Super Six Preview: Princeton vs Martinsburg
In this article:
The past 14 weeks have led up to this, the 2023 Super Six at Wheeling Island Stadium in Wheeling, WV. What started as 112 teams competing for a state championship at the beginning of the season was narrowed down to…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe past 14 weeks have led up to this, the 2023 Super Six at Wheeling Island Stadium in Wheeling, WV. What started as 112 teams competing for a state championship at the beginning of the season was narrowed down to 48 playoff teams and now just six remain. The Class AAA championship game will see the Princeton Tigers battle with the Martinsburg Bulldogs at 12:00 PM on Saturday, December 2nd. Here is our game preview for the Class AAA state championship game.
Game Prediction
The Princeton Tigers have made history reaching the state championship game for the first time ever and their welcome gift will be taking on undefeated and 9-time champion Martinsburg. This will be a very tough hill to climb for the Tigers but they’ve been proving people wrong all season long and in the playoffs including myself. I’ve picked against them the past two games and hopefully for Princeton fans they continue to prove me wrong. Princeton has been an awesome Cinderella story this season and they have plenty of athletes to be competitive with a very deep and talented Martinsburg team. However, the clock will strike midnight on the Tigers’ season in the championship game and the Bulldogs will show why they’ve won 9 state championships since 2001.
Final: Martinsburg 56 Princeton 21
Martinsburg Top Dogs
The Martinsburg Bulldogs go as senior QB/ATH Murphy Clement Murphy Clement 5’11” | 190 lbs | ATH Martinsburg | 2024 State WV goes and he’s in contention for the Kennedy Award as the state’s best player this season. Clement best projects as an ATH at the next level and could play a number of positions in college. He’s a D1 prospect with several G5 offers right now and is coming off a 200-yard rushing performance against a very good Huntington team in the semifinal. Look for Martinsburg to lean on Clement’s legs in this game as they did against Huntington behind their very stout offensive line. He’s also a very capable passer and will line up at LB/DB on defense too. Clement is the definition of a “football player” and a tough hard-nosed player for the Bulldogs and team captain.
Rashad Reid Rashad Reid 6’1″ | 280 lbs | DL Martinsburg | 2024 State WV has been one of the best defensive linemen in the state for the past few years and many would tell you that he’s the best in a very talented pool of players. Reid has been nothing short of dominant for the Bulldogs this year and the Martinsburg front seven has shut down some very good rushing attacks this season. Reid leads the way in those feats and if he were just a touch bigger he would have some P5 offers. At this moment, he is committed to D1 Elon which is an absolute steal for the FCS program. West Virginia has produced some NFL talent on the defensive line the past decade and Reid has put himself in the conversation as one of the best in that time frame. He’s likely the leader for the Stydahar Award as the state’s best lineman this year and just earned back-to-back EPAC Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Highlights
Not far behind Reid as one of the best linemen in the state is teammate and classmate Wes Hancock Wes Hancock 6’4″ | 300 lbs | OL Martinsburg | 2024 State WV who has been very good on the opposite side of the line for the Bulldogs. The 6’4 290 senior will be headed to WVU as a PWO after high school and has the potential to eventually earn a scholarship for the Mountaineers as many former state natives have done in that program. Hancock is a really imposing presence on the Bulldogs’ offensive line which has some other very impressive athletes. He just earned First-Team All-EPAC for his play this season and has seen his stock rise in his senior year.
Highlights
Martinsburg is loaded with talent across the board but their bodies in the trenches are the best in the state and that continues with senior OL/DL EJ Hendrix EJ Hendrix 6’2″ | 255 lbs | DL Martinsburg | 2024 State WV . Hendrix also earned First-Team All-EPAC as an offensive lineman and was Second-Team All-State as a junior for offensive line as well. The scary part? I think his ceiling is even higher on the defensive line and the 6’1 250 senior could play on either side of the line at the next level. With his size and athleticism, I really like him on the defensive side of the ball and his midseason defensive end film was very impressive. Hendrix is an explosive athlete for a big man and his pass-rush moves are very advanced. He has violent hands and has a nasty streak to his game which makes it extremely tough for high school offensive linemen to try to block him. His short area quickness is also special and it would not surprise me to see a D1 college take a chance on him.
