The local sports scene saw more downs than ups throughout 2011 with the majority of the high school teams finding themselves struggling during their respective seasons. While no teams brought home state championships, a few track and field individuals did and more than one team made it past regular season play.

Highlights of the year that was 2011 follow:

January – Nine Tyler Consolidated Silver Knight varsity wrestlers participated in the Ron Mauck 58th Annual Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Championships at the WesBanco Arena in Wheeling.

February – The Middle Island Longbeards chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation hosted their 13th annual Hunting Heritage/Superfund banquet at the Momentive Park Training Facility at Bens Run on Feb. 5 with several members and guests attending. Ashley Jo Cochran was the winner of the Longbeards’ NWTF Conservation Scholarship and was awarded a $500 check at the banquet.

The Tyler Consolidated freshmen Knight boys basketball team competed in a tournament at Doddridge in February, coming home with the first place trophy. The Knights finished the 2011 season with a 10-5 win/loss record.

The Paden City Wildcats boys varsity basketball team chalked up their first win of the long season on Feb. 8 when they handed defeat to the Union team of Mount Storm, WV, 37-31.

On Feb. 12, Paden City participated in the West Virginia Invitational Hometown, 16 team, tournament in Summersville. Senior Zach Yost was presented with the MVP award from Paden City.

Inclement weather played havoc with both school and sports activities, causing some games to be postponed, and others cancelled altogether.

The Tyler Consolidated Lady Knights put the regular season behind them as they looked ahead to Sectional play with their regular season record at 8-13.

The Silver Knight wrestlers took part in the Region I tournament and came away with four podium placers, two in fourth place, John Brosky at 119 and Joe Henthorn at 125. The two Knight wrestlers represented the team at the state tournament.

Season’s end came for the local boys varsity basketball teams with the Knights finishing with a 3-19 record while the Wildcats won one game during the season.

March – The Lady Wildcat basketball team faced off with Williamstown in the Sectional play-offs, 84-35 to end their 2011 season. The Lady Knight team took on Oak Glen in the first round of their Sectionals, falling to the Newell team, 53-49, thus ending their season.

Sophomore Joe Henthorn and junior John Brosky represented Tyler Consolidated at the WV State Wrestling Championships held in Huntington. Neither Knight wrestler made an appearance on the podium.

The end of the season came with a swift knell for the Tyler Consolidated Silver Knight varsity boys basketball team as they fell to Magnolia in the Class AA Region I, Section I semi-finals,77-29. The Wildcats ended their season with a loss in the Region I, Section II championship game against Williamstown, 35-54.

Thirteen ball players made up the 2011 Tyler Consolidated High School varsity baseball squad, under the direction of first year head coach Gene Rice. Fourteen players wore the Green and White for Paden City under the direction of veteran head coach Brent Croasmun and assistant coach Jeff Hohn.

Paden City’s Lady Wildcat softball team welcomed a new head coach, Jeanne Fox to the roster of four seniors, two juniors, seven sophomores and two freshmen. Head coach Charlene Galluzzo and the Lady Knight softball team boasted four seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and eight freshmen while looking for success in 2011.

High school track season begins with Paden City fielding seven boys and six girls while Tyler Consolidated numbered 28 girls and 25 boys competing during the season.

The Harlem Clowns brought their own style of basketball to the gym at Tyler Consolidated High School on March 26, taking on a local team made up of local law enforcement officers and teacher/coaches.

The Lady Knight tractk team placed second in the large Ryan Jobes Spring Special meet held on March 26 in Williamstown. The team placed closely behind Williamstown. At the Boggs’ Pizza and Grill Invitational meet at Tyler Consolidated on April 2 ten girls teams and 11 boys teams competed against each other, as well as the elements, in order to record their records. Williamstown took the top team prize in the girls division at the meet with 128 points followed by the Lady Knights in second.

April – Rainy weather causing soggy, mud bogged fields put a hold on most baseball and softball schedules in the Ohio Valley, including the Tyler Consolidated Silver Knights and the Paden City Wildcats.

