Published: August 27, 2008 11:59 pm         

Pirates’ Moneypenny a chip off old coaching block

FAYETTEVILLE — In this year of election, Fayetteville coach Dave Moneypenny knows one thing: He wants nothing to do with politics.

Even if it means sounding like a politician.

So when I asked him what everybody in the free world was thinking but wouldn’t ask — “So coach, how do you think your team stacks up with a Wheeling Central,” I asked quite casually, about a potential whale of a Class A playoff game between the two — he had an answer.

“Well, to be honest, I haven’t been asked that question,” he said. “If you want to know the truth, we’re trying to get ready for Oak Hill (Friday night’s season-opening opponent). They are really, really good football team.”

Then he thought about his answer.

And he apologized.

“I’m not trying to dodge the question or sound like a politician,” he said. “But at the same time, I’ve been under some great coaches. And the one thing I took from each of them was that you never look ahead. You have to take it one game at a time.”

To illustrate his point about not sounding like a potential Obama or McCain, he did add one thing.

“If we are fortunate enough to play Wheeling Central or anyone else, we’ll make the best of it.”

Obviously, Moneypenny did learn the art of coachspeak along the way. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

So what was Moneypenny’s trail to the helm of the Pirates’ ship?

“(Mount Hope’s) Eddie Souk gave me my first break in high school coaching,” Moneypenny said. “Everybody knows the program he built there, winning a state championship (in 1989).

“Then I was with Jim Martin over at Midland Trail. He did a tremendous job of building that program into a playoff team every year (something he later duplicated at Oak Hill before leaving for North Carolina).

“After that, I was at Oak Hill with an assistant coach named Jerome Fruit. I learned an extraordinary amount of football from him.

“And then there was the one I call the master of them all, Frank Spangler, here at Fayetteville. I was able to understand what coach taught me after being with coach Fruit at Oak Hill. If I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have begun to understand the things he was teaching me.

“After that, I went to Musselman with Denny Price, who is the winningest coach in the history of West Virginia high school football. When I was there he had an offensive coordinator, a young man by the name of Craig Farnsworth, who later won a state title at Parkersburg when he took over for Marshall Burdette.”

One thing about the company Moneypenny kept: They bring the hardware. Four of the six he mentioned have state title rings.

Which brings me back to Spangler, who won his in 1992 when the Pirates went 13-1 and beat Matewan in the state championship game at frigid Laidley Field.

“The master of them all” now serves as an assistant to his protégé.

“I don’t think it’s any different (than before),” Moneypenny said. “I know it sounds hard to believe. When I was an assistant, coach Spangler would let me experiment and do things. He gave me so much freedom. He would give me a job but wouldn’t tell me how to do it. He just told me what he wanted and the rest was up to me.”

It is clear Spangler is more than just a mentor.

“He’s a father figure to me,” Moneypenny said. “I grew up without a dad. Outside of football, we just clicked. I am very fortunate to have him in my life.”

Moneypenny and wife Jessica had their first child, Julia, in July. And while he may not be a politician, he might join his list of coaching mentors with a ring before the next president formally takes office.