Highlights
Another First-Team All-EPAC performer from this season is Martinsburg senior WR/DB Sirod Musgrove Sirod Musgrove 5’11” | 140 lbs | DB Martinsburg | 2024 State WV who earned double honors as a WR and returner. To prove even more how special of an athlete Musgrove is he’s also currently the #1 ranked DB in the 2024 class in our rankings. There are a lot of mouths to feed on Martinsburg’s team so Musgrove’s stats may not be near the top of the list but he is special with the ball in his hands in all three phases of the game. Musgrove has scored touchdowns on offense, defense, and special teams this season and the 5’11 160 senior has some serious speed and playmaking ability. He also has the wiggle and twitch to pair with those attributes and is a threat to score any time the ball reaches his hands.
Amar “Buzz” Dover was also a First-Team All-EPAC selection as a defensive back and he’s currently ranked as the #4 receiver in our 2024 rankings. Dover is another homerun hitter on a deep Martinsburg roster that possesses speed and twitch along with natural playmaking ability. He could play on either side of the ball in college as a receiver or defensive back showing how impressive of an athlete he is. He has good separation ability as a receiver with a great burst of speed after the catch. On defense, Dover has a knack for the ball with good recovery and pursuit speed. He’ll be one of many Martinsburg athletes on display in the championship game.
One of the unsung heroes on this Martinsburg team is senior OL/DL Xerxees Yancey Xerxees Yancey 5’9″ | 210 lbs | DL Martinsburg | 2024 State WV who was named First-Team All-EPAC as a defensive lineman and an Honorable Mention All-State performer a season ago. Yancey isn’t exactly your conventional lineman at 5’9 210 but I wouldn’t recommend overlooking him for his size. Amazingly, he has three defensive touchdowns this season including one of the wildest pick-sixes you will see in the win over Huntington in the semifinal. Yancey is an impressive athlete for his size and showed great balance and solid speed on his defensive touchdowns. He’s a really pesky defender who is quite the challenge for a bigger offensive lineman to block given his size and quickness. Yancey does a nice job holding the edge and containing runs to his side. He has great feet and still has the strength to not get pushed around by most offensive linemen. Yancey also has a motor that doesn’t stop which is likely the reason why he’s found himself on the end of three defensive touchdowns this season. He’d be a great get for any D3 or Sprint Football team.
Another underrated player for the Martinsburg Bulldogs is senior WR/DB Malachi Williams Malachi Williams 5’10” | 160 lbs | DB Martinsburg | 2024 State WV who has seen his stock rise this season. Williams has picked up quite a few small college offers from D3 and NAIA programs but a big performance on the state’s biggest stage may just bring him a D2 offer. Williams is another one of those speedy 5’10 160 athletes that Martinsburg seems to have a plethora of. He earned First-Team All-EPAC as a defensive back this season but is a quality receiver as well. Martinsburg is so loaded with talent and similar athletes as Williams that I think he’s been overshadowed a bit by them but he’s a steal if he ends up at the D3/NAIA level. Williams has all of the athleticism that you want and with a little more fine-tuning and development he’ll end up being a very good college player.
Second-Team All-EPAC defensive lineman Will Bass Will Bass 6’1″ | 240 lbs | DL Martinsburg | 2024 State WV is another underrated but important piece to the Bulldogs’ success on defense this year. Bass and the Martinsburg font 7 held two of the best running backs and rushing offenses in the state to less than 30 combined rushing yards in the playoffs. He mans one of the interior spots on the Bulldogs’ line along with doubling as the long snapper. The 6’0 230 senior is a steady and gutty player for Martinsburg who plays with a lot of heart. Bass is a quality small college defensive line prospect and could also long snap in at the next level too. Even being an undersized interior lineman, Bass holds up well and often faces double teams. He gets good penetration at times but does a nice job holding his ground and making plays at the line of scrimmage. Bass is a great selfless program player who has waited his turn and it’s paying off in his senior year.
