Twenty‑Five years after 9/11, football was the only thing that felt normal

BUCKHANNON — Twenty‑five years have passed since the Sept. 11 attacks, a span of time that feels both impossible and unforgiving. A Netflix series I watched this week drove home a sobering truth: an entire generation has grown up with no memory of that morning — no recollection of the fear, the disbelief, or the silence that settled over the country. For those of us who lived it, the images remain permanent.

I was the assistant sports editor at The Record Delta then, scheduled to start at 11 a.m. I walked into the newsroom that morning unaware of what had unfolded. The staff had dragged out an old television — something we never used — and the moment I stepped through the door, I knew something was terribly wrong.

Once I learned the magnitude of the attacks, I tried to sit at my desk and write, but sports suddenly felt trivial. I told my boss I was going home. No one knew whether more attacks were coming, and uncertainty hung over every minute. I called my then wife, told her to be careful driving home, and waited for her to walk through the door.

That evening, Buckhannon‑Upshur still held football practice. Tuesdays were my nights to interview then‑coach Eddie Vincent, but it was the most hollow interview of my career. Football didn’t matter. Nothing did. Eddie told me they practiced to give the players a sense of normalcy — a fair point — but my mind was nowhere near the field.

B‑U played Elkins that Friday and delivered a moving pregame tribute, one that made me proud to be a Buccaneer. But the week itself was brutal. It remains one of the hardest stretches of my professional life. My heart is still with the families who lost loved ones on that day.

Week Two’s winner is Todd Ware, who went 7–0. He and Greg Abel posted identical tiebreaker scores for the WVU game, but Todd held the edge in cumulative wins — our second tiebreaker. Congratulations to Todd. And for clarity: Week One’s winner was Jay Hollen, submitted under the City of Buckhannon email.

Here is the Crunch leader board.

Name                Overall             Last Week

Duane               13-1                    7-0

Brian                  12-2                    6-1

Katie                  9-5                      4-3

Monica              6-8                      4-3

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. Click here for this week’s games.

Now our games this week:

Buckhannon-Upshur (0–2) at Nicholas County (1–0)

The Buccaneers moved the ball last week against Philip Barbour, but the defense remains a work in progress, and the turnover margin must improve. Nicholas County beat Riverside in Week One and had last week off — a factor that could help or hurt the Grizzlies. The Bucs need to put all phases together and finally break through.

Duane: Nicholas County Brian: Nicholas County Katie: Buckhannon-Upshur Monica: Nicholas County

East Fairmont (0–2) at Bridgeport (1–1)

There’s little mystery here. Bridgeport is coming off a rare regular-season loss in a thriller against Martinsburg. East Fairmont, meanwhile, has stumbled to a 0–2 start.

Duane: Bridgeport Brian: Bridgeport Katie: Bridgeport Monica: Bridgeport

UT‑Martin (1–1) at West Virginia (1–0)

Rich Rodriguez nearly let a 24‑point lead slip away last week against Coastal Carolina. If that game had gone five quarters, WVU might have been in trouble. His ineptitude does have limits I guess. UT-Martin comes to town for a paycheck this Saturday then things get really interesting for the Mounties next week against Virginia.

Duane: WVU Brian: WVU Katie: WVU Monica: WVU

The Final Four

Lewis County (0-2) at Elkins (1-1)

Duane: Elkins Brian: Elkins Katie: Elkins Monica: Lewis County

Fairmont Senior (0-2) at Preston (0-2)

Duane: Fairmont Senior Brian: Fairmont Senior Katie: Fairmont Senior Monica: Preston

Middle Tenn State (1-0) at Marshall (0-1)

Duane:  Marshall Brian: Marshall Katie: Marshall Monica: Marshall

Ohio State (1-0) at Texas (1-0)

Duane: Ohio State Brian: Texas Katie: Ohio State Monica: Ohio State