Opening night at Tyler County Speedway saw the pits bulging at the seams that led to some hot action on the fast 1/4 mile. The UFO series landed for the 17th annual Topless 51 for the Dodd’s Sporting Goods Late Models with forty of the areas best drivers signed on for the annual event.

The Tyler Consolidated Middle School Track Invitational was held at Knight Stadium on April 8 with eight teams competing.

The Paden City Foundation, Inc. announced a new 5K race to be held in Paden City on June 4. The Foundation 5K will be for runners and walkers of all experience levels. The Foundation 5K is part of a two-race series called the Ohio River Racing Series.

May – The Lady Knights of Tyler Consolidated continued to push all other competitors and show improvement with each meet they participated in during this season. The team took the top spot at the Gazette Relays in Charleston, scoring 122.33 team points to lead the Class AA division. Consolidated senior, Rheanna Foley was the high point athlete of the meet, earning 28 1/2 points to lead the field. The Silver Knight boys team stepped up their game as well at the Gazette Relays, finishing within a mere four points of the first place team, Point Pleasant.

The varsity Lady Knight softball team ended their season with a 4-11 win/loss record. The rainiest Spring in years caused more than a few headaches for softball and baseball teams throughout West Virginia, including the Knights and Wildcats. More than once the teams have had to juggle games and even venues in order to get games in. In the Sectionals, the Lady Knights fell to Magnolia and the ‘Cats to Cameron to end their seasons. The Knight baseball team also fell to Magnolia in the Sectionals while the Wildcats finished their season at the hands of the Valley Lumberjacks.

Everybody came out to participate in the Tyler Rod and Gun Club’s “Hooked on Fishing – not on drugs” youth fishing program on May 7 at Conaway Lake. Mother Nature complied with a beautiful day for families to be together on the lake.

The Silver Knights competed fiercely with the tough competition on hand at the Region I, Class AA Track Championships at Ritchie County on May 13, turning in excellent results when all was said and done with the Lady Knights taking the Regional Championship title with 147 team points and the boys team placing third overall. Regional champions from Consolidated included: Senior Rheanna Foley – 200 meter dash with a time of 27.50; Makayla Clegg – high jump with a height of 5-00; Hillary Casteel – long jump with a distance of 15-04.75; Jackie Clark – pole vault with a vault of 8-06; the girls 4 x 100 relay team in 51.87; Jordan Smith – 110 meter hurdles in 16.92; Isaac Graham – 300 meter hurdles in 42.05;and the boys shuttle hurdle team in 1:03.01.

The Region I, Class A Track Championships were held at Wheeling Park on May 12 with seven teams participating. Paden City’s boys and girls teams competed, qualifying several athletes for the State Meet when all was said and done.

The varsity Lady Knight track team placed second to the Lady Indians of Berkley Springs at the West Virginia State High School Track Champions held in Charleston. Sophomore Makayla Clegg brought home the girls high jump gold medal, defeating the field of competition with a 5-00 jump.

The Lady Knight 4 x 100 meter relay team of seniors Maddi Schlabowski, Jackie Clark and Rheanna Foley and freshman Hillary Casteel, took the gold medal in that event with a time of 51.44. Tyler Consolidated’s varsity boys track team also performed very well at the state meet, placing in sixth place overall in a field of more than 25 teams. The Silver Knights beat their own personal record in the shuttle hurdle competition, placing third overall in 1:01.18.

For Paden City, junior Taylor Parsons performed very well for the Lady Wildcats at the meet, placing sixth overall in the 100 meter hurdle event in 16.89.

Paden City High School held their annual Sports Banquet on May 22 with athletes and sports teams being honored by the school, fans and their families. Rasheed Marshall, former quarterback for the West Virginia University Mountaineers, was the guest speaker.

Senior male and female athletes of the year, Zach Yost and Bethany Arnett, were recognized and received awards.

June – Tyler Consolidated High School held their annual All-sports banquet on May 24 in the auditorium at the school. Coaches recognized and honored athletes from every sport. The boys soccer team received a sportsmanship presented by soccer official representatives.

Tyler County Speedway featured Race for Angels, honoring drivers, sponsors, track workers and anyone else who had a part in Tyler’s history that are no longer with us. Though rainy weather hindered race schedules, the Speedway remained the place to be on Saturday nights in Tyler County.

