Fresh off a one game season in the spring of 2021, Head Coach Dave Walker and the Concord Mountain Lions are looking to start this season off on the right foot. Concord begins its 10-game regular season when they make the short trip up I-79 to take on the Glenville State Pioneers. Glenville State, led by Head Coach Mike Kellar is coming off a 0-4 2021 spring season. The Pioneers will look to spoil the Mountains Lions debut for the upcoming season. The game will be held on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, at Morris Stadium.
Head Coach Dave Walker is coming off a season where COVID-19 only allowed them to play one game, a 52-14 blowout victory over West Virginia Wesleyan. In that outing, Quarterback Jack Mangel had a record setting performance, tossing five touchdowns which ties the school record for passing scores in a game. Mangel, the 6-foot-2 junior out of Athens, Georgia is prime for a breakout season. Coach Walker expects the signal caller to be prepped and ready to lead his team.
“I believe offensively, we will go as far as Jack goes. I think he is one of the top guys in the conference,”
Dave Walker
Mangel will have some weapons on the offensive end, and one will be top returning receiver Tywan Pearce. Pearce, a 5-foot-8 graduate student from North Kissimmee, Florida, is looking to bring a lot of game experience into the locker room.
In his tenure at Concord, Pearce has put up impressive numbers and is tied for fourth on the all-time receptions list with 149. Coach Walker thinks Tywan is crucial for Concord’s success, saying:
“I really like Tywan, he provides a lot of leadership and experience, he is a guy who leads by example.”
Dave Walker
On the defensive side of the football, Concord is led by defensive coordinator Logan Williams. The Mountain Lions return linebacker Dwain Porterfield, who in 2019 led the team with 79 tackles and earned All-Mountain East Conference Honorable Mention despite missing two games with injury. Another key returner is linebacker Tylen Fowler, who in 2019 recorded 77 tackles with four tackles for loss.
Coach Walker is animated and hopeful to have a full season.
“I am excited, we have still had to deal with COVID, as far as the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated, overall, I feel pretty good where we are regards to COVID and the season,”
Dave Walker
Overall, everyone is ready to get football underway. Last season left a bitter taste in the mouth of first year Head Coach Dave Walker, along with many other programs who had their seasons cut short due to COVID-19. The NCAA, along with the MEC have worked tirelessly to ensure a safe and productive season. Concord is looking for a fresh start with the new season and relativity new head coach.
The excitement for football is in the air, and nobody is more excited than Coach Walker:
“I’m hoping we can have a normal year, just to have football, and to have fans in the stadium, our guys will be ready to play. It will be good to be back to normal.”
Dave Walker
by Seth Ross