New Martinsville Rotary Challenge Event Recap

<p>The New Martinsville Rotary Challenge is an annual event that hosts schools from all four divisions and displays some of the best players in those divisions each year. This year's event was nothing short of fun and awesome. Showcasing a defending state champion, a division I signee, 7 ranked players and multiple stock risers that we'll mention below. I think this is one of the more unique events in WV as it not only captivates the local fans but catches interest from around WV as it typically pits non-traditional opponents, many times from different regions of WV. The efforts made by event directors and volunteers to go out of their way to provide a do not go unnoticed while they are already working on next years palate of teams. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tyler vs. Valley Wetzel</h2>   <p>Saturday's first Varsity matchup was a single A rematch from December featuring two Region I teams with a sense of urgency to get ready for sectional season, Tyler vs Valley (Wetzel). This game feature two players who've squared off every year since being freshman with both 2025's being their respective teams leading scorers. [player_tooltip player_id='2337625' first='Brady' last='Strode']<mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color"> </mark>leading the Tyler Consolidated Silver Knights put up a game high 22 points on 10/16 shooting while also adding a game high 13 rebounds. Strode's efforts were enough to hold off several runs by Valley led by [player_tooltip player_id='2337631' first='Gavin' last='Derby'] who led the Lumberjacks with 20 points while being hounded by a relentless Tyler defense shooting just 3 of 18 from the field but hitting 13 of 15 free throws. For Tyler a pair of solid 2026's in [player_tooltip player_id='2337624' first='Brody' last='Giovinazzo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2306117' first='Bo' last='Tallman'] added scoring support with 14 and 12 respectively. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Williamstown vs. John Marshall</h2>   <p>The second contest of the day featured defending state runner up Williamstown vs AAA John Marshall. On paper you could look at this and say it could have equal talent or near it and possibly be a great match up. Neither team is over-blessed with size and should have somewhat equal talent. Well, that was far from the case as Williamstown showed why they are perennially known as a state contender. Williamstown's up and down style coupled with handcuffing defense is something that most teams that aren't particularly familiar have a big problem handling. The fearless leader of the defense is no doubt [player_tooltip player_id='1867669' first='Cruz' last='Isaly'] with his relentless floor slapping, ball clamping man defense. Cruz posted another solid stat line with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal and a block, showing why his college interest has picked up recently and into high gear. Meanwhile [player_tooltip player_id='1578760' first='Parker' last='Schramm'] is a dynamic guard with multiple college offers that gives it to ya anyway you want it posting 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assist and a steal. Schramm continues to score in high volumes as well as shoot at a high percentage rate from anywhere on floor. Just when you think you can get those two accounted for here comes 6'4" swingman [player_tooltip player_id='1578750' first='Jayden' last='Bryant'] who has deadly downtown range and a wicked one/two dribble jumper posted 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and a block. All three are top 30 2025 prospects in WV and being courted by colleges at multiple levels. Williamstown went on to win this game by a large margin, 72-32, but one prospect from John Marshall certainly stood out and couldn't go unnoticed. And that prospect is 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='2337570' first='Kayden' last='Knapp']. Knapp was absolutely a diamond in the rough and played physically beyond his young age. I was so impressed with his ability to find the ball either via entry pass or offensive rebound and get the ball on the rim quickly and leading John Marshall in scoring. Knapp was so impressive he I knew he would need added to the 2026 rankings immediately knowing his past performance numbers and finally seeing him in person to evaluate. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Morgantown vs. Ripley</h2>   <p>Morgantown rolls into New Martinsville as the defending champs and with only one blemish on their season's record was ready to show the Ohio Valley based crowd why they are still the favorite to repeat winning 90-52. Morgantown head coach Dave Tallman Jr. who played in that very gym as a high school player and has brought his Mohigans back multiple times for this event, showed no mercy in the beginning stages of this contest. Morgantown jumped on the Vikings early and often with pressure defense led by Akron signee [player_tooltip player_id='1310628' first='Sharron' last='Young'] as lead horse. Young dropped 18 points in limited time during the contest to match teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1310615' first='Izrael' last='Everett'] and his 18 including four from beyond the arc. Everett definitely showed why he's a guy that colleges might want to inquire about. "Izzy" has great guard skills and can play both guard spots as well as stretching defenses from deep not to mention a relentless defender which is the standard to get on the floor for coach Tallman. Another pleasant surprise was 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2337710' first='Max' last='Frey'] for Morgantown who had a first quarter breakaway dunk and looks like he's likely to be one of that class's top ranking players going into this summer. Frey ended up with 7 points but his presence certainly felt and left the crowd talking about his future. Ripley did have a bright spot I thought with [player_tooltip player_id='2337694' first='Cade' last='Goode']. Goode was slow getting started but once he gauged the defense and got warmed up he starting cooking. Cade has been the Vikings most consistent scorer this season and it was easy to see why. Good was able to score at all levels and many creative ways scoring 20 including a perfect 7/7 from the line. An impressive showing against what is probably the toughest he'll be defended all season. Goode is also a highly regarded baseball recruit.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Magnolia vs. Brooke</h2>   <p>The boys nightcap included a current AA (soon to be A) Magnolia squad who's had to endure a really tough schedule through the first half of the schedule but seems to have galvinized them for the stretch run. Taking on a hot AAA Brooke team, Magnolia vs Brooke sounded like a perfect match up for the final boys game of the event. However, [player_tooltip player_id='1920568' first='Hayden' last='Pyles'] had other ideas. Pyles matched up with all-OVAC performer Layton Toepfer put on quite a show on the offensive end. Driving, shooting, paint scoring, were all on display as Pyles put up a game high 20 points for the Blue Eagles. His partner for the second season in a row, [player_tooltip player_id='2303408' first='Kingston' last='Christen'] supplied plenty of extra fire power to stretch the difference on the scoreboard with his 16 points with four of those shooting from deep. Pyles who's just now getting on some college radars really showed why he should be in consideration for D2 and D3 programs. He has what looks like a college ready body, shoots at a high rate from deep and handles well enough to get to the rim from anywhere on the floor which is impressive considering his 6'4" frame. Christen will continue to facilitate, distribute, score and stretch defenses to be something for opposing coaches to plan for. He brings alot to the table and is the trigger man on a lot of big plays whether he's scoring or not and will gain attention soon especially returning as a junior after Pyles graduation. </p>

The New Martinsville Rotary Challenge is an annual event that hosts schools from all four divisions and displays some of the best players in those divisions each year. This year's event was nothing short of fun and awesome. Showcasing a defending state champion, a division I signee, 7 ranked players and multiple stock risers that we'll mention below. I think this is one of the more unique events in WV as it not only captivates the local fans but catches interest from around WV as it typically pits non-traditional opponents, many times from different regions of WV. The efforts made by event directors and volunteers to go out of their way to provide a do not go unnoticed while they are already working on next years palate of teams.