By Stephen Smoot
Last year, the Pendleton County Wildcats came into their first game of the season as underdogs to Greenbrier West and their celebrity coach, former West Virginia Mountaineer and Philadelphia Eagle, Owen Schmitt.
The Schmitt talk quieted quickly as James Vincell steered the squad to an upset of the top ranked team in Class A. Despite key injuries, including to standout quarterback and linebacker Vincell, Pendleton County powered through their traditional rivals, then went three games deep into the state football playoffs.
Along the way, they continued to build a reputation as a team that features big play potential on offense, as well as a rugged and reliable defense. That all said, the Wildcats will sneak up on nobody this season.
“We’ve had a good summer and a good off-season,” remarked head coach Zac Smith. “We worked as hard as any in the last four or five years.” Summer work also took place while competing in seven-on-seven sessions at Doddridge County and also Marshall University.
Marshall’s offensive coordinator, Rodney Smith, came from Franklin High School, so he got a good look at the up-and-coming talent from his home town.
The word of the 2025 season is “experience.” As Smith noted, “We’re getting a lot of pieces back this year. Always a good feeling to get back a lot of veteran guys.
Colton Roberson, a sophomore, will return as starting quarterback. After Vincell’s injury, Roberson stepped in to take charge of the offense. He threw 194 times and completed 112 for 2,033 yards, rushed 82 times for 376 yards, and averaged seven tackles a game on defense. On special teams, he had a total of 160 yards in kickoff and punt returns. Roberson contributed at receiver in the early going last year, catching 13 for 285.
That said, he sat for part of the summer as he rehabilitated an injury received in basketball. Mason Miller, a freshman, played well in seven-on-seven competition at quarterback in Roberson’s stead.
A team of targets awaits Roberson when he settles into the shotgun formation. Chase Owens has plagued opponents in three sports for three years now. He will play a role that old-timers might associate with NFL legend Marshall Faulk, moving between slot receiver and running back. He brings power and aggression to running from the backfield, but also has soft receiving hands and punishing downfield blocking to offer as well.
Owens had 27 receptions for 544 and also ran the ball 40 times for 158.
His brother, Travis Owens, electrified at receiver last year with speed, agility, and height. He caught 28 passes for 427 and will move to an outside receiver position this year. “Travis can jump, run, and catch,” described Smith.
Corbin Dove will also run routes on the outside, having demonstrated his capacity to make plays last season to the tune of 19 catches for 328 yards. Britton Lough had two receptions for 63 yards, but these came in tough spots. Smith has high expectations for Lough, who he said “has made huge strides in the offseason and worked really hard in the weight room.”
Last year, Nick Rhodes ground out yards to the tune of 5.2 a carry, but he has graduated. Kameron Redman averaged six yards a carry last season in a relief role. “We’re looking for him to step up his workload in the backfield,” said Smith.
Cayson Armstrong, an 11th grader who has not yet played varsity football, may see action at running back as well. Armstrong excelled in track last spring and Smith said of him, “We don’t know where he’s going to fit in,” but added “his speed, we’re excited about that.”
Both offense and defense, especially in high school, start up front. Smith enjoys the fact that “we’re getting four of our five starting linemen back, which is great.” Even better, the coach identified seven or eight players who will compete for playing time on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Also helpful, only two linemen are seniors this year. Many linemen performed admirably as sophomores and even freshmen in last year’s impressive run.
Spencer Hartman serves as the man in the middle, anchoring the center position. Smith said, “Sam Eason and Ty Heavner are going to be hopefully stronger than last year and more athletic.” He also shared that he expects much from David Noble, Albert Ramos-Rivera, who “looks good,” Bryce Basagic, Wyatt Hoyt, and others.
Smith praised Ramos-Rivera, who “worked really hard in the offseason, went to a couple of camps, and got a lot better.”
Having seven to eight linemen able to rotate and contribute, especially on defense, will also help to ward off fatigue in key games against tough rivals. Smith said that he expected to see Kam Redman and Heavner at the defensive ends, with Basagic and Hoyt contributing in interior defensive line positions and Rivera-Ramos possibly playing either or both.
Linebacking positions will also feature some competition. Chase Owens has performed in standout fashion since his freshman year and Noble made significant plays on defense as well last season. Will Smith and Eason have shown skills so far and coach Smith will be “looking at who is going to win some jobs.”
Stellar athletes will man the defensive back roles, including Travis Owens, Roberson, Dove, and Lough.
“Nobody was satisfied with how the season ended at Tucker County,” emphasized Smith. The Mountain Lions hosted the game and braved frigid conditions to advance beyond the Wildcats. Players retain a bitter taste from that loss and have used it for motivation to work harder and move further this season.
“We’ve got a coachable and hardworking group of boys that want to give 110 percent,” shared Smith.
After scrimmages against Greenbrier West on Aug. 15 and Berkeley Springs on the 22, Pendleton County will host the Class AAA Keyser Golden Tornadoes in game one on Aug. 29.
Keyser’s size is a far cry from 10 years ago when from tackle to tackle the team went 6’4”/330, 6’4”/260, 5’10”/250, 6’2”/280, and 6’5”/340, but they still have some linemen in the 240 to 260 range in their 2025 roster. Otherwise, the team that went four and six on the season last year returns a roster that is youth heavy, but still represents a program with tradition and pride.
