Wil Schoonover spent the better part of his last two football seasons at Moorefield High School doing what many star West Virginia high school football players do.
Schoonover, who was a two-time Class A All-State selection as a linebacker then was named the All-State captain for his work at running back in 2015 while leading the Yellow Jackets to their first playoff semifinal appearance since 2003, visited numerous colleges at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) levels, getting significant interest at both.
He switched positions from linebacker to strong safety in an effort to show prospective college coaches his ability to play in the secondary. He waited, received an invitation to walk on at West Virginia and, less than a week before signing day, announced that he would, instead, accept a scholarship to play at Glenville State.
"I like the small town too, because it reminded me of home: small, fans that care and a good neighborhood," Schoonover said when asked what factors went into his decision.
He said it wasn't easy, however, to turn down WVU.
"The hardest decision was turning down WVU because that was my dream growing up and always having that vision of coming out of the tunnel holding the Flying WV flag," he said.
Schoonover is one of a growing list of the state's top players who are shunning schools at the Division I level to play Division II football, and specifically in the Mountain East Conference. While Wednesday will be highlighted by blue-chip recruits donning baseball caps embroidered with the logos of their new home schools, most MEC schools will see their recruiting class lists form gradually. The trend of D2 schools who catch players who fall through the cracks is a long-established one.
That might be changing, however. South Charleston running back Brayden Underwood has already made it known he will play at the University of Charleston, while Nitro's Collin Beckner will move on to play at West Virginia State.
Although not an MEC school, Gannon University got a pair of commitments from Wheeling Park standouts Jamez Coles (wide receiver) and Clay McDonald (linebacker) last week. George Washington quarterback Kaleb Mackey and Man quarterback J.T. Keffer both took visits to Glenville in recent weeks, and Keffer announced his commmitment to the Pioneers on Tuesday. Cabell Midland quarterback Tyler Brown tweeted his intention to play at West Virginia State on Tuesday afternoon.
Wheeling Park defensive tackle Richard Blackwell committed to West Liberty on Monday night. He'll be joined there by Magnolia All-State defensive end Kyle Ritz, who committed to play for the Hilltoppers last week.
"I went to a few camps over the summer of a couple of pretty good MEC teams and I saw some of the guys and I was like, 'Wow,' " said Ritz, who led Magnolia to its third state title in December.
"Anyone who knocks D2 athletics doesn't know what they are talking about," Ritz said. "By then I had a pretty good clue I would like to play in the MEC because all of the teams are so competitive, my family and friends could attend and the conference is constantly progressing, getting more competitive every year."
Ritz has a point. Concord reached the Division 2 playoff semifinals in 2014 and Shepherd reached the national championship game last season.
Schoonover said the personal treatment he received at Glenville was an important reason in his decision, and that "homestyle" feeling is attractive to many West Virginia student-athletes.
"The coaching staff is great, they treated me like their own," Schoonover said. "Eric Smith [Glenville's offensive coordinator] recruited me and now we're best buds."
The Moorefield star added a more practical reason for his own decision to stay in state and play on scholarship.
"I couldn't turn down a free education and not having to pay off any loans after I graduate," he said.