By Dave Boden
dboden@newstribune.info
Tribune Publisher

It’s been six days since the nightmare of last Friday and what a day that was.
In the early part of the day the weather was the big story and many even wondered whether or not the event would be postponed until Saturday or even Monday. It was a strange day indeed as the weather in Keyser and Morgantown was OK (and probably even good for this time of year). However that stretch of Route 68 from Grantsville to Bruceton Mills was at times very poor at best and downright treacherous at its worst. I know this because I made the trip to and back from Morgantown twice that day… once (at about noon time) to pick up my daughter from her dorm at WVU and then again that evening I hitched a ride with my neighbors Steve and Kim Whetzel to see the Golden Tornado take on Magnolia. It was an adventure to say the least, especially when your washer fluid freezes up on you, right Steve?
At least we arrived on time and the game went on as scheduled… well sort of.  Shortly before pulling into the driveway at the new University High School, we learned that the game was to be delayed by 45 minutes as Magnolia had experienced some traffic issues of their own while on their trek southward towards Morgantown. This was especially bad news for those who arrived early (as well as their toes) to get the best seats.  Yes it was COLD! If it wasn’t the coldest high school game that I ever attended it sure seemed that way. Not only did it feel cold, but also it even smelled cold… and the thin layer of ice on the field made it look even colder than it was.
The fans should be commended for not only their efforts to attend this game, but for also staying put from beginning to end. Most of us have probably attended some much colder college or NFL games… but at those events one has the option of consuming some antifreeze courtesy of the great states of Kentucky or Tennessee…ah but that’s a story for another day and such actions are not allowed at High School events. And that’s probably a real good thing since there were no visitor-side-bleachers and fans of both teams were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on this miserable night.
As for the game, I’m not a sports writer, and I will not go into a blow-by-blow recount of this battle… but we all know how hard it was fought by both teams that evening. Unfortunately, the final score was not reflective of the talent and effort put forth on the field that night, but as they say “that’s football” and that is why we all love this game.
Yes this one hurt bad. I was speaking to someone this week who summed it up best when he said, “you know… when you lose a game 38-0… you have already moved on at halftime and sometimes even appreciate the ability and power of the opponent… but when you run into a game like this past week’s, it takes some time to get over it.”
Amen to that brother.
The only thing that has sat in my craw longer than the 300 lb Magnolia fan, who called me on in the early minutes of the game last Friday’s adventure, was the penalty flag thrown against Taige Redman for blocking the Magnolia kicker Justin Fox (who was also their quarterback). It was a tremendous legal hit on a very good Magnolia athlete. And it’s not like Fox was in a vulnerable position at the moment just prior to the ref reaching in his pocket. No it wasn’t even close to when roughing is called on a punt or field goal attempt and the kicker is defenseless. To be more exact, once Fox had kicked the ball, he assumed the role of a safety on the play in question… he was a football player on the field with a helmet and shoulder pads on… and Redman treated him as such. Can somebody, anybody, tell me why that flag was thrown? I didn’t think so. By the way great hit Taige and many others and I look forward to watching you do the same thing on Saturdays over the next four years in college.
Congratulations to the Golden Tornado Players and Coaching Staff on a FANTASTIC year. To you seniors, thanks for everything you did for Keyser football and for those of you who get the chance to play on Saturdays next year… give it your all and always remember where you came from. For you underclassmen, as I am sure Coach Biser has already told you, next season starts with conditioning and time in the weight room. 2009 will be here before you know it and it will be your time to shine on the new Keyser Field.
Thanks for making us all proud!