Woodrow state champion Bishop moving to the next level

Woodrow Wilson soccer standout A.J. Bishop has played soccer as long as he can remember.

Like any young player growing up, Bishop dreamed of winning a state championship and taking his game to the collegiate level one day.

Bishop's dreams came true during his senior year of high school.

After being a key player in the Class AAA state championship run back in November for the Flying Eagles, Friday afternoon Bishop signed a National Letter of Intent to play soccer for Washington and Jefferson College.

"I am excited. I'm going where the Bell twins (Cooper and Aiden) went, so I am excited to play with them," Bishop said. "I have already talked to a lot of the guys there and they seem really cool. The coach (Ian McDonald) is awesome. I am just excited to continue to play. It is a dream come true."

The journey for Bishop has not been easy by any means. An injury stopped him from playing his freshman season and his dreams were nearly derailed before his senior season kicked off.

"He was in a pretty bad car accident to start the of the season," Woodrow boys soccer head coach Steve Laraba said. "Due to the injuries he wasn't in our first 11 players for four or five games. As we got him back healthy physically and psychologically, with everything in line, he was part of the first 11 all season long."

Although his senior campaign started slow, it finished with a huge bang with Bishop in the mix on both game winning plays at the state soccer at Paul Cline Stadium in Beckley.

In the semifinal match that needed two overtime periods to determine a winner, Bishop's goal lifted the Flying Eagles past Wheeling Park and into the title match for the first time since 2010.

Bishop made a pass to fellow senior Michael Fayiah late in the match. Fayiah returned a beautiful pass to Bishop between the Wheeling Park defenders. Bishop scored the golden goal for a 3-2 win for the Flying Eagles.

Photo courtesy of Tina Laney Photography

Remarkably, the dramatic semifinal finish paled in comparison to the finish of the championship match.

With seven seconds to play in regulation time, in a wild sequence, Bishop delivered the game-winning assist to Hagen Hall.

Hall’s game winner came with 3.8 seconds left and gave the Flying Eagles a 2-1 lead, securing Beckley’s first soccer title since 2010.

"In the championship he understood how much times was left," Woodrow Wilson boys soccer head coach Steve Laraba said. "He got the ball boys attention and played it right back in. He made that pass with purpose. He had a fantastic senior season."

Friday afternoon, the lobby was full of family, coaches, teammates and friends. Often times, the true impact of a player's career is best told through the words of those players they go to battle with.

His teammates also offered some interesting facts about Bishop.

Teammate Coby Dillon spoke first about his teammate. Dillon was named the 2024 State Soccer Player of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association

"A.J. is a great teammate on and off the field. I couldn't be more proud of him and he really deserves it," Dillon said. "We have played together from like sixth or seventh grade. We played at Park (Middle School). He use to be a goalie, actually. He played goalie for one year and the next thing you know he has the game winning assist in the championship game."

The recipient of the historic championship pass, Hagen Hall, was also on hand Friday.

"A.J. always keeps a good mood in practices and at games. Even when we were down, he kept us going," Hall said. "He has a great attitude and he really pushes us. He is a really, really good player. He deserves all has achieved and I am really proud of him."

Tyler Snyder, along with Fayiah and Bishop were the senior captains during the historic championship run. Snyder added his thoughts on Bishop as well.

"He is a great teammate. I am ready to see good things from him. I am hoping he can go (Division I) potentially in maybe two years," Snyder said. "Jefferson and Washington is a great school. He did it. He has worked his butt off for this is. Really glad to have him his senior year."

Fayiah shared his thoughts Friday about Bishop and the game winning sequence in the semifinal match.

"My boy A.J., he is just like really good. Very smart on the pitch. He likes to get his teammates involves and he takes action," Fayiah said. "We kinda have that connection. I just felt it and it clicked. When your team is so close like that and the captains are so close, everything is much easier to just go for it."

Laraba talked about Bishop's contributions to the team and the characteristics that have made Bishop successful.

"A.J. is a great young man," Laraba said. "He has the ability to understand when it is time to be serious, but also be lighthearted and keep teammates not stressed out about stuff. He is a great guy to have in the locker room and the practice field. He is a gamer."

"He is a player that when something needs done, he steps up and makes it happen," Laraba went on to say. "He has has the heart and desire. Everybody talks about the semifinal and state championship game, but he hit an absolute banger against Huntington. He hit it with about 30-40 seconds left to give us a big comeback win on the road. It wasn't an easy shot."