Faces Change at PSHS

By Delano Farley
Parkersburg South High School Patriots athletics has made leaps and bounds from the past to the present. A school once dominated in nearly every sport by its cross-town rival Parkersburg High School has come full circle to become fully respected statewide in nearly every sport.

But the situation at the Patriots fort is changing again and resignations are the reason. With resignations from athletic director John Flint, football coach Mike DeVol, wrestling coach Tim McCartney, and volleyball coach Tammy Fisher, it is pretty obvious there will be a different look to Parkersburg South athletics, at least on the sidelines if not on the field.

Championships in sports like wrestling and football, including the inner-city championships, have come from the long and stressful efforts of many in the position of athletic director and coach. They have been the leaders to success. They have expended blood, sweat and tears to help build their athletic powerhouses.

With many new faces entering the athletic program, there may be reason to wonder if their successors can achieve as much as the present group has. In the meantime, whether it is a slow transition or fast transition for the new faces, the outgoing group deserves a lot of the credit for what Parkersburg South is today – an athletic high school program respected throughout the state of West Virginia.

Each individual deserves credit from everyone interested in high school sports, Patriot fan or not. They have helped build Cinderella teams into what every sports fanatic hopes for: blue chip programs.