WV Preseason Spotlight: Poca
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As we reach the under one-month window until the 2023 football season begins, we will spotlight some of West Virginia’s prospects to watch for this season. Today we will focus on Poca HS. Here are some prospects you need to…
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Continue ReadingAs we reach the under one-month window until the 2023 football season begins, we will spotlight some of West Virginia’s prospects to watch for this season. Today we will focus on Poca HS. Here are some prospects you need to keep an eye on from Poca HS for the 2023 season.
Anthony Belcher Anthony Belcher 6’2″ | 285 lbs | DL Poca | 2024 State WV is a standout in multiple sports for the Poca Dots and excels at each of them. Belcher is an excellent thrower on the track & field team and is also the starting center and defensive lineman on the football field. He can throw over 50 in the shot put and over 150 in the discus. These feats have earned him an offer from D2 West Virginia State University for track & field but he’s a talented football player as well. When you’re putting up numbers like those you have to be a strong athlete and Belcher is just that. I enjoyed his defensive line film and he’s a handful in the trenches. Belcher is very stout in run defense and clogs the middle of the line well. He’s not just there to eat up blockers either and gets good penetration consistently. Belcher is a name that will enter our rankings in the next update.
Highlights
Poca graduated a very talented specialist in Jordan Wolfe after last season and 2025 specialist Gavin Berry Gavin Berry 6’0″ | 160 lbs | K Poca | 2025 WV looks to fill those big shoes for the next two seasons. Berry doesn’t have any football film right now but I’ve gotten to see his training videos on Twitter and he should fill in nicely this year for Wolfe. From watching his training videos he appears to have a big leg and has hit beyond 50 yards in field goals. Berry has been putting in a lot of work with specialist trainers this off-season and it should pay dividends for him. He made our Watch List for the 2025 rankings and should enter them once he has some film available.
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The Dots have a very big 2025 offensive lineman in rising junior Rome Bragg Rome Bragg 6’6″ | 285 lbs | OL Poca | 2025 State WV . Bragg is a 6’5 265 monster that plays left tackle for Poca. He’s still growing into his body and filling out his large frame but he still has two more years of high school to do so. Bragg will need to continue working on his footwork and agility but at that size, he’s going to get some college looks. He’s another Poca lineman that is a quality thrower on the track & field team and as he continues to get stronger it will pay dividends for him. Bragg is also impressive outside of sports and was a state champion for Intro to FBLA and 4th place in Business Presentation at this year’s FBLA conference. The future is bright in many ways for this young man and I look forward to watching him grow the next two years.
Jack McClanahan Jack McClanahan 5’11” | 160 lbs | WR Poca | 2026 State WV is a quality young football and baseball player for the Poca Dots and appears to have a very bright future in both sports. McClanahan saw a lot of playing time as a freshman for the Dots at wide receiver and impressed us during our 2026 rankings evaluations. From watching his limited football film from last season, McClanahan is a good deep ball receiver that can stretch the field well and has the speed to separate. He also showed to have some after-the-catch playmaking ability and can be slippery. McClanahan batted .284 and had 10 stolen bases in baseball for his freshman season which gives you an idea of his athletic potential. As more football film comes out we’ll get a better idea of his play but the early signs are there which warranted the #33 overall ranking and #9 ranked receiver in the 2026 class rankings debut.
Another promising young player for the Poca Dots is 2026 linebacker Bryce Young. Young has very good size for a rising sophomore at 6’0 210 and should only get bigger and stronger over the next three years. Film is limited of him right now but from what is available he appears to be physical and a good tackler. As he gets more comfortable at the varsity level Young will be able to play faster and react quicker. We put him on the 2026 rankings Watch List and as more film becomes available he could potentially enter the rankings in the 2023 mid-season update.