HS Football: The Golden Shovel adds a special element to the Wyoming County football rivalry

Westside owns the series edge and has won the last three gridiron clashes over Wyoming East

Note: A special thanks to Dr. Michael Moore, DDS and Kevin Grogg for the story details. Also a shout out to Wyoming County legend Jim Cook for allowing me to use his photos which are always first class. Check out his Facebook page.

Wyoming County has never been short on sports rivalries.

As a result of consolidation, some of the classic battles between Mullens and Pineville, along with Baileysville and Oceana are now memories of the past.

However, unlike some of the other counties around the Mountain State where consolidation has killed the great competitive traditions, the county showdowns between Wyoming East and Westside still remain true to those old inter-county rivalries.

While none of those battles really need any extra sauce on the spaghetti, in football, there is more than just pride on the line.

Inspired largely by Oceana dentist, Dr. Michael Moore, DDS, the gridiron showdown each year is played for "The Golden Shovel."

"It is awesome tradition and one that is kind of born, in a way, out of something in my past as a kid," Moore said.

Ironically, Moore had never been to Wyoming County until he met his future wife in Dental school, who was from Oceana. After attending an Oceana and Baileysville basketball game, Moore was hooked and knew he wanted to live in Wyoming County.

At the time, Moore never dreamed he would be a key proponent of a new football tradition.

The story of the coveted "Golden Shovel" started in Jackson County, where Moore's father was a head coach.

"My family and (former Wyoming East head football coach) Kevin Grogg's family go way back," Moore said. "My dad and Kevin's uncle, Corky Griffith, who was also my godfather, went to college together and coached together. My dad was a football coach and Corky was the assistant coach at Ripley for several years when I was little. Those two teams play in "The Hatchet Game" which is one of the longest rivalries in West Virginia between Ravenswood and Ripley. They have a hatchet that goes to the winner."

After moving to Oceana, Moore started helping broadcast high school sports in the county on WKQR, Classic 92, working with Brian Stafford. When Westside High School opened (2002), leaving Wyoming County with just two high schools, the fond memories of Moore's childhood resurfaced.

"Brian and I started talking about it and thought it would be great if the radio station could sponsor a game like the Hatchet Bowl. We talked to (one of the owners of the station) Mike (Muscari) and he said they already had something planned," Moore recalled. "The name of the game was going to be called "The Classic Bowl" and every year there would be a great big trophy and they would hand it out at the end of the game."

One year later, Moore's idea was reborn when the radio station went through some ownership changes and the format went from classic rock to an adult hits format.

With The Classic Bowl now scrapped, Moore moved forward with his original idea. The problem was, Moore found out about the changes only a week before the annual Wyoming County clash.

"I spoke with Brian about The Hatchet Game idea and he went up to Oceana Lumber to see what they had," Moore said. "We were thinking of something like a coal pickaxe. He called me back and said they didn't have a pickaxe, but they had some coal shovels. He buys a No. 4 coal shovel and brings it to my office on a Tuesday with the game being played that Friday."

"It was just a plain coal shovel with the No. 4 on the handle," Moore continued. "Brian asked what are we going to call it and I said, we will call it "Old No. 4. Then Brian asked are we going to do something to it? I had a can of silver spray paint in my basement. We hung it up and painted it with silver spray paint. It was all we had."

Talking to the coaches before the game, both Silas Mullins (Westside) and Kevin Grogg (Wyoming East), were enthralled with the idea.

"I loved it because a lot of teams do that and play for something like that," Grogg said. "We thought it was really cool. Both schools consolidated at basically the same time and it was a new tradtion."

Westside won the game that night played at Mullens and received the new Old No. 4 trophy from Moore after the game.

"Over the next year, I talked to both coaches and explained the rule," Moore said. "Whoever wins the game gets to keep the shovel in their trophy case for the year. I will come to the school the week of the game and get it to hand out again at the game."

The final change to the appearance of the current Golden Shovel came prior to the second showdown (2004).

"Kevin Grogg calls me up and asks me, why is that shovel silver?," Moore said. "That is one of Westside's colors. I explained it was only silver because it was the only can of paint I had. Kevin said, how about we paint it gold? I told him I would paint it gold as soon as I got my hands on it."

"It was gold the next year and then it really started to take off. I got Beam Enterprises, which was a business here in Oceana, to make two little plaques, a black and white one that says Westside Renegades and a green one that says Wyoming East Warriors and I put them on there. That is how it became what it is now."

The Renegades claimed the Golden Shovel the first three season, before the Warriors answered with two wins.The Renegades then won five straight.

Overall, Westside now owns a 14-8 edge over its county rival in the big game, including the last three years in a row.

This year the game is in New Richmond on Friday, August 29.