I went to cover a Veterans Day program out at the Low Gap Church last Sunday evening. It was the first program, that members could remember, that was held on Veterans Day. The church had a wonderful program with patriotic music and singing.

They started the program with the flag raising with the playing of taps as well as the National Anthem by Valley High School Band Director Donald Taylor and Short Line School’s Bo Wyatt.

Afterward, the program featured the singing of patriotic numbers, as well as some solo songs. To me, the singing of Hallelujah by Wetzel County Commissioner Lisa Heasley was a highlight. Also, another favorite part was Delbert Lasure playing a tune on his guitar and singing a song he heard from one of the Ebert brothers.

Also in attendance was outgoing county commissioner Bob Gorby, and Lisa Heasley’s husband Lance. Also featured were Hundred’s Dave Pethtel and his charming wife Mary Ann, who by the way, plays a mean piano.

Besides the singing and fellowship by the many guests and members from the Low Gap Church, gifts were persented to a few people for coming and participating in the program. They also gave out American flags to every family who was there, along with a very nice USA-themed ballpoint pen and a USA bookmark. Mr. Lasure also spoke well of former Wetzel Chronicle reporter Judy Hill, who was instrumental in raising enough funds to put American flags along Route 2 from Bill Forbes Chevy Dealership to Route 180.

They also presented every veteran in attendance a gift as well and gave them a well-deserved standing ovation. After the program, there were many refreshments, including a cake created by Linda Brookover from Witschey’s Market. The ceremony closed with a prayer for all to travel safely home.

It was great to watch and cover the Magnolia Lady Blue Eagles’ quest for a state championship, but it was equally thrilling to see the Eagles’ coaches take this band of young athletes and mesh them into a fine team.

It was Coach Pam Chapman’s first state championship as a coach, and she also played in the first state volleyball tournament as a member of Parkersburg. She, along with Roger Clegg, have been dedicated coaches and caregivers to the volleyball program, not only at Magnolia, but also at New Martinsville Middle School. It was just great to have had just a little part of it.

Even though the Lady Silver Knights lost, they played hard and never gave up making mini-runs after mini-runs to keep stay within striking distance. However, the Big Bad Blue Eagles showed me a lot – not just playing the game, but as a united bunch of young girls who were chasing their dreams to become state champions.

Kyndra Pilant and Mady Winters were up front at the net with their offensive play and controlling the net with their presence. However, they are just one piece of the pie.

In comes Lenieca Grimm, who came out of know where to take the wheel as the team’s young setter. Then when you add – who I think was the most improved player from a season ago – Liza Clegg, as well as the team’s only senior Kennedy Parsons, the front line is a thing of beauty.

However, then you add – from what I have seen – one of the best back-row specialists in Kayna Anderson, who gives up her body time and time again to make a dig and a save makes for a special team, as well as the talented Lenieca Grimm, as the setter.

Only a sophomore, Grimm is a up-and-coming shining star. She has that same grit and determination of her mom, as well as being a wonderful teammate. Back row or front row, it doesn’t matter; she will be right there to take a pass and deliver it to Kyndra and Mady. She also is locked and loaded to pull the trigger when needed to catch the opposing teams off guard.

Then there is Clegg, who I feel is the most improved from a season ago and can hurt you in many ways too. Not only is she a very good teammate, she can get up and also pull the trigger when it comes to kills. However, she sacrifices her body like Anderson to save volleys, as well as taking the other team’s best hit and making a dig. She is also an outstanding server and blocker too.

Then there is the glue that holds the team together, Kennedy Parsons, along with Kyndra. Parsons was a little rusty at the beginning of the season when she joined the National Guard and missed all the summer tournaments. However her dedication and many lifelong lessons she learned from being in Boot Camp helped her be a great teammate and player.

Parsons attacks mostly from the corners where she has the dead-eye to drill one to the opposing team’s corners as well. She glides to the ball like she is flying like an Eagle and was truly a player the Blue Eagle coaches leaned on.

There are three girls who kept getting better and better as the season went on, and Coach Chapman used them a lot.

Zoey Jenkins was one of those girls. She was used on the back line and had powerful sectional and regional games, while sucking it up at the state level despite flu-like systems. Nevertheless, she competed as hard as she could every second. She, like Anderson and Clegg, gave up her body to get to shots from the opposing team’s top hitters, while keeping the ball in play with her saves and digging.

Alyssa Kocher and Jaci Rhode also saw a lot of playing time as freshmen and did everything they could for the team. They, too, meshed well with team, and they all three played a big role in the success of the team during the season and in the tournaments.

However, I can go on and on about the coaches who put these girls in their positions to be successful, but they know how I feel about them and the way they handled the team, from summertime to the state tournament.