If you haven’t had the chance to see junior Martinsburg receiver Kash Gedeon Kash Gedeon 6’1″ | 195 lbs | WR Martinsburg | 2025 State WV in person yet I would highly recommend it. The future D1 athlete is quite the sight for a high school junior and after seeing him in person at a camp this summer I was sold. D1 programs like Charlotte (NC) were also sold after that camp and gave Gedeon his first college offer with plenty more coming in the future. The 6’1 195 junior is the bigger-bodied receiver out of Martinsburg’s very deep and talented receiver pool and he already looks like a junior in college physically. There really isn’t anything Gedeon can’t do on the football field as he’s shown the ability to block, run routes at all levels of the tree, play LB/DB on defense, returner on special teams, and just an all-around athletic freak.
Junior Koi Fagan Koi Fagan 6’0″ | 165 lbs | ATH Martinsburg | 2025 State WV is the likely frontrunner to be Martinsburg’s next great quarterback in 2024 but for now, he has helped his team in just about every way possible while he waits his turn. Fagan lines up primarily at running back when he’s not playing quarterback in spot duty this season and seemingly has an explosive play every time he touches the ball. Fagan is also a quality pass catcher and has scored as a returner on special teams as well. He’s currently rated as the #2 QB in our 2025 rankings but is more of a true ATH and already holds a D1 offer from Brown University. Fagan has elite speed and is a natural playmaker who has a nose for the end zone. He should have a really special senior season in 2024 but has been very good as a junior this year for the Bulldogs.
Highlights
The Martinsburg junior class has some really talented prospects in it and that continues with RB/LB Nick Busky Nick Busky 5’11” | 190 lbs | RB Martinsburg | 2025 State WV who was named to the First-Team All-EPAC team as a linebacker. It’s hard to say where he best projects right now at the next level because he’s equally as good at both positions. Busky has a great combination of speed and power at running back and is a very hard runner. He was a big part of Martinsburg’s 380 rushing yards performance against a talented Huntington team in the semifinal and you’ll likely see him shine in the championship game as well. Busky is a good runner between the tackles who can run through you and run by you in open space. It’s very tough to bring him down on first contact especially when he gets a full head of steam. At 5’11 195, running back may be where he plays in college but don’t overlook his play at linebacker in this game either where he’ll be needed to play well.
Princeton Top Dogs
The leader in the clubhouse for the Kennedy Award may just be Princeton senior receiver Dominick Collins Dominick Collins 5’9″ | 165 lbs | WR Princeton | 2024 State WV who has been exceptional in his senior season. The 5’9 165 speedster was clocked in the 4.2-4.3 40 range in the off-season and that shows up on film and in person. Collins is coming off of possibly the best individual performances of the season in West Virginia and beyond when he caught 9 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns against Bridgeport in the semifinal. Collins has an astonishing 1,728 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns this season with one final game to go in his stellar high school career. I have no idea why a D1 college hasn’t pulled the trigger on an offer for him yet but he’s certainly worthy of one. If Collins gets the slightest crease he’s going the distance and there isn’t a player in the state that can track him down from behind.
Film is limited from this season but Princeton has one of the best offensive linemen in the state for the 2024 class in guard Eli Campbell Eli Campbell 6’3″ | 290 lbs | OL Princeton | 2024 State WV . Campbell will be headed to the Air Force Academy after high school to further his academic and football career and you can see why he’s a D1 prospect. He’s been a First-Team All-State honoree the past two seasons and I would wager he’ll 3-peat this year. Campbell was also just named to the First-Team AAA All-Coalfield Conference team and has been a dominant and consistent player for the Tigers his entire career. The 6’3 290 senior will be lined up at right guard and is dominant at the point of attack. Campbell has a nasty streak that you love seeing in an offensive lineman and also has upper-level athleticism to match it.
