Sr.

OL – Brock Robey, Robert C. Byrd, Sr.

OL – Colton Groves, Nicholas County, Sr.

OL – Dom Owens, Fairmont Senior, Sr.

OL – Roman Moore, Roane County, Sr.

WR – Tariq Miller, North Marion, Jr.

WR – Xander Castillo, James Monroe, Sr.

QB – Carson Deeb, Bluefield, Jr.

RB – Atticus Goodson, Independence, So.(captain)

RB – Marshall Hobbs, Lewis County, Jr.

K – Kaulin Parris, Bluefield, Sr.

Utility – Camden Longwell, Fairmont Senior, Sr.

Utility – Trevor Lowe, Nitro, So

Utility – Luke LeRose, Nicholas County, Sr.

Utility – Monroe Mohler, James Monroe, Sr.

Defense

DL – Michael Watkins, Bridgeport, Jr.

DL – Cole Hughart, Sissonville, Sr.

DL – Garrett Conaway, North Marion, Jr.

DL – David Blanco, Frankfort, Sr.

LB – Seth McIntire, Liberty Harrison, Sr.

LB – Peyton Shanholtz, Frankfort, Sr.

LB – Gavin Shamblin, Sissonville, Sr.

LB – Dillon Taylor, Poca, Jr.

DB – Jahiem House, Bluefield, Sr.

DB –Brayden Mineard, Oak Glen, Jr.

DB – Jadon Hershburger, Shady Spring, Jr.

P – Aiden Slusser, East Fairmont, Sr.

Utility – Gage Patterson, Oak Glen,Jr. (captain)

Utility – Zack Frye, Man, Sr.

Utility – Devin Vandergrift, Bridgeport, Sr.

Special Honorable Mention

Michael Alvaro, Robert C. Byrd; Chase Berry, Chapmanville; Caden Biser, Keyser; JJ Blank, Frankfort; Danny Bush, Roane County; McQuade Canada, Wyoming East; Jay Cook, Poca; Andrew Deal, Nicholas County; Preston Dingess, Mingo Central; Chase Duckworth, North Marion; Cam Foster, Nitro; Cameran Frye, Man; Jordan Gay, Lewis County; Cody Griffith, Lincoln; Dylan Griffith, Sissonville; Erick Grimmett, Man; Elijah Gillette, Weir; TJ Guire, Elkins; Marcel Guy, Independence; Devin Hatfield, Mingo Central; Payton Hawkins, Lincoln; Braden Howell, Liberty Raleigh; Brian Henderson, Bridgeport; Eli Kirkendall, Lincoln County; Nate Kowlaski, Fairmont Senior; Colton Kennedy, River View; Grant Krajeski, Clay County; Clay Lester, Wyoming East; Nick Marley, Frankfort; Jamison Maynard, Wayne; Sam Milton, Man; Jansen Moreland, Frankfort; Gunner Murphy, North Marion; Elijah Payton, Clay County; Brayden Rollyson, Herbert Hoover; Ryan Shoemaker, Keyser; Wyatt Stanley, Point Pleasant; Jeremy Taylor, Oak Glen; Ty Thorne, North Marion; Corey Townsend, Logan; Isaiah Valentine, Shady Spring; Bryce Wamsley, Liberty Harrison; Brandon Wiley, Bluefield;

Honorable Mention

Aaron Adkins, Wayne; Gavin Barkley, Berkeley Springs; Owen Bass, Clay County; Jake Bishop, Wyoming East; Jeff Bowles, Liberty Raleigh; Preston Brown, Oak Glen; Jordan Brueck, Weir; Nick Chaney, Oak Glen; Drew Clark, Shady Spring; Carson Crouch, Winfield; Drew Curtis, Weir; Gage Dickson, North Marion; Caleb Dingess, Scott; Joe Dingledein, Grafton; Derrick Flack, Bluefield; Ben George, Robert C. Byrd; Blake Goode, Westside; Juwaun Green, Bluefield; Jordan Hayes, Logan; Waylon Hensley, Chapmanville; Justin Hill, Nicholas County; Jacob Justice, River View; Gabe Keech, Poca; Will Knight, Philip Barbour; Eli Kyle, Liberty Harrison; Matthew Lilly, PikeView; Caden Lookabill, Wyoming East; Matt Malick, Oak Glen; Jahkari Mesidor, North Marion; Dakota McBride, Wyoming East; Hunter Morris, Winfield; Hayden Miller, Independence; Jacob Muncy, Point Pleasant; Nathan Murray, Nitro; Kayson Nealy, Fairmont Senior; Ricky Newbrough, North Marion; Austin Parsons, Lincoln County; Zach Paxton, Herbert Hoover; Riley Perkins, Clay County; Luke Pollock, East Fairmont; Dom Postlewait, East Fairmont; Corey Prunty, Lincoln; Sam Romano, Bridgeport; Seth Ross, Wyoming East; Trey Sams, Poca; Isa Scales, Mingo Central; Jameson Shaffer, Sissonville; Te’amo Shelton Oak Hill; Aiden Slack, Logan; Hayden Stein, Frankfort; Andrew Stutler, Clay County; Payton Thompson, Berkeley Springs; Rodney VanDevender, Elkins; Trace Wagner, Robert C. Byrd; Malachi West, Fairmont Senior;

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Carson Winkie, while Trey Pancake is in the second picture and is followed by Devin Hill. In the fourth photo, Michael Watkins waits for a play, while Devin Vandergrift gets instructions in the bottom picture. Photos by www.benqueenphotogrpahy.com.