Friday Free For All

The final week of the football season (and our final week before switching to basketball season) features:

• Chris Johnson on location in Wheeling (0:00)
• Sean McNamara on North Marion's chances at a state championship (18:29)
• Travis Jones on the historic Bridgeport-Princeton game (29:00)
• Chris George on Bridgeport's wild second half and Princeton's chances against Martinsburg (43:39)
• Brian Bibey wraps up the Philip Barbour season for us (54:30)
• Fred Persinger puts a bow on the whole season with great information on all three games (1:02:51)

Round one was, frankly, awesome. Alex Wiederspiel and Chris Johnson recap it for you (0:00).

On today's show:

• Bill Nestor, play-by-play voice of Robert C. Byrd, does the postseason final analysis on RCB's 3-7 season (26:15).
• Alex and Chris discuss North Marion vs. Herbert Hoover (35:18).
• Travis Jones, play-by-play voice of Bridgeport, explains what's different and what's not about Bridgeport-Cabell Midland this season (44:13).
• Chris George, color commentator for Bridgeport, takes a deeper dive into some specific matchups in Bridgeport-Cabell Midland. Chris also talks about Tucker County's path to Wheeling (57:32).
• Craig Dutton, play-by-play voice for Lincoln, recaps Lincoln's season following their season-ending 35-14 loss to North Marion.
• Brian Bibey, play-by-play voice of Philip Barbour, captures the energy of Philip Barbour's first postseason win in program history (1:18:51).
• Fred Persinger breaks down the best of the rest, including the Wahama ("Unstoppable Force") vs. Greenbrier West ("Immovable Object") game (1:25:24).
• In our BONUS SEGMENT, Sean McNamara, play-by-play voice for North Marion, joins the program to go a bit deeper on the matchup between North Marion and Herbert Hoover (1:33:42).

48 teams in action -- 34 Friday and 14 on Saturday -- as we attempt to narrow down our three fields of 16. North Central West Virginia is very well represented this year between Morgantown and Bridgeport in Class AAA; North Marion, Fairmont Senior, East Fairmont, Philip Barbour, Lewis County, and Lincoln in Class AA; and Tucker County and Doddridge County in Class A. We tried to break down as much as possible on a special extended edition of FFF4A.

• Morgantown's proxy war against Huntington (5:52)
• East Fairmont hosts their first playoff game since 2007 as Herbert Hoover comes to town for a Saturday matinee. EFHS Coach Shane Eakles joins the show (14:43).
• Doddridge County gets an extra day of rest and prep ahead of a rematch with a high-flying Williamstown team that routed Doddridge two weeks ago. Head Coach Bobby Burnside joins the show (26:31).
• North Marion earned the number one overall seed in Class AA and is rewarded with a rivarly game vs. Lincoln in Round One. Play-by-play voice Sean McNamara joins the show to discuss North Marion's road ahead to that next and final step: Wheeling Island Stadium (37:25).
• Sean sticks around for a few minutes to talk about the Lewis County Minutemen who fought their way into the playoffs with a difficult schedule and a signuatre win over Philip Barbour (43:28).
• Bridgeport gets a tougher first round draw, but a more favorable side of the bracket and they're at home. Play-by-play voice Travis Jones joins us (25:39).
• Chris George breaks down some of the big keys for Bridgeport to get a win (58:24).
• Chris George also takes a hard look at Single A's Tucker County (01:04:10)
• Lincoln's tall task ahead as they face North Marion for the second consecutive season in the Class AA playoffs. Craig Dutton joins the program (01:09:00).
• Philip Barbour's outstanding season leads them to Mingo Central and perhaps the Colts best chance at their first ever playoff win. Play-by-play voice Brian Bibey joins the show. (01:16:34)
• Fred Persinger helps us take a look at the rest of the field (01:23:35).

PODCAST BONUS CONTENT ONLY:

• Greg Carey of MetroNews takes a deep dive on the entire field (01:32:55).

We made it! The 11th week of high school football has arrived, pivotal as ever. Alex Wiederspiel and Chris Johnson break down everything this week related to:

• Robert C. Byrd's upset win over Liberty with Bill Nestor (4:23)
• East Fairmont's showdown with Fairmont Senior with EFHS Coach Shane Eakles (14:05)
• Bridgeport's quest for bonus points, which is mostly out of their hands, with Travis Jones (25:39)
• Tucker County's quest for the number one spot in Class Single A with Chris George (37:50)
• Lincoln's potential playoff matchups with Craig Dutton (48:57)
• Philip Barbour's outstanding season leads them to the playoffs with new proud grandad Brian Bibey (55:38)
• Statewide storylines show us a lot of jostling for positioning across the state, particularly in Class A with Fred Persinger (1:03:30)

PODCAST BONUS CONTENT ONLY:

• North Marion's quest to finish the job this season with Sean McNamara (1:09:42)
• South Harrison's tumultous season could still finish 5-5 with Alex Wiederspiel (1:22:58)

Alex Wiederspiel (WKMZ) and Chris Johnson (Connect-Bridgeport) are back for Week 10. There are so many playoff worthy matchups in Class AA this week that it feels like the postseason is starting early (0:00).

Show Breakdown
Robert C. Byrd with Bill Nestor (4:01)
South Harrison with Alex and Chris (18:33)
Bridgeport with Travis Jones (25:19)
Bridgeport Redux with Chris George (37:05)
Tucker, East Fairmont, and Elkins with Chris George (40:15)
Lincoln with Craig Dutton (51:56)
Philip Barbour with Brian Bibey (59:20)
Statewide breakdown with Fred Persinger (1:06:10)

Bonus Content (Podcast Exclusive)
Greg Carey (MetroNews) does a deep dive on playoff contenders and dark horses (1:13:34)

Week 9: when playoff ratings start becoming critically important, who ya gonna call? Hint: it's not the Ghostbusters. Alex Wiederspiel and Chris Johnson are back for another edition of the Football Friday Free-for-All as they try to cram as much regional high school football action from around North Central West Virginia in less than 90 minutes.