The annual Veterans Scholarship Golf Scramble scholarships were presented to Emily Wildman of Tyler Consolidated and Katie Kline of Paden City High School.

The inaugural Paden City Foundation 5K Run and Walk was held on June 4 and featured 100 registered runners and walkers of all ages and experience levels and started and finished at Centennial Park on Main Street. The overall winner, Josh Weekly of West Union, WV finished the 3.1 mile course in 17 minutes, 9.2 seconds.

The UFo series landed for a second time at the Bullring at the Tyler County Speedway on Saturday night for the 13th annual King of the Ring, With Tim Dohm taking the “King of the Ring” title.

The Sistersville Shao-lin Martial Arts Training Center held testing for promotion of belts early in June with the following students earning the next level: Walker Wright, Sheena Hubbard, Levi Hudson, Crystal Christophel, Madeline Tarnecki, Maggie mason, Mary Huffman, Taylor Gilmore, Abigail Kerns, Erika Christophel, and T.J. Davidson.

Eric Hess and Lionel Potts (team Beantown) won the inaugural Cornhole tournament at the Tyler County Relay for Life main event.

After the fourth try of trying to get the race in, Dan Angelicchio took the win in the Late Model, Topless 25, Race at the Tyler County Speedway. The Speedway also announced in June a brand-new web site, dedicated to the Black Diamond 123 and UFo WV State Championship.

The 25th Annual B&K Basketball Camp was held at Paden City High School with a total of 85 campers participating. The Lady Knight volleyball program hosted the 3rd Annual Putzulu Invitation Volleyball Tournament. with ten teams participating including teams from John Marshall, Phillip Barbour, Warren Local, Wirt County, Ripley, Paden City, Edison Local, Robert C. Byrd and two teams from Tyler Consolidated.

Later in the month, the 5th annual Tammy Clegg Memorial for Hot Mods and Powder Puffs event took place at the Tyler County Speedway. Clegg was a former Women’s Series Champion that was tragically killed in automobile accident. Clegg’s brother, Travis Thomas took the win.

The first ever TCHS Knight Junior Golf Camp was held June 20, 21 and 22 in conjunction with the Sistersville Country Club with 20 boys and girls attending the three-day camp.

July – Saturday was Wilson Law Offices presents Dukes of Hazzard night & Hometown Hero Wetzel & Marshall County free night. From the biggest crowd of the year, who were very generous as they contributed over $1,400 to long time race fan and crew member Bruce Pratt to help costs after receiving a double lung transplant.

In the Dodd’s Sporting Goods Late Models Steve Wilmoth and D J Cline grabbed heat victories.

On July 9 Wilson Law Offices presented the Dukes of Hazzard night and Hometown Hero Wetzel and Marshall County free night at the Speedway. From the biggest crowd of the year, who were very generous as they contributed over $1,400 to long time race fan and crew member Bruce Pratt to help costs after receiving a double lung transplant. Steve Wilmoth and D J Cline grabbed heat victories in the Dodd’s Sporting Goods Late Models.

The winning team of the VFW Scholarship Golf Tournament was the team of Nate Anderson, Terry Shutler, Tim Raper, and Rob Amos who participated in the tournament held at the Sistersville Country Club.

On July 23, Frontier FFA hosted a benefit catfish tournament at Bob Eckert’s place in New Matamoras, Ohio, for PFC Kyle Hockenberry, who was inurjured while serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan.

The West Virginia football all-stars routed the Ohio all-stars 24-3 in the 2011 Rudy Mumley-OVAC Charity Classic July 24 at Wheeling Island Stadium – the second consecutive victory for the Mountaineer team with Magnolia’s Mark Batton as head coach.

August – A total of 38 girls in grades 5-12 attended the Marshall University Satellite Volleyball Camp held at Tyler Consolidated High School.

Twelve players will make up the 2011 varsity golf team at Tyler Consolidated, coached by Joe Griffith, while Ed Amos will mentor the six Paden City varsity golfers.

