From the Bench: The 2025 Calendar Year Proves to be One of Best in Bridgeport High's Sports History
By Jeff Toquinto on January 11, 2026 from Sports Blog
There are school calendar years and calendar years. With the start of the New (calendar) Year still close in the rearview mirror, something should be noted.
Bridgeport High School had a rather good calendar year in sports. It had one of its best years ever.
When the club struck midnight on 2025, the Indians had managed to walk away on the year with five state championships. While that sounds like a lot, please know many schools statewide that have been in existence for decades do not – collectively – have five state titles combined.
Bridgeport got things going last year on the aquatic side of things when veteran Coach Jan Grisso continued her decades-long run of dominant teams. Grisso’s Indians won both the boys and girls state championships in Morgantown to get an early start of what turned into a banner year of athletics.
The swimming teams would be hard to top. However, the boy’s basketball squad played its part to be in the conversation.
Coach Dave Marshall’s team finished the year 26-1, including a season-ending 24-game winning streak. The team’s state title win came against a Nitro squad that had beaten them in the third game of the 2025 season.
Marshall became one of the few coaches in West Virginia to ever coach a boy’s team to a state championship in basketball as well as a girl’s team. Grisso, who coaches both the boys and girls and has done so since the program’s inception, is also on the list of coaching teams to titles in boys and girls.
The winter sports program of 2025 came through with a trio of titles, things were quiet on the spring side of things despite plenty of competitive squads. The Indians, however, would add to their total when the fall season of 2025 got under way.
And this time, both state championships would be historic on the school front.
Coach Nathaniel Lutyens led the Bridgeport girls’ cross country team to a state championship Nov. 1 in Ona at Cabell Midland High School. Bridgeport not only won, but they were much like the boy’s basketball team in dominating the field, which finished well ahead of runner-up Elkins.
What made it special beyond winning was that it was the first-ever state title for the girls in Bridgeport High School history. The team had managed a runner-up finish under former Coach Jon Griffith but got no further.
And then, there was one more. And it would arrive one week after the cross country crown came back home to Harrison County.
BHS Coach Keith Dumas saw his boys on the Bridgeport soccer team capture a huge win against top-seed Nitro 3-1 at the Paul Cline 
Memorial Sports Complex in Beckley. The Indians did it without Grayson Church, injured in the postseason, who was considered one of the state’s top players.
Memorial Sports Complex in Beckley. The Indians did it without Grayson Church, injured in the postseason, who was considered one of the state’s top players.
The Indians compensated for the loss with teamwork, timely goals, and a smothering defense. They also had a chance to play thanks to a 2-1 overtime win in the semifinals.
So, what is the secret sauce? According to BHS Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Tom Sears, it is no secret at all.
“I’ve spoken on this at length to a lot of people and it comes down to the dedication of the stakeholders involved, particularly our student athletes,” said Sears. “They’re geared for success. It starts at home and is promoted within the community.
“The really great thing is there is certainly an emphasis on winning in any competitive event you can notice in the hallways at the school, but it carries over into the classroom,” he continued. “It’s an attitude that is part of a culture where the kids do all they can to win.”
Sears said the culture is critical. He said those coming up in it want to see it continue. And the community makes sure the resources are there as needed to foster the continuation of the culture.
“It is one thing to win, but it is another to maintain it for decades. Five state titles are impressive,” said Sears. “It’s safe to say there will be all efforts to match or exceed that this calendar year. Even when it doesn’t happen, the effort is always there, which means it’s always possible.”
Those possibilities will be determined over the next 12 months. And as always, BHS will likely be in the mix.
Editor's Note: State title teams from the 2025 calendar year are shown from top to bottom, along with BHS Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Tom Sears.