Highlights
Princeton senior offensive lineman Chase Smith Chase Smith 5’11” | 240 lbs | OL Princeton | 2024 State WV has seen his stock rise this season and received an offer from D2 Bluefield State (WV) last month. He was also just named First-Team AAA All-Coalfield Conference for his play this season. Smith is a bit undersized at 5’11 245 but is a bulldog in the interior of the Tigers’ offensive line. He’s shown the versatility of playing center and guard in his career and although he currently has no film posted from this season I really liked his tape playing center last year. At his height, Smith is able to play with great leverage and is still a really strong athlete while being undersized. He’s a physical player and gets a consistent push on his blocks and shows great drive. Smith showed he could create knockdowns and pancakes as a smaller lineman last season and I’m sure it’s still the case this season.
Princeton has an underrated 2024 prospect in senior Michael DiGiacomo Michael DiGiacomo 6’3″ | 215 lbs | DL Princeton | 2024 State WV who best projects as a TE/H-B or DE at the next level. DiGiacomo made his way to Princeton, WV by way of Buford, GA two years ago and has been a pleasant addition to the Tigers’ program. He’s currently the 5th-leading receiver on the team with 234 yards and 6 touchdowns while lining up all over the field as a WR/Slot/TE/H-B. Defensive statistics from this season aren’t available but I think his ceiling as a defensive end is the highest. DiGiacomo is a long athlete who’s still a bit raw but has a lot of tools and athleticism that you can work with. He fires off the ball quickly and uses some really effective pass-rush moves at times. DiGiacomo has also shown the ability to be an effective blocker on offense and a physical player on both sides of the ball.
There will be a couple of talented specialists in this matchup and Princeton has a quality kicker in senior Saeed Aboulhosn Saeed Aboulhosn 5’8″ | 205 lbs | K Princeton | 2024 State WV . The 5’10 200 senior has been consistent for Princeton this season on PATs and can hit field goals inside 40 yards. With Princeton’s explosive offense, Aboulhosn has been called upon on extra points quite often and is hitting upwards of 90% of his PATs this year. He’s a small college kicker prospect and could handle extra points and short-field goals for your team.
Junior running back and linebacker Marquel Lowe Marquel Lowe 5’11” | 185 lbs | RB Princeton | 2025 State WV has been nothing short of incredible for Princeton this season and a big reason why the Tigers have found themselves in Wheeling. We’ve written about Lowe all season and to no surprise given he’s rushed for over 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns this year. He’s also the Tigers’ third leading receiver with 300 yards and 6 more touchdowns while also starting on defense at linebacker. Lowe may be the second-fastest athlete on the team which has some real burners on it and he’s a threat to score any time he touches the ball. For a speedy back, Lowe is also very good at running between the tackles and shows good balance in traffic before emerging and breaking away. He can also make you miss in space and has great acceleration once he’s out in the open.
I really like this Princeton linebacking corps who are all kind of carbon copies of each other. None of them are particularly big but they play very hard and are all tough players. Junior OLB Jordan Cooper Jordan Cooper 5’11” | 215 lbs | LB Princeton | 2025 WV is another example of that at 5’11 215 and was just named First-Team AAA All-Coalfield Conference. Cooper showed versatility on film lining up at outside linebacker but he can also slide inside and play the Mike if needed. He’s a physical player who likes to get downhill and deliver a punishing hit. Cooper is stout in run defense but showed he’s athletic enough to line up on a slot receiver and drop into coverage at times. Princeton will really need both of those attributes along with the rest of the Tigers’ linebackers when they face Martinsburg’s big offensive line and lethal running game on Saturday.
