Sports Story Archives - Page 2 of 8 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Legislators Hear About Changes To State’s Sports Commission Rules

During their interim meeting at Marshall University Sunday, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability heard about several changes to rules and regulations governing the Secondary School Activities Commission.

Changes included a significant increase in the number of out-of-season activity days allowed for coaches to work with players, from 12 to 32 days, as well as changes to how suspensions after an ejection from a game are calculated.

Hank Hager, counsel to the Senate Education Committee, explained that suspensions would now be 10 percent of the season, regardless of when the infraction occurs. For sports like baseball and basketball that play the state maximum of 32 games, that would mean a three game suspension.

“I don’t necessarily want to condone the activity that gets somebody suspended, but at the same time I understand there’s emotion involved in sports,” said Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia. “That seems excessive to me, three games.”

Cindy Daniel, West Virginia SSAC assistant executive director, pointed out that there is a process in place for schools to appeal suspensions resulting from ejections.

Oliverio suggested that the West Virginia Legislature may change the suspension rule in a future session.

Among the changes are an expansion to student eligibility, including the implementation of recently passed House Bill 2820, which creates a pathway for Hope Scholarship recipients to play SSAC sports.

Shepherd University Football Team Sees Four Student-Athletes Sign Pro Contracts

Four football players from NCAA Division II Shepherd University were drafted as priority free agents following this year’s NFL Draft. It’s a record for the comparatively small football program.

Four football players from NCAA Division II Shepherd University were signed as priority free agents following this year’s NFL Draft. It’s a record for the comparatively small football program.

Quarterback Tyson Bagent signed with the Chicago Bears, offensive lineman Joey Fisher signed with the San Francisco 49ers, Ronnie Brown signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and tight end Brian Walker signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

“It’s very difficult to even get to where they are, and they need to take advantage of what opportunities they do have,” Shepherd football coach Ernie McCook said. “I always joke that it’s like, you just want to get keys to the facility.”

All four were previously selected as members of the Associated Press’ Division II All-American team. Bagent was selected as the 2021 recipient of the Harlon Hill trophy, Division II football’s equivalent of the Heisman.

McCook says getting to the level where a smaller school can consistently produce NFL prospects is a combination of culture and recruiting. The school relies on talent from in and around the Eastern Panhandle.

“Every one of those players that have signed with NFL teams are all within a two-and-a-half-hour radius of our institution,” McCook said. “And I think we do a good job and create a culture where good players know that they can play football at a high level, they can play where football is important and have a chance to compete.”

The Rams made it to the national championship semifinals last season, before losing to the Colorado School of Mines.

“If you were to ask any one of those four guys that just signed, ‘What’s your biggest regret,’ it’s not winning a national championship,” McCook said. “So we have a desire to be great in this program.”

Elsewhere in the state, Huntington native and offensive tackle Darnell Wright was selected tenth in the draft by the Chicago Bears. He went to the University of Tennessee to play for the Volunteers.

WVU defensive end Dante Stills, originally from Fairmont, was also selected by the Arizona Cardinals as the 213th pick in the draft. His brother, Darius, and father, Gary, also played for the Mountaineers before making their way to the NFL. Marshall players Steven Gilmore and Khalen Laborn were also offered free agent contracts.

But both schools are considered Division I, playing in the upper tiers of college football and having access to the money and resources that come with that designation. With NFL-prospect level talent coming out of the much smaller Shepherd University, its athletic department could attract more notoriety – and future recruits.

“Everything that we can sell positively on our football team, we want to be able to do,” McCook said. “Having a pro day the way we did, having four players that were able to sign preferred free agent contracts with the NFL makes other kids look at it like, ‘Hey, man, I can have a shot if I go to Shepherd.’ And that’s what we want to do.”

Morrisey Takes Trans Sports Ban To The Supreme Court

In 2021, the West Virginia Legislature enacted a law “to defend the integrity of women’s sports” that prohibits transgender girls and women in the state from competing on sports teams at “any public secondary school or state institution of higher education.”

