2026 MSAC Football Preview: Parkersburg South

Parkersburg South Football

2026 is Parkersburg South's first season of MSAC football since 1999 — a charter member of the conference finally coming back to the league on the gridiron.

The Program at a Glance

Parkersburg South was a charter MSAC member when the conference formed in 1993 and left in 1999. Member principals voted unanimously in February 2025 to bring the Patriots back, effective for the 2025-26 school year in all sports except football, with football beginning in 2026. That makes this fall the program's first MSAC football season in 27 years and the reason the Blue Division has six teams instead of five.

On the field, South went 3–7 in 2025 and still made the Class AAAA field as the No. 14 seed, drawing a first-round road game at No. 3 Martinsburg (8–2). The Patriots were not eligible for the 2025 MSAC championship.

2025 in Review

Head Coach

Larry Thompson — announced March 2025 — confirm spelling, exact season number, record at the school and career record.

2026 Schedule

Coach’s Interview

Coach Thompson. It's game week. It's time to put all that work and effort to prove we can do it on the field. How have you felt so far through these three or four weeks of preseason camp?

Coach Larry Thompson 

I feel confident. You know, I like the work ethic, the consistency that our kids are showing, showing up every day, and they have a goal. We're setting short-term goals, and we're accomplishing those goals. You know, and it's cool to see we're player-driven. We added some new coaches to the staff, and everything's coming together. I got to put my influence on our offense and all defensive system, and I really like the way the kids are showing up and responding to some adversity every day.

MSAC, toughest conference in my opinion in the state. You know, what are you hoping to get out of this year? You know, last year was three and eight, kind of disappointing season. It's your second year as head coach. What's the goal for this year?

Coach Larry Thompson 

To finish. You know, we were in a lot of close games early on. We couldn't find a way to finish.  And this off season, doing a lot of mental stuff and toughness stuff to get our kids to be able to push through. If you lose the battle with yourself, you're going to lose it on the field against an opponent every single time. So really, put an emphasis on kids conquering their own brain. Being able to push and fight when they feel like quitting, and that's going to show up on Friday nights. Our kids playing through the finish, no matter what the score is, winning, losing, tied ball game. We put an emphasis on playing through adversity, playing to finish and not quitting, and that is exactly what our kids have shown up and showed us.

What have you seen in the scrimmages so far, and what do you need to improve on?

Coach Larry Thompson 

Well, the first one down at Ripley, we didn't get too many reps with the varsity. We only got 10 plays offensively, 10 plays defensively, but I like what we seen, we were very efficient in that one drive that we did have. I would like to see us be a little bit more physical, so that was what we did the last couple weeks. We've been working on physicality. The second scrimmage, we went down to Spring Valley, one of the most physical teams in the state. I truly think our older guys held their own to start that game. As our young guys started to come in, I think that standard dropped off, right? But I don't put too much emphasis on scrimmages. I think that we came out healthy. We came out better because we understood what we need to do between then and now to be able to beat Wheeling Park this Friday.

What one or two players that kind of stood out to you as being the leaders of the team?

Coach Larry Thompson 

So our starting linebacker was returning from last year. His name is Asa Yost. He's going to wear number 1 this year. He has really shown up in a big way. Not only is he being that vocal leader off the field, in the locker room, in the weight room, but he's showing up and he's just doing it on the field. He's leading by example. And the kids really love Asa. They look up to him. He's an all-state wrestler. The kid made a lot of plays for us last year, you know, so I'm really excited to see him grow. He was still a little boy physically last year. He's kind of grown into his own this year. Obviously, still has a lot of ceiling to reach, but overall, man, Asa has shown up and he's done a tremendous job this off season. A couple other young men, Josiah Swiger, he's an outside receiver for us. Also plays corner. He's done a really good job this summer. He's shown up. He's been a leader. He's not a big vocal guy, but he just makes plays for us. You know, and I love his attitude. I love the way he carries himself. His confidence is through the roof. It's contagious. The kids feed off of that. So I really, really need for him to continue to be who he's been for us all summer. Another senior by the name of Justice Caplinger. You know he's a very selfish young man. He's going to start safety for us. If I had to say a figurehead as our leader, it would probably be him. He's one of the most vocal kids, and he's respected in that regard. So obviously, I'm missing a bunch of kids that I'm not mentioning, but those three really took off for us this summer, and I think those three are going to show up big for us for sure.

You know, of course, it's about wins and losses, but also some things that often get overlooked is just the impact that you have on these young boys' lives, kind of the mold and the good, you know, contributors to society. You know, I heard you trying to hold these kids accountable in school, making sure they're in class on time, not tardy in front. What does it mean to you that you can, I guess, help be a part of these young men's lives and just build them up and be great young men

Coach Larry Thompson 

I think accountability is kind of a lost art, lost skill. Unfortunately, a lot of people talk about it. Not a lot of people do, right? So for me, I like to carry myself in a certain way to where these kids look up to me, you know. And I'm not making this about race by any means, but I'm one of the only black educators, if the only black educator at Parkersburg South. And so for the young men that look like me and my team, unfortunately, society makes it that much harder for us. So I really harp on just being ready all the time, doing the right thing all the time, and just putting yourself in position to be successful. And that all starts in that school building across the way, and everything you do well in there, it's going to just transfer right out here to this football field. So we do a lot of different things, layered wise, to hold our children accountable. We have the quality time stuff, we have the study halls, we do a lot of different things. But ultimately, it's just leading by example, showing up every day, being that leader, and just showing them, like, hey, if you just got to be here, you know, and availability is the best ability in my personal opinion.

Thank you.

Coach Larry Thompson   

Yes, sir. Appreciate you.

The Takeaway

After going 3-8 last year, Thompson has looked to set small goals, daily improvement and letting his players take ownership of their program's development. As for accountability, Coach Thompson believes he needs to have that not only on the football field but off it as well. He believes that part of a coaches job is making sure you do good off the field and that you try to positively impact your players' lives and help young men become disciplined enough and confident enough. With work ethic down pat for Parkersburg South, it now just needs to show results and the ability to handle adversity when needed.