MORGANTOWN – The 2025 Morgantown High School football season will never be forgotten in the history of the program and the school itself.
The Mohigans left no doubt about who was the best team in West Virginia on their way to their first state championship in two decades, finishing 13-1 and defeating perennial power Martinsburg in the Class AAAA state championship, capping off a historic campaign.
Six players who played key roles in that run signed to continue their football playing careers collegiately on Wednesday at Morgantown High, splitting themselves evenly between two in-state programs in the Mountain East Conference.
Blake Buffington, Keltin Blunt, Carter Cooper, Zaiiden Lockett, Brayden Parks, and Jayden Smalls all put pen to paper to seal their opportunity to play football at the next level.
Buffington, Lockett, and Parks will be heading south to Gilmer County to play for Glenville State College and new head coach Jake Casteel.
Blunt, Cooper, and Smalls will head to Wheeling to play for West Liberty University and its newly hired head coach, Chad Salisbury.
Parks and Buffington were two key pieces of the MHS offense in 2025 on the offensive line. Parks was named a first-team all-state selection in Class AAAA, with Buffington and Lockett earning Honorable Mention honors (Lockett as a defensive back).
“Getting to play college football is something special,” Parks said. “I’ve been playing basically my entire life. Glenville is a great program with a lot of new things happening, and being part of it is exciting. The coaches are all great, and I know some familiar faces on the team. The work ethic instilled in me from my time at MHS is what gives me confidence to succeed at the next level.”
Blunt, Cooper, and Smalls all bring a little bit of explosiveness to the field and hope to make an impact for West Liberty upon joining the program in the fall.
Blunt was named first-team all-state in Class AAAA as a defensive back after a strong 2025. He also finished second in voting for the Carl Lee Award, given to the state’s best defensive back in any class.
Cooper joined Blunt on the first team as a defensive utility selection, but made most of his impact felt offensively for MHS in 2025. He says his versatility is something the coaches at WLU spoke highly of.
“I’m very blessed to be able to play both sides of the ball and thankful that they want me to do both at West Liberty,” Cooper said. “That’s exactly what I wanted. The program here at MHS has molded me into the player I am today, and I feel as though I can impact the game in multiple ways.”
Joining the six signees from the MHS football program were Sierra Mazey and Charlie Peters.
Mazey signed to join the women’s hockey program at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. Peters, a state champion with the MHS boys lacrosse team, will continue his career at Westminster College after graduation.
