RCB, Lewis prep for play in Big Atlantic Classic

Flying Eagles’ coach Bill Bennett is excited for the opportunity the prestigious event creates for his team, which will clash with No. 3 Wyoming East on Tuesday at 9 p.m.

“We know they try to take some of the better teams in the state and match them up,” Bennett said. “We kind of had an idea of who they were going to have.

“We’re excited about it. To go down and be involved with those other three teams, it’s going to give us an idea of where we need to be in March. Bluefield and Wyoming East will be contenders for the AA title.”

 If the Eagles (9-3) are able to top the Warriors, they’ll play the Class AA championship contest on Saturday at 2 p.m. against the winner of Monday’s matchup between No. 1 Bluefield and No. 10 Westside.

The two losing teams from those games will meet in the AA consolation on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

While the veteran RCB coach is excited his team has the opportunity to go up against quality competition from out of the area, he was admittedly concerned about battling Wyoming East without having played a game over the last 11 days.

RCB’s last outing was a convincing win over East Fairmont on Jan. 17, while the matchup at Preston originally slated for Jan. 24 was postponed due to inclement weather.

“Not having played for almost two weeks isn’t good,” Bennett said. “We were hoping to get the (Preston) game in, but there’s not much we can do about that. Practices were OK for the last week, but you could tell our kids were ready to play. This time of the year they’re not used to that many practices without a game.”

Meanwhile, the Minutemen (8-5) will battle Woodrow Wilson on Friday at 9 p.m. in one of four AAA matchups.

“You’ve got the regular season and your tournament season,” Lewis coach Charles Simms said. “That’s one of the reasons we include the Classic on there. I’ve tried to beef the schedule up with some AAA schools.

“I want to do more of it next year, because even though we’re only I think six kids above the AA line, when you play with the big boys, you’ve got to go play them. You can’t sit back and play all AA and A schools, have an 18-2 season and then get blown out in the tournament.”

The other AAA contests pit No. 2 Morgantown against Hampshire, Musselman against No. 7 Parkersburg South and No.4 Greenbrier East against Point Pleasant.

Depending on how the Minutemen fare against the Flying Eagles, they will meet the winner or loser of Hampshire and Morgantown on Saturday. The consolation takes place at 10:40 a.m., while the championship is at 7:20 p.m.

“It’s a preview to tournaments for sectionals and regional play.” Simms said.

Fairmont Senior was a part of the Classic last season, and its coach, David Retton, thought the Polar Bears greatly benefited from it.

“It was a great experience for kids to be together, to go down there and see the caliber of competition that you say, ‘These teams you may see down the road’, and ‘Where do we stand and what do we need to work on? How do we fit in that picture of being one of the top teams?’ You build from the experience, you come back and you go forward,” Retton said.

This year’s Class A boys games feature Tygarts Valley taking on No. 8 Valley Fayette on Monday at 9 p.m., and No. 10 Greenbrier West battling Moorefield on Tuesday at 7:20 p.m.

In addition, four girls contests will be held on Friday. They include: Parkersburg South against No. 3 Nicholas County; No. 9 Preston vs. No. 10 George Washington; No. 1 Greenbrier East vs. Saint Albans; and No. 2 University vs. No. 1 Westside.

A marquee national boys game between two of the most storied programs in the country in Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and Montrose Christian (Md.) tips off Wednesday at 7:20 p.m.

The guest speaker at tonight’s opening banquet is Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who is replacing Washington Redskins signal caller Robert Griffin III.

Griffin III was advised not to fly after tearing ligaments in his knee in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Newton will join an impressive list of guest speakers for the BAC, which includes last year’s speaker, Shaquille O’Neal, along with Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Terry Bradshaw and Tim Tebow.

Assistant Sports Editor Greg Carey can be reached at 304-626-1444 or by email at gcarey@exponent-telegram.com