2026 MSAC Football Preview: Parkersburg

Parkersburg Football

A 5–5 season, a middle-of-the-division finish and a road playoff game — and now a crosstown rival in the same division for the first time since the 1990s.

The Program at a Glance

Parkersburg finished 5–5 in 2025 and went 2–2 in the MSAC Blue Division, third of five. The Big Reds were the No. 10 seed in Class AAAA and opened the playoffs on the road at No. 7 University (7–3).

The bigger structural story is next door: Parkersburg South rejoined the MSAC for the 2025-26 school year in all sports except football, and begins MSAC football play in 2026. The two Parkersburg schools are now in the same division, which changes what the rivalry game means in the standings.

2025 in Review

Head Coach

2026 Schedule

MSAC Media Day 2026

All right, Coach Kimes. You know, what four days away from opening week, face off against Morgantown. How are the guys feeling so far going into this first game?

Coach Matt Kimes 

Well, with a lot of excitement around the first game. You know, always a lot of excitement around a new season as well. But a little bit extra incentive this year, we got the defending state champs coming to our place, so we've known that since way back at our end of season banquet in December. So it's something we've talked about all off season, something we've known we're going to have to be ready for because you know they're going to be out to you know prove that they can do it again, right? And so we've got to be able to step our game up, so to speak, and come out firing on all cylinders and be ready to go because you got to be your best every Friday night in Quad A football, and we know that, and so we're excited and excited for the challenge, but also an opportunity, Right, so hopefully, you know the community shows up and they're red and packs the stands and we got a great atmosphere and we put on a good show for them.

Through the preseason camp and scrimmages has what kind of wrinkles have you ironed out  so far?

Coach Matt Kimes 

Yeah, so a lot about the preseason is developing depth and seeing who's going to be ready for Friday night. So your returners at most positions, you know what you're going to get on a Friday night because you've got all they've got all that experience and you've got all the film from them from last year to kind of evaluate. But the biggest thing is you know seeing what our sophomores are going to be able to do, where they're going to fill in roles, and any new guys, we change positions, and then after that, it's just you know it's fine-tuning your base schemes. Offensively, defensively, and making sure that everybody's on the same page, terminology-wise, communication-wise, and I feel like we're pretty good spot. We've had pretty good success in both our scrimmages, and so now it's time to put four quarters together on a Friday night and see where see where we're at.

Absolutely.

Coach Matt Kimes 

Yeah, that's hard to say. We got so many good kids, man, and so many experienced guys. There's been a bunch of them that have stepped up and shown leadership skills and proven that they're ready to go on Fridays. So, like I said, we've got a bunch of position back: our quarterback, our receivers, our linebackers, our offensive line, our tight end. Like all those guys are returning, and they all add leadership qualities to the team. And so, to speak one or two, I can't say just because there's so many that have earned the title of leader on this football team.

You know, obviously, you play to win the game.

Coach Matt Kimes 

Yeah.

Charles Minimah 

But what does it mean to you to have an impact on these young boys' lives to lead them to be better men?

Coach Matt Kimes 

That's a great question, man, and that's why we do this as coaches. You know, obviously we're all competitors, right? And we want to win. You know, we don't do all this hard work, 365, 24/7 all the time to go out and lose. But at the same time, you know, I want everybody's experience in this program to be one they look at fondly after their time is done here. They can look back with great memories and also look back and say, "Hey, the things they instilled in me as a young man has helped me progress into my adult life and help let them be able to be prepared for things that are going to come their way. Right, because you know, as we live this life, and as we get older, adversity is going to hit, and a lot of times, how we how we attack and how we handle adversity, a lot of times determines what we're going to get out of out of that that outcome. So we try to instill that every day: the hard work, the discipline, the teamwork, right? Everybody having a role on a football team, and so that's the things we're so much proud of as coaches, and the reason we do what we do.

Absolutely, you know, Parkersburg. You have a storied history. You know, expectations are high every year. Yeah. You know, do you feel the pressure of that, or you know, just kind of, you know, kind of know what you got to do? You know, MSAC is a tough conference, week in, week out. You're traveling up and down 77. Yeah, you know, 10 game schedule. How does that, I guess, quality opponent prepare you for the off season?

Coach Matt Kimes 

Yeah. So I mean, there is a lot of expectations in our program. You know, I mean, you don't take long to walk through our facility and understand there's been a lot of success and past memories and past accomplishments in this program, and so that's something we don't hold lightly. We talk about it. Our kids embrace it. I embrace it as the head coach. I'm humbled every day to become able to come here and do this. And like you said, we know we're going to face tough competition. Every Friday night, and you know there's great football players, there's great football coaches throughout the state of West Virginia. So, and you only get 10 opportunities guaranteed to go out and prove yourself, and so you got to be your best every Friday night, or somebody's going to come up and get you and knock you off. So, you know, preparation-wise, that's why it's a you prepare more than you play in this in this game, right? So you're guaranteed 10 if you stay healthy, but you're preparing all year, right? And some of these guys are preparing for four years and then don't even get an opportunity to play until their senior year. So you know it's a it's a it's a competitive program. It's a program that we're proud of. It's a program that we feel should be you know at the top half of the of the quad A year in year out, and we're working really hard to get there to stay there.

Thank you.

Coach Matt Kimes 

All right, appreciate you, man.

The Takeaway

The Big Reds kick off the 2026 season against the reigning state champs Morgantown, giving Kimes and his coaching staff an early look at how his program is compared to the state’s best. Returning players will be looked to for leadership and experience, while the younger guys continue to gain valuable experience. Kimes knows he has to put together a roster that can handle what’s coming up against a tough schedule this year. The Morgantown squad presents an immediate challenge, but the Big Reds are ready to compete, improve every week, and make another run into the playoffs.