WV MetroNews
The Voice of West Virginia
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Washington collected their second win of the day in the tournament hosted by Robert C. Byrd High School at Summit Park fields with an 8-3 victory over Petersburg.
The No. 6 Patriots broke a scoreless stalemate in the third inning with a four-run frame. Washington later added a pair of runs in the fourth to build a 6-0 lead.
Petersburg cut their deficit in half with a run-scoring single from Olivia Kimble and a two-run home run from Samantha Colaw. However, Carly Constantino retired the next eight Petersburg batters to close out the game.
Anna Sedlock went 3-for-3 for the Patriots (14-3). Gabby Bibb, Kalyn Dean and Zoe Kesterson each added two hits.
Blair Loy had a pair of hits for the No. 2 Vikings (16-6).
Earlier in the day, Washington defeated Wheeling Park, 10-3 and Petersburg knocked off Robert C. Byrd, 8-0. Both teams will play a pair of games on Saturday.
Saturday schedule of games (at Robert C. Byrd H.S.)
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Washington scored nine times in the final three innings to break the game open in a 10-3 win over Wheeling Park. The game was part of the tournament hosted by Robert C. Byrd High School at the Summit Park fields.
No. 6 Washington (13-3) scored four runs in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie. They later added three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Washington starting pitcher Carly Constantino struck out seven batters in 3 2/3 innings of work. She allowed four hits and one unearned run. Constantino also had a pair of base hits and she drove in three runs. Taylor Decker and Addison Musser each drove in a pair of runs. Anna Sedlock added three hits for Washington.
Wheeling Park (9-14) was led at the plate by Delaney Randolph. She went 3-for-4 with a double.
Wheeling Park later defeated Lincoln, 3-1 to close the day.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Jefferson’s 5-1 win over Williamstown in the Mon County Classic.
(Photo gallery by Teran Malone)
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Photo gallery from University’s 2-1 win over Jefferson in the Mon County Classic.
(Photo gallery by Teran Malone)
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Morgantown’s 6-0 win over Spring Mills in the Mon County Classic.
(Photo gallery by Teran Malone)
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Cabell Midland’s 13-3 win over University in the Mon County Classic.
(Photo gallery by Teran Malone)
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Photo gallery from Morgantown’s 14-3 win over Oak Glen in the Mon County Classic.
(Photo gallery by Teran Malone)
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Adriana Elder tossed a three-hit shutout and she struck out eight batters as Lincoln improved to 7-6 with an 8-0, 6-inning win over Robert C. Byrd. The game was the opener for RCB’s annual tournament at the Summit Park Fields in Clarksburg.
Alexis Williams and Angelina Wright both homered in a five-run third inning for the Cougars, where their first five batters in the frame all had base hits and later scored.
Williams, Aliyah Elder, Makiah Ford, Riley Pearlman and Haleigh Gump each had two hits for the Cougars as part of their 13-hit attack.
Gina Alvaro, Mackenzie Davis and Cameron Ware each had base hit for the Flying Eagles (13-6).
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Gov. Jim Justice announced U.S. Department of Education has approved a waiver the state’s level of schools funding in relation to pandemic relief funds.
“As I said all along, I knew this was not going to be a problem,” Justice said in an early-evening news release.
“So, while we are all pleased the U.S. Department of Education accepted our waiver because we made it clear that education is a top priority in West Virginia, this announcement came as no surprise and was never a real issue.”
The possibility of a $465 million federal “clawback” jolted the final weeks of the regular legislative session as lawmakers were trying to put the final touches on the constitutionally required state budget.
The uncertainty contributed to decisions to pass a “skinny budget” that left some priorities like potential surplus spending undetermined. A May special session is envisioned to work out some of the remaining financial questions.
Justice today said the “clawback” gloom was an overrreaction.
“The potential of a ‘clawback’ should never have been used to scare anyone. That narrative only distracts from the positive progress we have made as a state. Let us put this issue to bed and continue making West Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Justice stated.
The problem was based not on any allegations of misspending — but instead over whether school systems fell short on an obligation to maintain financial support for education at levels in line with overall spending.
West Virginia, like other states, drew down millions of dollars in covid relief from the federal government. One of those sources was the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund.
That fund has a requirement known as maintenance of effort, a standard introduced on April 21, 2021 requiring the state to keep the same proportional level of funding for schools as it had before the pandemic. That was measured in comparison to the state’s spending in other areas.
The Justice administration has said the federal spending ratio was a challenge for West Virginia because of its formulas in state law for education funding. For example, under West Virginia’s school funding system, the state funds a certain number of teachers and other educational positions for each school district based on the district’s student enrollment.
Waiver request documentation by the state described declining enrollment in the school system. But the document made a case that West Virginia had increased its per-pupil spending.
West Virginia’s submission calculated that K-12 per pupil spending was $8,010 in 2022 and $8,219 in 2023. That compared to an average of $7,570 spending per pupil in the three years prior to the pandemic.
