By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
The Yellow Jackets swarmed to a 58-50 victory over Philip Barbour in a special evening honoring the 1971 Moorefield Boys Basketball state tournament semifinal run.
The Yellow Jackets of 1971, with Bill Keller at the helm, took an undefeated regular season record (20-0) into the playoffs en route to the state tournament held at the newly christened WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
Gauley Bridge edged Moorefield 58-56 in the state semifinals as the Yellow Jackets fell short of the title game with an impressive 23-1 record.
The 1971 Moorefield team included: Herb Hawse, Larry Eye, Joe Fisher, George Hott, Bobby Keller, Jack Yankey, Burns Barr III, Wayne “Snuffy” Zirk, Lee Wesson, Albert Leatherman, and Carl “Corky” Whetzel. The Yellow Jackets head coach was Bill Keller and assistant coach was Charles Landes.
The current Hive dwellers were guided by Jackson Helmick with 20 points, followed by Cyrus Kump with 18 points and Edison Metheny with 10 points in the 58-50 win against the Colts.
“Always great to honor great teams of the past and have former players at the games. To only lose one game all year is something special,” Moorefield Boys Basketball coach Scott Stutler commented.
Northfork defeated Gauley Bridge for the state championship as part of its eight consecutive title run.
The Yellow Jackets winning tradition keeps buzzing in the Hive with historic foundation built since the 1949 state championship and the 1971 team showed stellar growth continuing to this generation.
