MORGANTOWN – Having positional stability is an excellent thing for any team in any sport. When everyone in the program, from coaches to teammates, and even fans, trusts a player in the position he holds on the field, court, etc., it gives everyone a positive boost.
Perhaps no position is more important in sports when it comes to having stability than the quarterback spot in football. Trusting the one player in the game who has the ball in his hands nearly every single snap can take a team to new heights.
Entering the first day of camp for the 2025 season on Monday, all four coverage-area teams have a strong idea of who will lead them this season. That’s the near-exact opposite situation from one year ago, as only one of the four teams (Preston) started the same player under center every game.
Morgantown and University battled injuries at the QB position last season, as both Maddox Twigg and Harrison Helbig missed multiple games. The Hawks used multiple quarterbacks after Helbig exited for the year, while the Mohigans worked a system with Twigg and Alex Himes taking snaps when Twigg was healthy.
Clay-Battelle began the year with Braden Ponceroff as the starter, but he exited with an injury, which made way for Corey Coen to take some snaps. Coen impressed during his opportunity, and when Ponceroff returned, C-B head coach Aaron LaPoe put him at wide receiver, where he excelled with Coen throwing him the ball.
“Day one this year compared to day one last season is night and day,” LaPoe said of the difference between his first season and second season. “There’s a peace of mind knowing that he (Coen) knows our stuff and what we want a good practice to look like. Everything just runs a little smoother. He also brings a ton of confidence to his game. His teammates and coaches are confident in him, and he is confident in himself. I’m also very impressed by his leadership so far.”
Preston won’t have any question as to who the starter will be, as Slaton Manko is set for his senior season in Kingwood. After a 2,000-plus yard season with 27 total touchdowns, Manko is about as established as any signal-caller in the entire state in any class.
Twigg battled through an injury most of the season in 2024 for MHS, but returns in 2025 as QB1 with a chip on his shoulder and the drive to prove why he’s one of the players to watch this coming campaign.
Before leaving with an injury last season, Helbig was the leading thrower for the Hawks with 958 yards on a 61% completion percentage with six touchdowns and two interceptions after seven games. If Helbig can stay healthy and provide some stability at the position, UHS can make some serious noise during the 2025 campaign.
With only one of the four quarterbacks in the area being a senior, the position will be one to watch the next few seasons for MHS, UHS, Clay-Battelle, and Preston alike.
