When Ryan Nicewarner told Travis Jones he would not be back in the radio booth after nearly a decade of working beside him calling Bridgeport High School football games, the initial reaction was one of sadness. After all, not only did Jones have a reliable partner to work with, he also had a person who had become a close friend.

 

For those that know Travis Jones, they also know he quickly went from feeling dismayed to knowing he needed a replacement. The ultimate professional, Jones needed to get someone ready and get someone ready quick to replace one of the most popluar individuals associated with the Indians football program.

 

As it turned out, the person was already in place. And even better, he was already more than just a bit familiar with Bridgeport High School.

 

“Turns out I didn’t have to go too far,” said Jones. 

 

By now, most of you know Nicewarner’s spot for handling color commentary was taken over by Chris George. George, who isn’t the Bridgeport resident that was an All-American football player at Glenville State of the same name, is an Elkins native.

 

“It ended up working out pretty quickly as Chris has been around the Bridgeport programs, not specifically football, but has done work on the baseball package since its inception and other programs for a decade or so,” said Jones. “He’s been around baseball and with my collegiate schedule in the winter he handles basketball games when there is a conflict on my schedule. He’s new to football, but he’s not new to Bridgeport.”

 

Actually, after nine weeks of the season he’s no longer new to Bridgeport football. And he’s definitely not new to covering high school football.

 

George’s radio work goes back to 1993 in Elkins. That would be back in his high school days as he’s a 1995 graduate of Elkins High School and a 2000 graduate of Davis & Elkins College.

 

From 1993 to 2001, he covered Elkins and Tucker County. After that, he sprinkled in time with Lewis County, Philip Barbour, Buckhannon-Upshur and focused primarily on Tygarts Valley and the Mountain Lions of Tucker. Along the way, he’s done some baseball for Alderson-Broaddus as well.

 

So where did the love of broadcasting come from?

 

“I had to quit sports at a young age due to medical reasons, primarily asthma, so the best way to stay involved was to be on the radio and then coach,” said George. “I enjoyed it and I’ve always wanted to do it so here I am.”

 

Growing up in Elkins didn’t mean he was unaware of Bridgeport. As it turns out, George’s own involvement with Elkins Post 29 in American Legion, where he serves as the general manager and manager, and has been there since 2004 (including a state title in 2012) brought him into contact with Bridgeport baseball royalty.

 

“When you’re on the legion circuit, you know the Shields’ family. I knew (the late Robert) Timbuck Shields and I’ve known (son and current BHS baseball coach) Robert for quite a while,” said George.
“Even before that I was aware of their tradition in sports, but it was baseball where I got to initially know some of the people involved.

 

“My family also knows (BHS football Coach) John Cole,” he continued. “My mom was friends with John’s mother growing up so I had some connections.”

 

Even with those connections and the chance to call games for one of the state’s most storied programs, it wasn’t easy to walk away from Tucker County and Tygarts Valley.

 

“It was a tough decision, primarily because it caught me off guard when Travis asked,” said George. “ … I can still be involved with those schools in other sports and it all worked out. Honestly, even though it was tough, it was also something I jumped at. I love great football and you get a lot of it here.”

 

Jones said George has brought a lot to the broadcast booth. With some listeners familiar with him and his background with the same company Jones works for and the experience, it was a good fit. There is one problem, Jones said.

 

“I guess I would say he over prepares,” said Jones with a laugh. “He knows high school sports in North Central West Virginia about as good as anyone out there. He keeps up with teams and players from across the region and that is a benefit to our audience.”

 

While things may seem to go smoothly, Jones said there was never a guarantee that would be the case as his thought process began on who to fill Nicewarner’s shoes. And there were plenty of suggestions.

 

“You just can’t get someone who loves or played Bridgeport football or someone that’s been around it a long time because there’s a procedure to what is done in the booth,” said Jones. “You have to get into a rhythm of when to talk, when not to talk and develop chemistry. We’ve done things in the past together so he knows when to properly interject.

 

“On top of that, there’s not a lot of people that are already in a position to handle play by play on radio out there,” Jones continued. “Add to that he’s familiar with everything from an equipment set up standpoint and it eliminates a worry if, for some reason like I was earlier this year, can’t be at a game. That flexibility is a big relief as was his ability to just go with it from game one.”

 

George said he felt good from the start.

 

“I was comfortable right off the bat. I was familiar with the kids and the program,” said George. “I was looking forward to this once I accepted and I’m looking forward to doing it for a long time. One thing that’s a real benefit is working with Travis. He’s top notch in everything he does and it makes everything a lot easier.”

 

As for Jones, he’s glad things worked out. And it’s gone better than expected.

 

“It’s met my expectations and I have lofty expectations,” said Jones. “I was worried because I don’t like change, but it’s working out. He’s very optimistic and I’m pessimistic so that, along with everything else, has created a good balance and it’s one I hope our audience appreciates.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Travis Jones, standing, and Chris George at the BHS-Buckhannon football contest. George is shown in the second photo at a BHS home game and below at a basketball game for Tucker County. In third photo, Jones is shown making a call at a Bridgeport home contest. Second and third photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.