The varsity soccer programs at Tyler Consolidated began practice around the middle of August with 20 boys filling the Knight boys roster and the most ever, 27, girls signing up to participate on the girls team.

Head cross country coach at Tyler Consolidated, Luke Reynolds, announced the rosters for the high school and middle school teams. Reynolds was very pleased to have 10 varsity harriers and 25 participating on the middle school team.

Before August came to an end, the West Virginia High School 2011 football season began. The Silver Knights fell in their first outing to the Williamstown Yellow Jackets, 50-0.

Two members of the Knight varsity golf team, Dalton Wells and Swayde Carpenter earned co-medalists honors at the Williams Country Club in Weirton.

In their second outing of the young season, the Lady Knight soccer team traveled to New Martinsville to take on the Lady Blue Eagles, and after 80 minutes, the Consolidated Ladies had gained their first win of the season, 5-0. The Consolidated cross country teams took part in the Autumn Classic meet held in St. Marys.

The Lady Wildcat varsity volleyball team of Paden City high school held their first games at home on Aug. 31, facing off with St. John Central, Monroe Central, Linsly and Valley. The ‘Cats won two of the three matches to get their season off on the right foot. The Lady Knight team traveled to University on Aug. 31 to start their season off with strong competition.

September – The Paden City Wildcat football team traveled to Van for their first game of the year during the last week of August, but came home without a win . . . or a loss. Due to the loss of electricity at the stadium, game officials postponed the contest and the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission made the decision to finish the game on Sept. 5 at Ripley (a half way point between the two schools). Though it took eleven days to get it done, and two football fields, the Wildcats finally got their first game of the season in. While the final score of 23-14 did not please the Paden City faithful, it can at least be said that they finished what they started, and the situation was fair to all involved.

The West Virginia Oil and Gas Festival Big Moses Run and Walk was held on Sept. 11 at the Sistersville City Park. Matt Quinett placed first of all the runners in the race with a time of 13:35 followed by Mark Heintzman in 18:18; and James Terwory in 20:53.

The Paden City High School football team rolled over the Gilmer County Titans, 47-6, for the home teams first win of the season. Senior Taylor Still was on his game at Berger Field, racking up 276 yards on 20 carries and four touchdowns to set the tone for the Green in the game.

In a festive Homecoming celebration in front of their biggest crowd of the young season, the Wildcats secured their second win of 2011 in fine fashion, 60-0. The Silver Knight golf team finished their regular season with an 18-40 win/loss record.

The Consolidated cross country program hosted the second annual “Stormin’ the Castle” meet on Sept. 28 on a trail which wound through the woodlands behind the school. 128 athletes from nine middle and high schools completed the tough track.

The Triple Threat wrestling club began heir second year of organization, hoping to add even more future wrestlers to their roster and spark an interest in the sport for everyone interested. Director/coach of the club, Eric McKeever said after the success seen by the club last year, he feels more young people and their parents will want to take part, this season.

October – With just over three weeks left before seasons end, the Lady Knight volleyball team amassed a record of 23-9 on the season and are near the top in most every statewide leader board of the sport. The Lady Wildcat varsity volleyball team put themselves in good position to see competitive action in post season play with a season record of 23-4 at this point in their season.

For the first time since 2005 the Lady Wildcats were able to hang an OVAC volleyball championship banner in Bob Burton Gymnasium, after securing the title in Stuebenville. The Ladies in Green achieved the champion status after defeating two teams in the class A OVAC tournament, Morgantown Trinity and Weirton Madonna.

Tyler Consolidated High School’s varsity boys and girls soccer teams honored senior members of their teams at Burgbacher Field in Middlebourne. The senior ceremonies were to take place inbetween games with Ravenswood, but due to cancellation, the games were not played. However, since it was the last game of the season, seniors and their families were recognized by team mates and the small crowd in attendance. The girls ended their season with four wins and took on Magnolia in the first round of Sectionals, defeating the Blue Eagles, 4-1. Eventually, the end came to the season for the Silver at the hands of a formindable Wheeling Central team, 2-0.

The 2011 Tyler Consolidated Middle School football season was a head turner in the county, with the team going undefeated at this point and boasting a record of 7-0.

