Weir, Brooke set for annual rivalry clash
Trending
WELLSBURG -- In the long history of the annual county-line rivalry clash between Brooke and Weir High, there have been several meetings where the teams find themselves in much different positions.
This year's clash is one of those such meetings.
The Bruins enter the game at No. 16 in the Class AAA standings, clinging to the final playoff spot headed into the final game of the season needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Weir High is looking to avoid a winless season and play spoiler.
On thing is for certain, implications aside, it's a game that both sides desperately want to win.
"When you play the Weir game, it’s 57 years of Weir-Brooke football rivalry history," Bruins head coach Frank Sisinni said. "I know it’s cliche to say this but you can throw the records out.
"(Weir) has a lot to play for. They’re trying to break a streak there. I know they play hard and have some athletes that can hurt you. I know they’re going to bring their absolute best Friday night. For us, it’s exciting because it is the rivalry game and its senior night for our 11 seniors.
"The game just means so much for the alumni and everyone that supports both teams and both communities. Everyone knows what’s at stake in this one, regardless of the implications for us.
"When it comes to these games, the records definitely go out the window. There’s a lot of pride at stake in this one."
Sisinni is the only coach in the history of the rivalry to coach on both sides of it. He's been a part of the rivalry for nearly three decades between his time as a player at Brooke and coaching at both schools.
"Seeing both sides of it and both aspects of it as a player, as an assistant coach on both sides, and as a head coach on both sides, it’s no mystery that this rivalry means so much to so many," Sisinni said. "The history and tradition of both schools are prevalent with the fan bases. They’re all about this opportunity, this night every year."
On the other side, Chris Hill is looking to conclude the first season at his alma mater with a big positive note. Hill and some of his assistants also coached with Sisinni during his Weir days, making the familiarity on both sides widespread.
"That’s special, because even though there are guys on the other sideline you know that you’re going against in competition, you share the same values, and we’re all in this coaching business together," Sisinni said. "There’s a lot of respect for coaches on either side of the field you’re going against, especially guys that you’ve worked with and have been in battles with in big games throughout your career. It means a lot, because we know in this business how hard all the high school coaches are working and trying to do their best for these kids and showing them a great example of how to be a great student-athlete but at the same time win some football games.
"It’s pretty cool, and it’s surreal at times to see those scenarios pop up. When you’ve been in coaching for 27 years, you connect with so many people, and it’s just cool to share that spotlight with everyone and get to play and coach in a high school football game that means so much to our communities."
Hill has seen his team make some strides in the second half of the season, holding the lead last week late in the first half before Moorefield ultimately pulled away. The way he sees it, there's no better time to put all the pieces together for a complete game than the present.
"There’s been a lot of good. We’ve got better every week, there’s no doubt," Hill said. "It’s putting all these little things together consistently throughout a whole ballgame that is kind of the last hurdle to get over. This would be a good week to put it all together.
"It's Brooke week, we know they definitely need a win to keep their dreams alive, and our kids want to get a win to keep them out of the playoffs. Winning this game would give us momentum going into the offseason.
"In a rivalry like this you can kind of throw the records out the window. There’s been a lot of upsets in the past. I know when coach Sisinni was at Weir High School, there were some years where his Weir High teams were down, and he got a few upsets over Brooke. And this year, we’re young, we’re learning, and I hope we can do the same. I hope we can go out there and make it a battle for four quarters, and at the end, if we’re hanging around, like I tell the kids, if we’re there at the end, we’ve got a chance."
Brooke this season has been led by sophomore quarterback Kam Sperringer, who has thrown for 1,371 yards and 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
On the outside, senior Grant Yost has 26 catches for 264 yards and three scores, including a long one last week against Elkins. Senior Michael Gibson has 18 catches for 301 yards and six TDs and senior Braden Horstin has 17 catches for 337 yards and three scores. Senior Cole Bolen has rushed for 504 yards and six touchdowns, averaging nearly six yards per carry.
Yost (71 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception) and Bolen (67 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, one sack, one fumble recovery) lead the defense.
"I expect they’re going to be aggressive defensively," Hill said. "The games we’ve watched, they’ve blitzed a lot, get downhill and get after your run game, so I expect to see the same there. Offensively, they throw a couple of different formations at you, they’ve got some nice big receivers on the outside, so they take advantage of that trying to run some curls and hitches, and then when you suck up on those, they try to get you deep over the top.
"Our thing is we’ve got to play solid, we’ve got to play fast, and mistake free. And if I think we can do those things, we have a chance."
For the Red Riders, senior Landon Haught is the team's leading receiver with three touchdowns on the season, including a long one last week, and fellow senior Izaigha George leads the ground game with over 600 yards and three rushing scores.
"Chris Hill is in his first year, and I understand it with me being in my second here, and a lot of the coaches he has on staff are guys I had when I was up there, I know those kids are well-coached," Sisinni said of Weir. "They’re just looking for that opportunity to get things moving. You can see it starting to happen. As each game goes by, and we’re watching game film, you can see that their message is getting across to those kids.
“They’ve got some talented players and we know they’re going to play hard. We have to be ready.”
The opening kick Friday night on Paul "Bud" Billiard Field inside Brooke Memorial Stadium is set for 7 p.m.