Community Bulletin
Since joining Vandalia Health, the former Davis Health System has widened access across central West Virginia. Primary care remains the front door — now at five clinics, including Buckhannon Medical Care, backed by a 190-location network. Read more →
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BUCKHANNON — Welcome to version 2.0 of the Carpenter Crunch — otherwise known as Week Two — as we take a look back at last week’s Buckhannon sporting events.
It was a tough opener for the Buccaneers at Bridgeport. Plenty of debate has surfaced about playing the Indians in Week One, but for better or worse, Bridgeport isn’t leaving the schedule. They’re a Big 10 Conference opponent and a natural geographic rival.
The real question is when to play them. Head coach Sloan Baisden prefers the matchup right out of the gate — “get it over with and move on,” as he put it. And honestly, I agree. It’s not ideal to risk deflating a team in Week One, but if the game is inevitable, you might as well rip off the Band‑Aid.
The larger issue remains unchanged: it’s not about when B-U plays Bridgeport, but when the Buccaneers can compete with — and eventually beat — them. With a schedule full of playoff teams and rivalry games, there are no easy weeks anymore. I’ve heard rumblings from the athletic department about exploring a future date change, but competitiveness is the real hurdle.
On the Wesleyan front, congratulations are in order for new head coach Mike Kellar and his staff after the Bobcats snapped a 35‑game losing streak with a home win over Post. Wesleyan rolled up 421 yards of total offense, including 118 on the ground.
They were scheduled to face Clarion on Thursday night after this column was written, and hopefully they made it two straight. To put the magnitude of that streak in perspective, here are the longest losing skids at the four levels in college football history:
- FBS: Northwestern, 34 games
- FCS: Prairie View A&M, 80 games
- Division II: Lock Haven, 52 games
- Division III: Earlham, 53 games
Wesleyan avoided joining that list — and that alone is worth celebrating.
Not to toot our own horn, but submissions continue to climb each week, thanks largely to My Buckhannon’s fearless leader, Brian Bergstrom, and his promotion of the contest. Thanks to everyone who takes a few minutes to join us here at the Crunch.
Week One’s winner was the City of Buckhannon. We’re not exactly sure who’s the football mastermind down there, but they went 6‑1 and won the tiebreaker.
On the Crunch staff leaderboard, Brian and I share the early lead at 6‑1. Katie sits at 5‑2, while Monica had a rough opening week at 2‑5.
As always, readers will see seven games each week, with Game 7 serving as the tiebreaker. Picks are due by 7 p.m. each Friday before kickoff. To submit your selections, click here.
Now, onto this week’s slate:
Buckhannon-Upshur (0–1) at Philip Barbour (1–0)
The forecast calls for rain and mist — and no one needs mist ruining their day — so pack the rain gear. I watched most of Philip Barbour’s win over Grafton last week. The Colts flashed big-play ability and put up strong offensive numbers, though they had stretches where they looked inconsistent. If B-U plays with confidence, they have a shot, but I need to see it first.
Duane: Philip Barbour Brian: Philip Barbour Katie: Buckhannon-Upshur Monica: Philip Barbour
Martinsburg (1–0) at Bridgeport (1–0)
If you’re someone who enjoys seeing Bridgeport challenged, this might be your game. Martinsburg has been one of the state’s elite programs for years, and this could be the Indians’ lone regular-season loss. I’m the only one on staff picking Martinsburg — interesting.
Duane: Martinsburg Brian: Bridgeport Katie: Bridgeport Monica: Bridgeport
Coastal Carolina (0–0) at West Virginia (0–0)
Year Two of Rich Rodriguez begins. He couldn’t get past Ohio last season, and now we’ll see what he can do with Coastal Carolina. WVU is expected to be improved, so don’t say I’m not giving him a chance.
Duane: WVU Brian: WVU Katie: WVU Monica: WVU
The Final Four
North Marion (1-0) at Preston (0-1)
Duane: North Marion Brian: North Marion Katie: North Marion Monica: North Marion
Grafton (1-0) at East Fairmont (0-1)
Duane: Grafton Brian: Grafton Katie: East Fairmont Monica: East Fairmont
Marshall (0-0) at Penn State (0-0)
Duane: Penn State Brian: Penn State Katie: Penn State Monica: Marshall
Clemson (0-0) at LSU (0-0)
Duane: LSU Brian: LSU Katie: LSU Monica: LSU
