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AAAA All-State Football Team has WPHS's Brennan Wack and Spring Mills' Xavier Anderson as Captains

By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on December 13, 2025

By NICK HENTHORN
 
WHEELING — Amidst the biggest schools in the Mountain State, a 2,000-yard rusher and a defensive wrecking ball captain the Class AAAA All-State football squad, which is voted on by coaches and members of the West Virginia Sports Writers Association and selected by the WVSWA.
 
Wheeling Park running back Brennan Wack and Spring Mills edge defender Xavier Anderson lead the way on the first-team offense and defense for this year’s list of the best of the best after spectacular seasons on the gridiron.
 
Wack, a two-time first-team selection as a running back, followed up a junior season that saw him shatter multiple school records and capture the Warner Award, didn’t let up in his senior campaign. Despite missing two games with an injury, Wack rushed for 2,079 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging eight yards per carry, reeled in 21 passes for 171 yards, and even tossed a touchdown on a trick play. He set his school’s career rushing record and rushing touchdowns record this season, despite only taking over at tailback in his junior season.
Wack is joined in the first-team backfield by George Washington freshman sensation Jaden Black. Black rushed for 1,596 yards and 26 touchdowns this year for the Patriots, and picked up 158 more yards and three more touchdowns in the receiving game.
 
George Washington and Wheeling Park’s offensive line were also recognized for the success of their rushing attacks, with George Washington junior James Payne and Wheeling Park senior Reuben Rouse earning spots on the first-team line.
 
Quarterbacks for the first team are Morgantown’s Maddox Twigg and Preston’s Slaton Manko.
 
Twigg, a sophomore coming off a state championship with the Mohigans, passed for 2,239 yards and 26 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 1,084 yards and 18 touchdowns. Manko, a senior, turned in a strong season where he passed for 2,734 yards and 27 touchdowns against just three interceptions in 10 games. He also rushed for 690 yards and eight touchdowns.
 
A pair of juniors bring electricity to the first-team wide receivers spots as Martinsburg’s Boston Todd and University’s Hayden George were recognized for massive seasons as pass-catchers.
 
Todd, a part of the Bulldogs’ state runner-up efforts, was a playmaker in all aspects, as he caught 63 balls totalling 1,265 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 439 yards and six more scores. George racked up 93 catches for 1,323 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The three remaining offensive line spots on the first-team were composed of Huntington’s Mason Ramsey, Martinsburg’s Kane Whipp, and Morgantown’s Brayden Parks.
 
Three all-around stars earned utility spots on the first-team in Huntington’s Tayveon Wilson, Martinsburg’s Brian Dick and Jefferson junior Tony Allen.
 
Wilson, a senior who is now a three-time all-stater, was a dual-threat quarterback for the Highlanders, passing for 1,471 yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushing for 764 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
Dick was likewise a dual-threat for his Bulldogs, ran for two touchdowns in the state championship game and finished his junior season with 2,069 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,233 yards and 18 touchdowns.
 
George Washington sophomore Teddy Smith earned his spot as the first-team kicker, making all nine of his field goal tries and going 30-27 on point-afters.
 
On the defensive side, Xavier Anderson put up gaudy numbers for Spring Mills in his final go-round. Anderson was a game-wrecker off the edge, finishing with 41 tackles, an impressive 12 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
 
The rest of the first-team defensive line are formidable in their own right. Morgantown senior Ze’von Shipman racked up 62 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five sacks. Woodrow Wilson senior Ja’Marques Manns dominated on the d-line with 70 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and three sacks.
 
Martinsburg senior Jordan Kovacs was a key piece for the Bulldogs defense, finishing with 66 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
University placed three defenders on the Class AAAA first-team— senior linebacking duo Roman Konchesky and Marcos Kniska, and senior punter Jimmy Gregg.
 
Kniska and Konchesky were tackling machines for the Hawks. Kniska racked up 123 tackles and 15 tackles for loss, adding four sacks and three interceptions to a stellar season. Konchesky finished with 164 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and four sacks.
 
Gregg’s leg was a legitimate game-changer punting for the Hawks, averaging 45.8 yards per punt and nailing 25 inside the 20. His season-long was a 71-yard punt.
 
Parkersburg South had a pair of first-teamers in senior linebacker Kamero Jackson and senior defensive back Channing Barrett.
Jackson ended his season with 77 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and an interception. Barrett was a ball-hawk, plucking six interceptions on the season and finishing with 30 tackles.
 
The star-studded linebacker corp is completed with Huntington junior Ilias King and Wheeling Park senior Nolan Yanchak.
King collected 121 tackles with 12 tackles for loss, and recovered three fumbles. Yanchak racked up 145 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and an interception.
 
The final two defensive backs on the first team are Woodrow Wilson senior AJ Thomas and Morgantown senior Keltin Blunt.
Blunt, who did his work at safety, finished with 78 tackles, five tackles for loss, and an interception. Thomas’ defensive prowess resulted in 75 tackles and an interception.
 
There were two players selected as utility options for the first-team defense— George Washington senior Clyde May and Morgantown senior Carter Cooper. May, who played all around the Patriot front-seven, had 88 tackles, two interceptions, forced four fumbles and finished with two defensive touchdowns. Cooper, who played most often in the defensive backfield, had 71 tackles, three interceptions, and three tackles for loss.
 
Captaining the Class AAAA second team offense is Preston wide receiver Aiden Schmidl, and on defense, the captain is Morgantown linebacker Brooks King.
 