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced his office is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the “Save Women’s Sports Act” to take effect.

The bill passed on April 28, 2021 and the ACLU filed a lawsuit on May 8, 2021. Since then Morrisey’s office has fought to dismiss the lawsuit.

“Today, we are stepping forward with a major announcement pertaining to a filing that we’ll be making later this afternoon to defend the integrity of women’s sports here in West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “We will be making a filing up at the United States Supreme Court in order to lift the injunction that was recently placed upon the Integrity In Women’s Sports Law in the Fourth Circuit.”

Morrisey was assisted by attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a self-proclaimed Christian-led legal organization, in filing this litigation.

Rachel Csutoros, legal counsel with the ADF called the filing a historical moment for all female athletes.

“It’s unfair, and it’s unsafe,” Csutoros said. “No males should be allowed to take athletic opportunities away from women. That’s why we’re giving the Supreme Court their first chance to protect women’s fairness and women’s sports from today’s threats. The Fourth Circuit was wrong to stop a valid law with no factual or legal basis. And we urge the Supreme Court to uphold West Virginia’s laws to respect the will of its state citizens and to preserve equal athletic opportunities for women and girls.”

Morrisey said the law protects female athletes’ safety and keeps female sports competitive for female athletes, consistent with Title IX and the Constitution.

Title IX was signed into law on June 23, 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.

“We talked about the 50th anniversary of Title Nine,” Morrisey said. “I think we should remember that today. It’s been so much good for women’s leadership and women’s sports. And I am optimistic of the result that we should be able to get from the high court.”

Concord University Set For Second Annual Esports Summer Camp

Esports are competitive, multiplayer video games played at a high level. They’ve grown in popularity as a spectator sport through online streaming.

Concord University in Athens is hosting a summer camp that aims to create more interest in its esports programs. It’s the second annual such event.

Esports are competitive, multiplayer video games played at a high level. They have grown in popularity as a spectator sport through online streaming.

Concord created its varsity esports program in 2019 as the first of its kind in the state. That came alongside the creation of an Esports Management major.

“The big thing for us is getting West Virginia on the map,” University Esports Director Austin Clay said in a 2021 interview. “It’s nice to know that even a small college with only 2,000 kids attending can get nationally recognized.”

The summer camp is set to teach local students lessons in sportsmanship, teamwork, communication and leadership through competition in video games like Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. A tournament for the recently released Overwatch 2 is also scheduled on the last day of camp.

The camp also includes speakers involved in professional esports and time for outdoor play.

A camp for younger kids aged 9 to 13 is scheduled from June 19-23, while a camp for those aged 14 to 18 is scheduled from June 28-30. The cost to attend is $225.
Those interested in registering can do so online or email jsrose@concord.edu or akclay@concord.edu for more information.

House Bill Enables Athletic Participation For Hope Scholarship Students

Hope Scholarship recipients and other non-traditional students would be able to participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities at their local public schools under a House bill.

Hope Scholarship recipients and other non-traditional students would be able to participate in athletics and other extracurricular activities at their local public schools under House Bill 2820.

The bill, which was considered in the House Education Committee Tuesday, would amend state code to allow these types of students to participate in public school programs if they’ve shown “satisfactory evidence of academic progress,” similar to how homeschooled students in the state already enroll.

The bill also includes students enrolled in microschools and learning pods, though there are no microschools in the state.

“I think the question or the element of fairness comes to mind when we know those kids who are not academically finding success in the public school system find a way to improve their academic success elsewhere,” said Del. Todd Longanacre, R-Greenbrier, who spoke in favor of the bill. “When they leave that public school system, they’re not taking all of their parents’ tax money from that county, they’re leaving some in that county. They still have skin in the game. So that’s fair that they would have the opportunity if their school that they go to doesn’t offer sports.”

Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, the minority chair of the House Education Committee, expressed concerns over how it would potentially affect other students.

