The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

March 12, 2008

Kidd says Bulldogs a tough draw

By Dave Morrison

That Martinsburg is a carbon copy of Capital couldn’t have made Woodrow Wilson coach Ron Kidd’s sleep pattern consistent this week.

After all, Capital owns two wins over the Flying Eagles this season — 75-63 in the Mountain State Coal Classic AAA championship game and 73-61 at Capital.

Consistent scores.

Inconsistent sleep.

Kidd will find out how close they are to talented Capital tonight (7:15) when Woodrow Wilson (16-7) meets Martinsburg (20-4) in the first round of the state tournament at the Charleston Civic Center.

“I was talking to a coach at Morgantown, who has played both, and he told me that Martinsburg is very similar to Capital,” Kidd said. “They are very athletic. They are very talented. They are a tough draw for us. But once you get to this point, anything can happen. Our kids will show up.”

The Eagles have gone through the season with a balanced scoring attack.

Travis Parkulo, a 6-foot-5 senior, who is making his fourth state tournament appearance, leads the way with 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Junior Ryan Powers (5-10) is next at 14.8 and Damien Tunstalle (6-4) averages 14.5 and a team-best 8.1 rebounds per contest.

Other starters include the resurgent Michael Fortune (a 5-11 junior), who averaged 5.9 points on the season but averaged 17 in the Eagles’ two postseason wins, and Joe Rodriguez (5-9), who is averaging 2.4 points and 3.1 assists per game.

Key reserves are Isiah Walton, Kevin Starkey and Joseph Anthony.

Martinsburg punched its ticket to Charleston with a 53-49 upset of then-No. 2 Hedgesville in the sectional tournament and a 49-47 regional victory over Musselman. Woodrow Wilson is seeded No. 6 in the tournament and Martinsburg is No. 3.

Kidd hopes his team — which has struggled somewhat in the postseason despite wins over Riverside and Greenbrier East — can put it together for three days this week at the Civic Center.

The coach recalled how the 2004 Beckley team “caught fire” at tournament time and ran the table for the school’s first state title since the 1998 season. Woodrow was the last school to win a title before Huntington won three in a row.

“I’ve seen teams get hot at the right time and go on to win the state championship,” Kidd said. “We’ve given ourselves that chance.”

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