South Charleston's players, finally, have ventured out into the open. They're no longer lingering in the shadows.
Sure, SC came into the season riding a 16-game winning streak and fresh off the school's first Class AAA football championship since 1994. But for the first couple months of workouts and the regular season, the Black Eagles players felt the weight of playing for last year's team and last year's accomplishments.
They inherited the long winning streak and rampant expectations, and felt obligated to carry them along. Some of the pressure eased when SC lost to Capital 8-6 in the mud at Oakes Field on Sept. 25, and the rest of it seemed to subside last Saturday when the Black Eagles knocked off Bridgeport to secure a return trip to the Super Six in Wheeling, where they face unbeaten and No. 1 Brooke at noon Saturday.
No longer are they playing for someone else. No longer are they being compared, favorably or unfavorably, to last year's team. The long shadows cast by former all-state players like receiver Aaron Dobson and running back-linebacker Aaron Slusher are gone.
Because, as the players like to say, they're "goin' to the 'ship.'' As in the championship game.
"We were in the shadows until we played Capital,'' said Tevin Spurlock, a senior receiver-defensive back. "When we lost to Capital, everyone realized that, well, this is a new year and we've got to start off with our team, and what we have to do to be successful. And by making it to the championship game, I guess you can say, yeah, we're out of that shadow.''
The players are sort of fond of the idea of playing for themselves.
"This is a completely different team than last year,'' said Wayne Wurster, a senior lineman and fullback. "I think this year, we're focused more on the team than last year. Last year, we were more focused on the playmakers. But this year, we work together as a team and just try to get the job done together.''
SC coach John Messinger could see the difference in his squad following the loss to Capital. Gone was the school-record 19-game winning streak, but in its place was a growing identity for this year's squad.
"I don't think this team plays any more for the 2008 team,'' Messinger said. "There's always going to be similarities. There's always going to be comparisons, especially when you do things like this back to back, because we've got so many holdovers who were significant players the year before. But by the same token, the kids were allowed to become the 2009 Black Eagles, and that Capital [loss] played a huge part in that. It really did. It allowed us to realize we're not invincible.
"One of my favorite sayings, especially when I'm getting hot and mad, is 'You're not as good as you think you are.' But it always rings true, and that [loss] really proved it. It proved we had miles to go.''
Of course, this team still has enough talent to rip off nine straight wins after the loss to Capital, earn the No. 2 playoff seed with a 12-1 record and has now beaten seven teams that made the AAA playoffs. Two weeks ago, SC eliminated a Martinsburg team that was unbeaten against West Virginia opponents. Last week, it ousted Bridgeport, which entered the game 12-0 with the No. 3 seed.
Last year's team had to beat seeds 16, 9 and 4 to reach the Super Six. This year's road (seeds 15, 7 and 3) was a little tougher.
"For sure, this [finals trip] really does take us out of last year,'' said Blake Brooks, a senior lineman and returning first-team all-stater. "We might have a loss, but that loss changed us in so many ways that it's unbelievable.
"The speed's still there. Everything's still there. It's just different names at the position. Tyler [Harris, quarterback] has more yards this year. Ray-Ray [Coleman, running back], I think, I hope he'll break 1,400, 1,500 [yards] at least. The receivers do what they've got to do. I think we can be better than last year's team.''
Messinger points out that the makeover from last year's team to this year brought about more wholesale changes than SC faces heading into next year.
"We've played an entire year with Tyler at quarterback,'' Messinger said. "For the most part, we have a whole new offensive line. The defense, with the exception of Blake and Wayne, was different. Next year, we'll have seven kids on offense and eight on defense [returning] and it may be harder to develop an identity in 2010 than it is in 2009.
"But for this team to go back to Wheeling - first of all, it's a great accomplishment. Secondly, the way we did it - coming off a championship year with a lot of key people in new positions. It just adds credence to what we're trying to teach them. By that, I mean they're going to have to be disciplined kids. They're going to have to be disciplined students. When they learn that discipline, it will lead you to greater things. That's what has rang true, based on last year and this year and on everything we try to do.''
Messinger and the SC coaching staff seem to enjoy the changing cast of heroes that shows up on game days. Last year, players like Dobson (17 TD catches) boasted king-sized numbers, but several of the positions are more balanced this season.
"I think this is a good football team,'' Messinger said. "I don't know if we're a great football team. I think we have developed an identity based on what we do offensively and what we do defensively. The characters have changed, but the play's the same. It's the same offense. It's the same defense. It's doing what we do. The only thing I can say about this team is that we were a little more one-dimensional last year in the running game with Aaron Slusher and in the passing game with Aaron Dobson. The numbers have proven that we're no longer one-dimensional when it comes to spreading the ball around.
"As a group, as a team, we're probably a better 'team' than last year. Now I know that's really going out on a limb. But with a couple key individuals, it was a better team last year. This has been a true team effort, and the numbers reflect that.''
