COLUMN: MHS, UHS football will significantly benefit from EPAC inclusion and scheduling
That's precisely what both Class AAAA schools in Monongalia County have done for the betterment of their football programs, as both Morgantown and University High School have joined the Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference (EPAC) as members for football.
This coming season, MHS will play five games against opponents from the EPAC (excluding Washington). Both schools will begin scheduling all six EPAC schools (Martinsburg, Spring Mills, Jefferson, Hedgesville, Musselman, and Washington) starting in 2026.
Last season's HS football season was nothing short of unique, with multiple schools filing injunctions against the WVSSAC for their place in the 2024-2025 reclassification conundrum.
With so many schools moving up and down among the four classes, some programs were negatively impacted by their schedule seeming 'weaker' due to opponents moving into a smaller class.
One thing this decision does for MHS and UHS is solidify a schedule every year that simply can't be questioned, as all six of the EPAC schools are classified in Class AAAA.
Another strong point is that the competition the Mohigans and Hawks will face each week will increase. The state championship last season included two of the six teams from the EPAC: state champion Martinsburg and runner-up Spring Mills. Four of the six teams in the EPAC had winning records last season, with a combined record of 43-30 among the six schools.
'This was done out of necessity and respect,' MHS athletic director John Bowers said. 'Geographically, where we are located, we have a difficult time finding games north of us, like the WPIAL teams. In our state, there are pockets of schools that we should consider scheduling, and one made the most sense for varsity football at MHS. By next year, we and UHS will both be full football members of the EPAC.'
There won't be a shortage of college scouts in attendance either, as multiple EPAC schools have produced Division-I signees and prospects. Both the Hawks and Mohigans have their own D-I signees and prospects that now have the chance to be seen by more coaches and schools that they haven't been seen by in the past.
Although they may lose sleep preparing for games on Friday night, both the UHS and MHS coaches and players can sleep well knowing that seven of your ten regular-season games on the schedule going forward are guaranteed to be quality opponents that are also Class AAAA schools.
It won't be long before we see both programs at Morgantown and University positively impacted by the change. The future of Class AAAA football in Mon County is certainly looking bright.
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