And the document maintained that comparisons of education spending to overall spending got out of whack because of new, increased spending in the state healthcare system, prompted by the covid-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Education guidelines say decisions on waivers “will be rooted in the consideration of the impact on students.” The purpose of the federal funds, the guidelines indicate, “is to expand resources for K-12 and postsecondary schools and students, not to replace existing state commitments.”
During the most recent legislative session, officials attempted to demonstrate West Virginia’s commitment through passing a bill representing average 5 percent pay raises for educators. A fiscal note estimates that’s a $77.5 million outlay. Another bill represented a $150 million supplemental appropriation for School Building Authority projects all around the state.
“These supplemental appropriations are larger than the FY 2023 MOE gaps for both elementary and secondary and higher education,” Laura Jimenez, director of the Office of State and Grantee Relations for the U.S. Department of Education, stated in the approval letter. “Thank you for your ongoing commitment to education.”
State Superintendent Michele Blatt said described gratification that the U.S. Department of Education recognized West Virginia’s support for public schools.
“Teacher salaries, early learning classroom support, foster care initiatives and post-secondary focus areas are among the ongoing efforts to ensure students have a robust educational foundation to build upon. Governor Justice is to be commended for his leadership during this process,” Blatt said in a news release distributed by the state education department.
Justice, in the Friday evening news release, said West Virginia has demonstrated its commitment to financial support for schools.
“We’ve made substantial improvements to our education system. These investments are exactly what the U.S. Department of Education was looking for during their review, and I’m genuinely thankful these funds are directly benefiting our schools, teachers, and students instead of going back to Washington, D.C.”
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— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall’s football team has spent much of the past month working out of public sight during spring practices, implementing a new offense and tweaking the defense.
Those changes will be in full public view on Saturday when the Thundering Herd hosts its annual Green-White Spring Game at 4 p.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium.
Proceeds from the game benefits the work of the MU Quarterback Club, with funds being plowed back into the football program.
The big focus this spring has been implementing an Air Raid offense that incorporates short, quicker passes and a higher pace of play. Gone is the more deliberate pace of a spread offense run by Marshall for several years.
The work has been led by new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, a veteran in the system from his days as a player at Texas Tech.
“I’ve been learning about the offense myself. It’s fun and simple,” fourth-year Marshall head coach Charles Huff said. “It’s not difficult, but timing and spacing are important and there is a lot of opportunity to make big plays in it.”
Returning quarterback Cole Pennington and Tulsa transfer Braylon Braxton will be featured behind center on Saturday as well as backup Colin Parachek and true freshman JacQai Long from Hurricane.
Another transfer quarterback, Mitch Griffis from Wake Forest, will join the battle for playing time this summer.
Huff said there is no front-runner for the starting quarterback job, but he knows what he and the offensive staff are looking for in a leader.
“We’re still trying to see who can be the most consistent,” Huff said. “We’re giving them the time to embrace what we’re dealing with and how the defense reacts to it. The biggest thing for me is not only who can master the system, but who can go out and execute on the variables and fix things on the fly.”
Marshall’s talented group of transfer wide receivers will get plenty of chances to impress on Saturday, a group that includes Bralon Brown from Ole Miss, Carl Chester from Tulsa, Christian Fitzpatrick from Michigan State, Elijah Metcalf from Middle Tennessee and Tychaun Chapman from North Carolina. DeMarcus Harris and Chuck Montgomery are returning Herd receivers who will also be seeing action in the Spring game.
Marshall also brought in offensive line help and many of those newcomers will get their debuts in front of fans, along with highly-touted transfer running back Jason Shuford from North Carolina State.
Admission to Saturday’s game is $5 and tickets can be bought at the gate. Parking passes for the West Lot of Edwards Stadium are available at $20 each. Parking will be open to fans at 10am on Saturday and stadium gates will open at 2:30 pm
— — — — —
Marshall has signed a one-game deal with Wisconsin for the 2028 season.
The contest between the Thundering Herd and Badgers will be played on Sept. 2, 2028, and will serve as the season-opener for both teams.
“We are thrilled to make the trip to Madison with the Thundering Herd in 2028,” Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears said. “These games are awesome experiences for our fans and for our team. As always, we are looking to create some momentum and buzz heading into our SBC season, so we are really excited for this one.”
The contest will match the Herd against Wisconsin for the second time in their history together and the game will take place during the week of the 20-year anniversary since the teams last met.
In the lone previous meeting between the teams back in Sept. of 2008, Marshall jumped out to a 14-point lead early in the second quarter before the nationally-ranked Badgers proved too much for the Herd.
The addition of Wisconsin tentatively gives Marshall three of its four non-conference opponents for the 2028 season. Marshall also hosts Ohio in the Battle for the Bell on Sept. 9 during that season while also having a contest against Central Connecticut currently booked for a date to be determined later.
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