Colts complete undefeated season with youth league title

Nov. 18—FAIRMONT — The Fairmont Senior Polar Bears have enjoyed success throughout recent years, making the playoffs in each of the past 10 seasons.

The Polar Bears of today have also impressed, having won their first-round playoff matchup against Chapmanville in authoritative fashion and now head into a second-round game against Independence High.

And with the season the West Fairmont Colts peewee team just concluded, the future of Fairmont Senior football seems bright as well.

The West Fairmont Colts secured a Mountaineer Youth Football League Championship on Sunday, beating Bridgeport 8-0 to complete the teams' undefeated season with a roster that looks loaded with talent.

A fourth-quarter touchdown run from Major King sealed the game for the Colts, who preserved the shutout to take the league title.

"They were all ecstatic," Colts head coach Rick Toothman said. "This was the plan all season long, that was the goal, to win it. When we accomplished that goal those kids had worked for, it was a great moment."

The peewee championship was the Colts' first in 27 years, last won in 1995. The peewee league of youth football includes kids ages 8-10.

"There's been a lot of good teams through the years, a lot of teams made the championship but they just haven't won it since then," Jeremy Evans, West Fairmont Colts president and peewee team assistant coach, said. "The kids knew that going in."

The Mountaineer Youth Football League is composed of 15 teams from numerous counties, with the Top eight teams making the playoff bracket. The Colts earned the second seed, with another undefeated team taking the top spot.

Two playoff wins later — including a 8-0 win against Morgantown in a semifinals game that would end up looking very similar to the championship game — the Colts were in the championship game.

West Fairmont had beaten Bridgeport earlier in the regular season, and the prospects of a postseason rematch increased the stakes of the game, as did the rivalry between the two teams that exists at all levels of competition.

"It all stems from high school," Evans said of the rivalry. "Everybody has a ton of respect for Bridgeport, because they're such a great program, and it makes it a little extra special when you can beat a team like that."

"The kids were real excited, made it a little extra sweet to beat a rival school in the championship."

Shared rivalries are not the extent of the Colts' involvement with the Polar Bears. As a feeder program into middle school and high school, the West Fairmont Colts see plenty of Polar Bears throughout the year.

"Our goal is to get these kids to want to come back next year," Evans said. "We try to work a lot with our high school program."

Both coaches like Nick Bartic, Mark Sampson, Tyler Phillips and Troy Bigelow, as well as players this season like Brody Whitehair and Dylan Ours, have gotten involved with the youth team.

"They'll come down and talk to the kids, bring players from the high school team," Toothman said. "Many of their kids have been down to our practice talking to the kids. The high school program is very involved with our program."

They're so involved that Sampson even installed the Colts' offense that they have used for a number of years.

Fairmont Senior head coach Nick Bartic was at Sunday's championship game, while much of the Colts team can be seen on Fridays at Polar Bears games, wearing their youth team jerseys and supporting the high school that they hope to play for one day.

When the day does come where these youngsters come to high school age, Evans and Toothman see great things from this championship crew, even from the days where they were in younger age groups.

"This group of kids, about three years this group was at their first group of football, it's called the Mighty Mites division, and that team was really talented," Evans said. "We knew it was just a matter of time getting these kids back together again."

"This year's team, I think they were better than most teams I've coached," Toothman said. "We had a bunch of 10-year-olds who had been playing together for five or six years."

Community roots run deep in the Colts' roster. Sunday's team captains were Evans' son Brayden Evans, Toothman's son Liam Toothman, Brodi Woodman, son of Fairmont State University head coach Jason Woodman, and Major King, who scored the game-winning touchdown.

The Colts' starting defense did not surrender a single touchdown all season, and the team never trailed once through 11 games.

"Our defense was something special this year, they really took pride in defense," Evans said. "And unlike what you see from other kids this age, they take a lot of pride in blocking. It's not about just going out and scoring a touchdown.

"Some of our biggest leaders on the team took more pride in going out and blocking for a touchdown than running for a touchdown. That was something you see from a coaching standpoint and know you got something special."

While excitement is already brewing for the future of these kids in their high school careers, Toothman spoke about some of the players he's taught over his 18 years coaching who have gone on to play in college recently — like Zach Frazier, Darius and Dante Stills and Jake Abbott.

"We've got a variety of different kids on the team who stepped up and played their parts," Toothman said.

"I think these kids are going to win a state championship, let me tell you. These kids are good, they're very good."

Reach Nick Henthorn at 304-367-2548, on Twitter @nfhenthorn_135 or by email at nhenthorn@timeswv.com.