Segment 1: Intro (0:00)
Segment 2: RCB (2:30)
Segment 3: South Harrison (16:39)
Segment 4: Bridgeport (24:05).
Segment 5: Regional Round-up (38:02).
Segment 6: Lincoln-Liberty (54:37).
Segment 7: Statewide with Fred Persinger (1:03:09).

Podcast-exclusive bonus segment: Brian Bibee talks about some of the challenges Philip Barbour faces in Lewis County. Plus, an incredible week: FIVE defensive touchdowns for the Colts in their win over Robert C. Byrd (1:12:12).

Our show, Football Friday Free for All, is a 90-minute live radio show airing on 103.3-FM in Clarksburg, WV and online at wkmznews.com.

A major showdown in Harrison County leads the docket of games this week in Class AA as Liberty-Harrison hosts East Fairmont.

Alex Wiederspiel and Chris Johnson are joined by Bill Nestor, voice of RCB (1-5), to discuss their road game at Philip Barbour (5-1) in a game the Colts are looking to use to springboard to the stretch run of their schedule (0:00).

Next, Alex and Chris highlight two big games in Harrison County as South Harrison (2-4) hosts Wahama (6-0) and Liberty (5-1) hosts East Fairmont (5-1) in a critical AA showdown (15:36).

Travis Jones, play-by-play voice for the Bridgeport Indians (5-1), joins the show ahead of Bridgeport's showdown with Preston County (1-5) Friday night (22:10).

Chris George has the final word on Bridgeport while also helping us jump around from Elkins (1-6) to Tucker County (7-0) to Philip Barbour (35:58).

Craig Dutton, voice of the Lincoln Cougars (5-2), highlights how the Cougars ended their two-game losing streak in dominant fashion against RCB (52:43).

Fred Persinger joins the show to take a look at the top games from around the state of West Virginia, including terrific matchups in Hurricane and Morgantown (1:03:13).

In our first edition of bonus content, Greg White discusses Tygarts Valley ending a 16-game losing streak dating back to the 2021 season (1:11:59).

Brian Bibbey joins the show to take a longer look at the impressive steps Philip Barbour has taken following one of the worst stretches around the state -- going from a 22-game losing streak snapped in Nick Mayle's first season to this point now where the team has a path to the playoffs (1:27:13).

East Fairmont picks up a huge win Thursday night in what, for the second year in a row, was a significantly consequential showdown with Philip Barbour.

For Week 7, we take our usual stroll around Harrison County, starting with Robert C. Byrd and their first win of the season (0:00). Then Bobby Burnside, Head Coach of Doddridge County High School, joins the show to talk about Doddridge-South Harrison as two young teams that seem to have found their stride of late face off for a rare mid-season showdown (11:49).

Travis Jones, play-by-play voice for Bridgeport, joins the show to discuss perhaps the biggest game in any classification this week: Bridgeport hosting Parkersburg South (24:06). Chris George has the final word on Bridgeport plus takes a look at Tucker County, Philip Barbour, and Elkins (35:34).

Craig Dutton, play-by-play voice for Lincoln, takes a look at Lincoln's second straight loss following a 4-0 start (49:27). Shane Eakle, head coach of East Fairmont, joins the show to talk about East Fairmont's season to this point, including a come-from-behind 46-36 win over Philip Barbour on Thursday night (56:52).

Fred Persinger joins the show to highlight the top games across the state, including Hurricane-Princeton, Morgantown-Fairmont Senior, and James Monroe-Greenbrier West (1:05:35).

Now 0-4 and with a chance to look ahead at a more favorable schedule, it's an opportunity for Robert C. Byrd High School to begin the process of building as play-by-play voice Bill Nestor explains (3:39). A banged up South Harrison team goes on the road and upsets Webster County, but can the Hawks keep their perfect record against Valley-Wetzel alive amidst injuries throughout their backfield (16:36). Travis Jones joins the show to analyze the first ever meeting between Bridgeport and Brooke as Bridgeport seeks their 56th consecutive winning season (25:17). Chris George gives the scouting report on Brooke, and he explores the latest in Philip Barbour and Tucker County as those two teams vie for playoff spots (38:19). Craig Dutton joins the show to discuss how Lincoln can get back into the win column this week versus Lewis County (52:29). Fred Persinger wraps the show with analysis on the top games around the state (1:01:34).

Week 5 features big tests for two of Harrison County's youngest teams. It's been a disappointing start for Robert C. Byrd who, despite their youth, was expected to make a push in Class AA. An 0-3 start and a showdown with Bridgeport looming make for a tall task this week as Bill Nestor explains (0:00). Meanwhile, South Harrison's young squad takes their first big road-trip down to Webster County desperately seeking their first win of the season and having spent an extra week on bye stewing over what could have been in a 34-32 loss to Ritchie County (14:12).

Then we move on to our top story: Bridgeport's huge second half against Fairmont Senior plus what to make of the Bridgeport-RCB rivalry. Travis Jones, long-time voice of Bridgeport, joins the show (21:14). Chris George wraps our Bridgeport analysis plus helps us jump around to Philip Barbour, Elkins, and Tucker County (33:39). Craig Dutton previews a huge Class AA matchup between Lincoln and North Marion (45:17).

Then it's the first edition of Buy or Sell on the show as Alex and Chris explore three big storylines in the region and whether Chris is buying or selling (54:30). Fred Persinger wraps the show with the final word (for now) on the transfer rules plus the games he has circled on the schedule (59:15).