Winning big puts an extra emphasis on practice for Martinsburg

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — No high school football coach in West Virginia has achieved the level of success as Martinsburg’s David Walker.

The Bulldogs have a 55-game win streak dating back to the start of the 2016 season, which is a state record.

Walker also lays claim to several other state marks, including 303 wins over 32 years of coaching (23 at Martinsburg and nine at East Hardy) and 50 postseason wins. 

As Martinsburg prepares for Saturday’s Class AAA title game against Cabell Midland, Walker’s team is in a familiar spot being a heavy favorite expected to bring home the school’s fourth consecutive state championship and eighth in 10 years.

“Our guys are used to being successful and they don’t want to be the group that lets that slip away from them,” Walker said. “We’re just talented. We have good kids and good players. They’ve worked hard to put themselves in the position to be good.”

The surplus of talent has helped make it so Martinsburg (13-0) has yet to face a serious challenge this season.

Perhaps that comes Saturday against the Knights (13-0), who were the only other Class AAA team to finish the regular season unbeaten.

But thus far, Martinsburg has outscored its opposition 810-101, including 231-20 in three playoff games. The Bulldogs have beaten all 13 opponents by at least 35 points, including seven by 50 or more.

“We do face adversity occasionally, but our guys react well to pressure and don’t get rattled real easy,” Walker said. “And there’s a lot of tradition.”

With all 13 wins in lopsided fashion, the question Walker consistently faces is how long he should play his starters. In a first-round playoff win over Preston, the Bulldogs scored all 84 points by halftime in an 84-0 win.

The next week, Martinsburg handled Spring Mills, 70-0 in a game it led by 49 points at halftime.

Martinsburg Football Coach Dave Walker

And just last week, the Bulldogs had their way with Parkersburg South, 77-20. That game was again all but over by halftime when MHS held a 49-6 lead.

“You don’t want to embarrass people,” Walker said. “Even the 84-0 game, it’s 84-0 at halftime, but we tried our best not to score 84 points. I don’t want to hurt the integrity of the game, but at some point you have to worry about your own team. Your kids have to have conditioning. They have to play and the other teams are just going to have to get a little better.”

Because Martinsburg’s games have often been decided by halftime, its first string players rarely see fourth-quarter action and sometimes don’t play much, if any, in the third quarter.

Consistently winning in convincing fashion puts a greater emphasis on the team’s practices, according to Walker.

“Our kids haven’t played many complete games,” Walker said. “I’m sure they will this week. But we work hard in practice. We try to make practice non stop and total movement so they’re in pretty good shape. We try to take care of that Monday through Thursday.”

It remains to be seen what happens Saturday, but perhaps the Bulldogs face enough of a test that their starters will need to play in the fourth quarter.

Walker, who said he didn’t anticipate his team winning by as of a wide margin against the Patriots, is expecting a stiff challenge from Cabell Midland — and one that’ll require strong play from the Bulldogs in the trenches.

“They’re physical and no nonsense,” Walker said of the Knights. “They get after you on both sides of the ball. It’ll be a physical contest.”

Greg Carey/MetroNews Sports