WAYNE — Wayne’s Joey Ferguson has a rifle for an arm and can fire bullets anywhere on the field.
Meanwhile on the other end of the Tri-State, Cabell Midland’s Tyler Bartley is more of a double-barreled shotgun, possessing explosive power in his right arm and his legs.
Even though they have their own styles, fans of Wayne and Cabell Midland football know one thing for sure heading into the 2008 season.
Their teams are armed and dangerous.
“Both of these kids are really just excellent quarterbacks,” Cabell Midland coach Chip McMillian said. “They are special on the field.”
Each backed up McMillian’s claim with the numbers they produced in the 2007 season, but they did it in completely opposite ways. Still, the end products were the same — impressive.
Despite leading Wayne’s run-oriented offense, Ferguson threw for 1,222 yards and 19 touchdowns last season while gaining another 249 yards and had five scores on the ground.
Ferguson’s ability to throw the ball helped coach Tom Harmon add several wrinkles to the “Wayne-T” offense, but the quarterback said the biggest thing that made him successful is a strong running attack and the timing of play calls.
“Sometimes, we just catch them sleeping,” Ferguson said. “It seems like when we pass, defenses are looking for the run and when we are running, then they might be looking for the pass. We just do what we do.”
Ferguson’s ascent to the helm of Pioneers football was a long process, dating back to his midget league days when Harmon first took over the Wayne program.
During that time, Wayne has gone from a struggling team to one of the top powerhouses in West Virginia’s Class AA. Ferguson took notice of Harmon’s impact on the program at an early age.
“Seeing it develop, I knew I wanted to be involved,” Ferguson said. “Watching kids come in, work hard and see success in the playoffs, I wanted to part of that tradition.”
This will be Ferguson’s third full year as the starter for Wayne,
Bartley’s road to the quarterback spot has taken a much faster road.
And that’s just how the fleet-footed quarterback would have it.
Bartley came into 2007 in a battle for the starting job with senior Dakota Nelson, and earned the nod at quarterback after just two series in the season opener at Parkersburg.
He went on to finish the season with 2,287 total yards (1,519 passing, 768 rushing) and 18 touchdowns (nine passing, nine rushing). He not only set the single-season school record for total yards, he also broke passing records in five different categories.
While many teams look at Bartley as a passer, he certainly proved that he can also use his legs to do damage. Against Nitro, he racked up 247 yards rushing and two scores while also throwing for 237 yards and three touchdowns.
He said there is one key ingredient that helped him excel quickly in his first year as a starter for the Knights.
“It’s all about the footwork for me,” Bartley said. “If I see a defense drop back then I can take off and if they come up then I can set my feet and pick them apart.”
Even with the differences in offensive styles, there are several similarities between the two players. Arm strength and mobility aside, both players possess the tools to take a game over at any point and a burning desire to win.
Bartley wants to lead the Knights back to the playoffs and wants to start with a win over Parkersburg — a team he threw for 300 yards and rushed for three scores against in a loss last season.
“The main thing is getting the team a win,” Bartley said. “I want to do well, but as long as we win — that is what matters.”
Meanwhile for Ferguson, he wants to lead Wayne back to Wheeling and hopefully to the second championship in school history. The first came in 2006 when he led them to the title in his first year as a starter.
With one title already under his belt and this being his senior year, Ferguson knows the Class AA field will have an eye out for the Pioneers, but that only drives him more.
“It puts a target on our back and makes everyone work harder to continue the tradition,” Ferguson said. “We want to embrace that challenge.”
As their respective teams finish up the three-week summer practice period, Ferguson and Bartley anticipate the start of fall camp in preparation for the regular season.
They are locked, loaded and ready to come out firing.
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