Highlights
Junior Princeton linebacker Hezekiah Burnette Hezekiah Burnette 5’8″ | 200 lbs | LB Princeton | 2025 WV was arguably the sneaky difference maker in the Tigers’ semifinal win over Bridgeport when he returned a 97-yard fumble for a touchdown as Bridgeport was about to take a 14-7 lead. That play completely changed the outlook of the game and switched momentum to Princeton before inevitably winning the 73-70 thriller. The 5’9 200 junior has been a consistent presence at middle linebacker for the Tigers this season and a stout player. He may be a bit undersized for a traditional middle linebacker but from seeing a couple of his weight room videos on Twitter he’s a strong 5’9 200. That strength translates to the football field and you can see his power when he makes a tackle. His hustle also jumped out on film and Burnette is always running to the ball and being in the play.
There isn’t much info out there on junior Princeton defensive back Garrett Mays Garrett Mays 5’10” | 150 lbs | DB Princeton | 2025 WV but he is talented. Mays currently has no film on Hudl and I couldn’t find a Twitter for him but he was just named First-Team AAA All-Coalfield Conference for the 2023 season. The 5’10 150 corner will be wearing #2 in the game and a name to keep an eye on in the championship and next season for his senior year.
Highlights
Princeton has some very exciting 2026 prospects currently in their program but the one that has coaches and fans the most giddy is sophomore quarterback Chance Barker Chance Barker 6’3″ | 175 lbs | QB Princeton | 2026 State WV . Barker has more than exceeded expectations this season for the Tigers who was a first-time starter entering the season. He took over for the now-graduated and current WVU walk-on Grant Cochran who was excellent for Princeton in his career starting all four years. Cochran’s record may be in jeopardy by the time Barker finishes his career if he can stay healthy. He has already thrown for 3,290 yards and 47 touchdowns in his sophomore year with one more game to go. That includes the 500-yard and 8-touchdown performance against Bridgeport in the semifinal game that propelled the Tigers to the championship game.
Another very promising and exciting 2026 prospect for Princeton is sophomore receiver Brad Mossor Brad Mossor 5’11” | 180 lbs | WR Princeton | 2026 State WV . Mossor is the second-leading receiver for the Tigers right now and once all-everything senior WR Dominick Collins Dominick Collins 5’9″ | 165 lbs | WR Princeton | 2024 State WV graduates after this season Mossor should see himself as the #1 target in Princeton’s prolific passing attack. He currently has 44 catches for 774 yards and 8 touchdowns this season while also seeing time on defense. Mossor isn’t quite as speedy as Collins as is the case with 99.9% of high school athletes but if he gets a crease he can outrace you to the end zone. He can line up at running back as well where he has run for 183 yards and two more touchdowns this season. Mossor was named to the First-Team AAA All-Coalfield Conference team as a utility player for his efforts this season.
The third 2026 prospect on the Princeton Tigers’ team that you need to know is PikeView transfer OLB/DE Kalum Kiser Kalum Kiser 6’1″ | 215 lbs | DL Princeton | 2026 State WV . Kiser has been a welcomed addition to the Princeton roster this season and was a varsity starter as a freshman for PikeView last season. He’s a nice-sized kid for a sophomore at 6’1 215 and a talented athlete all-around while being a quality basketball and baseball player too. There’s currently no film of him from this season but Kiser just earned First-Team AAA All-Coalfield Conference as a defensive lineman.
I am really excited about the future outlook for 2027 Princeton offensive lineman Landyn Moore Landyn Moore 6’5″ | 280 lbs | OL Princeton | 2027 WV and have been waiting all season to write about him after he posted more film. Moore is already a legit 6’4 270 and if you see him in pads you’ll have no idea that he’s only a freshman. He has the frame and room to easily add another 30 pounds and does not appear to have much bad weight as it is which is incredible for a high school freshman lineman. Whenever our 2027 rankings debut, Moore is sure to be at the top of that list and should be one of the state’s next talented lineman exports in three years which has seen some elite lineman prospects the past decade.