Magnolia graduate Dave Tallman Jr., son of current Head Basketball Coach at Magnolia, Dave Tallman, has built an impressive resume during his years coaching basketball. Dave Jr. served as the Director of Athletics and Head Boys Basketball Coach at St Mary’s Ryken in Leonardtown, Maryland from 2004-2014, achieving remarkable milestones for the school’s basketball program. In 2010, he led the team to its first ever victory over DeMatha Catholic High School and remains the only coach in SMR history to defeat powerhouse programs such as St Johns, DeMatha, Gonzaga, Bishop O’Connell and St Paul VI. That same year he guided SMR to 18 wins and a third-place finish in the WCAC, the best season in school history.

Dave was named Southern Maryland Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2014. His leadership extended beyond the high school level, as he was selected to coach the Capital Classic All-Star game. During his tenure, Dave recruited and coached 17 SMR student athletes who earned full scholarships at the NCAA level, including John Flowers in 2007 to West Virginia University. Also receiving scholarships were Treveon Graham in 2011 to Virginia Commonwealth University and Deivis Zemgulis in 2015 to Pennsylvania State University.

Dave Jr. currently serves as the Head Basketball Coach at Morgantown High school in West Virginia where he has continued to build a legacy of success leading his teams to state championships in 2016, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

On Friday October 18, 2024, at the Mary Joy Hulburt Theatre in Ramon Hall, Dave Tallman received another distinction as he was inducted into the St Mary’s Ryken Athletic Hall of Fame. The SMR Hall of Fame honors the incredible athletes and leaders that have shaped SMR’s legacy. Inductees are selected through a nomination process and honored during the homecoming weekend.

The old saying that the apple does not fall far from the tree rings true as Dave, Jr. is not alone. Coach Tallman’s father Dave won the WV State Basketball Championship at Magnolia in 2000 and 2003 and continues to be a consistent participant in the WV State High School Championship in Charleston every year. The senior Tallman had this to say about his son, “David has always loved the game of basketball! He’s very organized and a hard worker. He made the entire Tallman family very proud with his induction to the St. Mary’s Ryken Hall of Fame.”

Three of our local teams are pushing towards the football playoffs with Valley leading the way with a 8-2 record and looking to host a first-round playoff game. Tyler Consolidated picked up win number six on Friday defeating St Marys 39 to 12. It should be enough to get in the playoffs, however, with a win this week against Doddridge in West Union they too could secure a home field game for the first round. River made the playoffs in Ohio but fell victim to Catholic Central 22-28 in their first-round match up.

The first coaching casually in WVU football came when defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley was fired. A move that most Mountaineer fans expected but very rare for the Mountaineers to do so in the middle of the season. He is being replaced by inside linebackers coach Jeff Koonz. Let’s hope he spends some time with the secondary as it has been our Achilles’ heel so far this season. He has two weeks to mend the fences since the Mounties were open this past week and now head down the final four games of the season hoping to get into a major bowl game.

I have heard a couple of college coaches lately explaining why they retired. West Virginia native Nick Saban said there were many reasons why he decided to hang up the whistle, but mainly he explained that when he visited living rooms with parents of prospective players in the past, they wanted to know how he was going to get their child an education and graduate on time. The last couple of years in those same living rooms instead of the traditional questions about education, they only wanted to know how much he was going to pay their son. Tony Bennett, a highly successful basketball coach at Virginia, said the same thing. On his last visit to a recruit’s home, he was met by the kid’s agent. Things are definitely out of control when it comes to NIL, but we better get used to it because the NCAA cannot fall back on the old system now. It would be like closing the barn door after the horse gets away. Even though we have moved to a 12-team playoff, the richer schools are always going to be there while the rest struggle to hold on to their players.

An interesting thing happened to the Lady Knights Volleyball team as they were boarding the bus for a trip in the regional semi-finals against Oak Glen. An earlier appeal filed by the school regarding their classification was ruled in their favor, and they were moved from AA to Single A for the rest of the tournament. The change in classification meant the Knights would not play Oak Glen but travel instead to St Marys to take on the Lady Blue Devils with the winner advancing to Morgantown to face Trinity in the regional final. The Lady Knights wasted little time defeating St Marys in straight sets to advance to the regional final against Trinity in Morgantown on Tuesday November 5th. Winner of the TCHS/Trinity match heads to Charleston for the state finals.

Finally, congratulations to Amos Kimball, Tyler Consolidated High School’s Cross Country Star, for winning the West Virginia Single A State Championship on Saturday, November 2nd at Cabell Midland High School in Huntington! His achievement is a source of pride for the Tyler Consolidated family and the surrounding communities. Both Tyler Consolidated and Magnolia High School Boys and Girls runners were well represented in the state finals. Congratulations to all our area athletes who showcased their talent and determination throughout the competition.