Williamstown H.S. talks big title win and redeeming 2021 state title loss

WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. (WTAP) - The Williamstown high school Yellow Jackets are this year’s class single-A football champions.

After the crushing loss to Ritchie County in 2021, the Yellow Jackets are on top for the third time in school history with a 52-20 win over James Monroe high school.

“I feel like we owed it to ourselves, to the community, to the coaches that we were able to get it done this year,” says Williamstown high school senior running back, Rickie Allen.

“Rickie pretty much summarized it,” says Williamstown high school junior quarterback, Maxwell Molessa. “Being able to finish up the job really meant the world to the community, coaching staff, players. All of us as a whole.”

The Yellow Jackets rushing attack lead by Molessa and Allen helped power Williamstown.

The two of them combined for over 350 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

“I mean, it was a really big game championship. But you’re not going to change too much around just because it’s the championship game. I mean all year long, that’s been the thing. We’re going to run it down your throat,” says Allen. “I mean no one’s been able to stop it, no one can stop it. And we knew that going in. And we weren’t going to change our identity and we didn’t.”

Molessa alone had over 250 of those yards and five touchdowns.

A rushing attack that remained the same and dominant all year.

“Going into it, it was just a winning mindset. Do whatever we had to do to bring the trophy back here,” says Molessa.

Allen and eight other seniors on this team will be ending their high school football career with a championship send off.

Something Allen says the class put in a lot of work to get to this point.

“It’s really nice for all of us seniors to have been in the program for four years,” says Allen. “But even before in pee wee and middle school. And it’s the perfect way to end it.”

And although this team will be without these seniors for the 2023 season, the team still has a lot of talent returning.

Molessa says it will take a lot to make up for the guys who are leaving.

“It’s motivating having guys coming back,” says Molessa. “But it’s going to be challenging losing guys like Rick. Guys like Logan White, Kent Wigal, Brayden Buckley and those guys. Losing guys like that is going impact, but we’ll have to find guys that fit, guys that are going to help us reach the goal of winning another state championship next year.”

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