“On one hand, I obviously want to help the kid to be able to participate,” said Hornbuckle. “But on the other one, I want to also make sure that it doesn’t cause a disparate impact of other private school students.”

That came among other questions on how academic progress and discipline would be measured from other lawmakers.

“If a student is in a learning pod, or microschool, how do we know that that discipline is equivalent [to a public school]?” Del. Danielle Walker, D-Monongalia, asked early during the proceedings.

Legislators discussed HB 2820 for more than an hour, with an eventual amendment clarifying that private school students would not be able to play on a public school team if the sport is already offered at their school.

The bill passed the committee and is on its way to the House floor.

Other bills discussed during the meeting included House Bill 3293, which establishes requirements for educational agencies to help identify and support students with dyslexia and dyscalculia, and House Bill 3273, which establishes a commission that would negotiate dealings with entities interested in utilizing intellectual properties owned by institutions of higher education.

Both bills were approved in committee. HB 3293 is expected to be on second reading Wednesday, while HB 3273 was sent to the House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.

Shepherd University Football Team Heads To Division II Semifinal Game

This weekend, Shepherd University’s loyal fans in the Eastern Panhandle will cheer on their football program when they play in the Division II semifinals with hopes for a national championship berth.

College football in West Virginia is usually associated with the West Virginia Mountaineers and Marshall Thundering Herd. But this weekend, Shepherd University’s loyal fans in the Eastern Panhandle will cheer on their football program when they play in the Division II semifinals with hopes for a national championship berth.

The trip to the semifinals is the second for the Rams in as many years. The school is tucked away in a small town in the Eastern Panhandle, but like other small towns across the country, the success of their school’s sports teams is something many of the locals rally around.

“I’ve been to every single game, I haven’t missed a game,” Shepherd University student and student section leader Amelia Jenkins said. “I was in Connecticut when we started and I’ll be in Colorado on Saturday to cheer on the Rams.”

Fans like Jenkins were outside the school’s student center Thursday afternoon to see the team off in hopes for a road win against the Colorado School of Mines.

The team is led by quarterback Tyson Bagent, who was last season’s recipient of the Harlon Hill trophy – Division II football’s answer to the Heisman, which names the best player in the country. This season, he broke the record for most career touchdown passes in college football history, regardless of division.

“It’s good to know that all the work’s not going unnoticed,” Bagent said. “Also, I think it’s important for the younger people in my family to see what’s possible and kind of give them inspiration and motivation to do their thing.”

After his Harlon Hill campaign, Bagent had offers to transfer to Division I schools like West Virginia University and the University of Maryland, but ultimately decided to stay close to home. Despite playing at a smaller school, he’s gotten attention from scouts as a potential NFL draft pick.

“I’m from this area, I’ve always lived in this area,” he said. “So I mean, it’s all I know. And so for me to be an inspiration and kind of a motivating factor to the people in this area means everything to me.”

The team’s success is in part because of its coaching staff, led by head coach Ernie McCook. He was a coordinator with the program for years before he took over from longtime coach Monte Cater in 2018. Cater had more wins than any other active coach across college football before his retirement. McCook has continued the team’s level of success, but credits it to the school’s commitment to athletics.

“I think athletics is the front porch of every university and our success on athletic play and the playing field helps open up our university to a lot of different people,” McCook said.

The Rams have kept competitive by recruiting from local high school football powerhouses like Martinsburg High School, where Bagent was originally spotted.

“Seventy five percent of our alumni will live within 100 miles of the university,” he said. “So we’re able to have a lot of alumni support to help us and support us in recruiting.”

This year’s postseason saw Shepherd University beat the University of New Haven, as well as conference foes Slippery Rock and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. IUP handed the Rams a rare loss earlier in the season during the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship game.

Last season, the Rams beat the University of Findlay, Notre Dame College in Ohio and Kutztown University on their way to the semifinals before falling to eventual champions Ferris State University.

The semifinal game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on streaming service ESPN Plus.