The Silver Knight boys soccer team played the longest game of their careers in New Martinsville for the Sectional title against Morgantown Trinity, finally coming up with the 1-0 win after 80 regulation minutes, two 10-minute and one 5-minute overtime periods, earning their third Sectional title in as many years. The team went on to represent the Section at the Regionals on Wheeling Island on Oct. 27. Though they represented themselves very well,

the Knights took the fall to the Red Riders of Weir, 2-1.

Tyler Consolidated High School’s Cross Country team sent seven athletes to the Regional event in New Martinsville on Oct. 20 to compete with area schools. Silver Knight sophomore, Dylan Reynolds, placed first for the Knights and ninth overall of the 79 participants with a finishing time of 18:02, qualifying for the state CC meet. Reynolds represented his team and sport well at the State meet held at Cabell-Midland High School, placing 32nd in a field of 102 with a time of 18:13.8 in the fast paced pack.

The Tyler Consolidated Silver Knights got their first win of the 2011 season against the Panthers at Clay County, 20-0 on Oct. 28.

The Tyler Consolidated Middle School cheerleaders competed at the 5th annual junior OVAC Cheering Competition on Oct. 29 and brought the first place trophy home to Tyler County. Competing against, Conotton Valley, Harrison Central, Shadyside, Toronto and Wheeling, the young Lady Knights wowed the large crowd in attendance with their performance.

November – The Paden City High School varsity cheerleaders placed runner-up at the West Virginia Class AA Region I Cheerleading Championships held at Fairmont East High School the first weekend in November. The Wildcats turned in an excellent performance at the competition and placed behind first place Bishop Donahue and earned the right to represent the Region at the West Virginia State Cheerleading Championships on Dec. 10 in Charleston.

A loss in the Regionals put an end to the 2011 season for the Lady Wildcat volleyball team of Paden City, but in no way diminishes the many successes the team has achieved this year. Among personal highlights and achievements of individual team members, the Wildcat team earned their fourth straight Mason Dixon Conference title; their second OVAC crown; and fourth straight Sectional title.

The Tyler Consolidated High School varsity football season came to a halt as the Silver Knights played host to Weir County in the last game of the regular 2011 season, falling to the Red Riders, 18-13.

The Silver Knight cheerleaders competed at the Class AA Regional in Fairmont, placing third overall behind Point Pleasant and Weir.

The Lady Knight volleyball team placed second at the Sectionals they hosted and earned the right to compete at the Regional tournament in Ritchie County. At the class AA Regional, the Silver competed with the Lady Rebels of Ritchie County in the single elimination tournament, ending the Knights 2011 season with the loss.

Hunters harvested 472 deer in Tyler on the first day of the season, which was up from 2010’s 347 and down from 2009’s 477.

The Silver Knight cheerleaders easily took the LKC cheerleading championships at Williamstown. They placed first over Clay County and Williamstown.

Paden City volleyball head coach, Fred King, was named OVAC class A volleyball coach of the year and Paden City senior, Dominique Craft was named class A volleyball player of the year.

Also in November, Tyler Consolidated High School dropped a classification from class AA to class A last week. The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission announced that 14 high schools, grades 9-12, in West Virginia would be changing classification, due to enrollment size of each particular school, with Tyler listed as one school dropping a classification. The Silver Knights have never been other than class AA in the history of the school.

Three juniors, five sophomores and five freshmen began the high school girls basketball season for Tyler Consolidated under the direction of head coach Matt Kinnard. At Paden City, new head coach, Kelly Sine took over the direction of the 21 young ladies signing up to be part of the Lady Wildcat 2011/12 season.

December – West Virginia High School boys basketball seasons began in early December with both the Wildcats and Silver Knights looking to improve their numbers from last year. Ten players donned the Green and White of Paden City while 19 young men will fill the roster for the Silver and Black varsity and junior varsity teams.

The Tyler Consolidated varsity wrestling team began their season with 12 wrestlers ready to secure wins for the season. The team hosted their annual Wrestle-A-Bout with 13 teams participating.

Every team, every coach, player and fan are hoping for a better sports season in 2012.