ONA, W.Va. — Cabell Midland earned their twelfth consecutive playoff appearance in 2022 but the Knights went 6-4 and were eliminated in the opening round. Veteran head coach Luke Salmons is hopeful that a return to the latter stages of the postseason can be more rewarding after last year’s early exit.
“Last year was the worst record we had in forever,” Salmons said. “We lost three regular season games. Some of those games, it was a play here and a play there that could have changed it. But that is part of it. I think it is more rewarding when you go to the next year and you are excited about week one.”
The Knights feature three Division I commitments in their senior class. Cannon Lewis is bound for North Carolina State. On Sunday, a pair of Knights announced their destinations. Curtis Jones, Jr. accepted a scholarship offer at WVU and Michael Lunsford did the same at Marshall.
“Academically and sports-wise, they have one agenda which I really like,” Jones Jr. said. “That is better development as an athlete and a student. That’s really what made my choice.”
“He’s a really good high school football player with huge upside,” Salmons said of Jones Jr. “He is really, really good. Just like Cannon and Michael and those kids, that’s why they are D1.”
“It just felt right. It is close to home,” Lunsford said of his commitment to Marshall. “My dad played there and my uncle played there. The coaching staff there is great. Coach [Charles] Huff has done a great job and I am just ready to go there and work.”
Lunsford is one of the key pieces on a Cabell Midland line that must remain the strength for the offense, paving the way for their ground attack.
“They’re tough. They’re athletic,” Salmons said. “They are not huge but they are big. They are strong and that’s what it takes to have a good line. So I feel good that we are going to have a good line.”
Former Parkersburg South quarterback Robert Shockey is leading the Knights’ offense. Shockey accounted for 4,261 yards of total offense last fall with 51 touchdowns in guiding the Patriots to the Class AAA title game. While the Knights will remain a run-heavy offense, Shockey’s all-around game will give the coaching staff plenty of options.
“He has done surprisingly well,” Lunsford said of Shockey. “He is great. He fits in here. He works hard. He is a great player.”
“I think in coaching you have to find ways to help your kids as well. We’ve got to do a better job of that,” Salmons said. “I think we’ll do better with that moving forward. We have really worked hard as coaches and players to be a little bit more multiple. But at the same time, we have to run the football.”