Wooden plaques in the shape of West Virginia that include the high school name, player’s name, licensed WVSWA logo, and year of the honoree, are available to all-state first team, second team, and honorable mentions and can be purchased from the Bear Wood Company through WVSWA.org or Bearwoodcompany.com
 
2025 WVSWA Class AAAA All-State football
 
First team offense
Pos     Player                                          School                                         Cls        Hgt        Wgt
QB       Maddox Twigg                               Morgantown                                  So.         6-2         205
QB       Slaton Manko                                Preston                                         Sr.        5-10        175
RB       Brennan Wack (c)                          Wheeling Park                               Sr.         6-0         190
RB       Jaden Black                                  George Washington                       Fr.         5-9         185
WR      Boston Todd                                  Martinsburg                                   Jr.         6-1         175
WR      Hayden George                             University                                      Jr.         5-9         180
OL       James Payne                                George Washington                       Jr.         6-3         265
OL       Mason Ramsey                             Huntington                                    Sr.         6-3         290
OL       Reuben Rouse                              Wheeling Park                               Sr.        5-11        265
OL       Kane Whipp                                  Martinsburg                                   Sr.         6-0         260
OL       Brayden Parks                              Morgantown                                  Sr.         6-4         320
Util       Tayveon Wilson                             Huntington                                    Sr.         6-3         220
Util       Brian Dick                                     Martinsburg                                   Jr.         6-0         200
Util       Tony Allen                                    Jefferson                                       Sr.        5-10        185
PK       Teddy Smith                                 George Washington                      So.        5-11        170
 
First team defense
DL       Xavier Anderson (c)                       Spring Mills                                   Sr.         6-6         200
DL       Zevon Shipman                             Morgantown                                  Sr.         6-1         295
DL       Ja’Marques Manns                        Woodrow Wilson                            Sr.         6-4         280
DL       Jordan Kovacs                              Martinsburg                                   Sr.         6-2         230
LB       Marcos Kniska                              University                                      Sr.         6-0         210
LB       Ilias King                                       Huntington                                     Jr.         6-0         220
LB       Kamero Jackson                           Parkersburg South                         Sr.         6-0         200
LB       Nolan Yanchak                              Wheeling Park                               Sr.        5-11        205
LB       Roman Konchesky                        University                                      Sr.         6-0         170
DB       Keltin Blunt                                   Morgantown                                  Sr.         6-2         190
DB       A.J. Thomas                                 Woodrow Wilson                            Sr.        5-10        150
DB       Channing Barrett                           Parkersburg South                         Sr.         6-0         175
Util       Clyde May                                    George Washington                       Sr.         6-1         210
Util       Carter Cooper                                Morgantown                                  Sr.         6-0         175
P         Jimmy Gregg                                 University                                      Sr.         6-1         195
 
Second team offense
Pos     Player                                          School                                         Cls        Hgt        Wgt
QB       Harrison Helbig                              University                                      Jr.         6-4         180
RB       Mayshaun Okonkwo                      Huntington                                    So.         5-9         165
RB       Gage Burdette                               Woodrow Wilson                           So.         6-1         165
WR      Donte Newsome                            Huntington                                     Jr.         6-1         175
WR      Aiden Schmidl (c)                          Preston                                         Sr.         6-1         180
WR      Jayden Smalls                              Morgantown                                  Sr.         6-0         170
OL       Drey Grinter                                  Parkersburg                                  Jr.         6-3         300
OL       Brayden Edwards                          George Washington                       Sr.         6-3         260
OL       Kayden Fortney                             Wheeling Park                               Sr.        5-10        240
OL       Aryn McPherson                            Huntington                                    Sr.         6-3         300
OL       Noah Hockman                             Jefferson                                       Jr.         6-4         275
Util       Dawson Tenney                            Buckhannon-Upshur                      Sr.         6-1         185
Util       Blake Sanders                               Spring Mills                                   Sr.        5-10        167
Util       Sameje Wesley                             George Washington                       Sr.        5-10        140
PK       Aiden Petsko                                Morgantown                                  So.         5-8         140
 
Second team defense
DL       Kadyn Baisden                              Buckhannon-Upshur                      Jr.        5-11        190
DL       Chase Travis                                Morgantown                                  Jr.        5-11        230
DL       Josh Armentrout                            Musselman                                   Sr.         6-4         218
DL       Kameron Dietrich                           Wheeling Park                               Sr.         6-6         200
LB       Carson Treadway                          Oak Hill                                         Jr.         6-2         210
LB       Brooks King (c)                              Morgantown                                  So.        5-10        185
LB       Devin Widman                               Parkersburg                                  Jr.        5-10        202
LB       Eli Thompson                                Cabell Midland                               Jr.         6-3         225
DB       Isaac Sands                                  Wheeling Park                               Sr.        5-10        175
DB       Takiem Drake                                Jefferson                                       Sr.        5-11        180
DB       Mason Walley                               Martinsburg                                   Sr.         6-1         170
DB       Isaiah Wang                                  Spring Mills                                   Sr.         6-1         178
Util       Tavion Woods                               Riverside                                       Jr.         6-1         200
Util       Preston Clary                                Woodrow Wilson                            Sr.         6-2         180
P         Emilio Perez-Diggs                        Washington                                   Sr.         6-0         210
 
Honorable mention
Cade Compton, Oak Hill; Nate Lasure, Musselman; Brody Faircloth, Hedgesville; Chris Williams, Hedgesville;
Logan Tudor, Riverside; Cy Persinger, George Washington; Phillip Shields, Washington; Ty Ricketts, Martinsburg;
Seth Casto, Hurricane; Zach Turner, Hurricane; Malakhi Hope, Riverside; James Ludwig, Oak Hill; Sylas Cheuvront, Parkersburg; Hope Bokwe, Spring Mills; Deshawn Lewis, Musselman; Keian Shelton, Cabell Midland; Rhys Wells, Morgantown; Blake Bluffington, Morgantown; Zaiiden Lockett, Morgantown; Glenn Brown, University; Luke Braham, University; Jack Byrer, University.

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