A year ago, Rob Price couldn’t have imagined the path he’d be on today. The veteran high school football coach, who just wrapped up his first season as an assistant at St. Marys High School, now finds himself at the helm of Team West Virginia in the 30th annual Battle Against Cystic Fibrosis (BACF) All-Star Football Game.
The big game kicks off Friday night at St. Marys High School, but the journey here has been anything but ordinary for Price.
Last summer, while coaching Paden City High School at a 7-on-7 competition, he got a phone call that would change everything: Paden City High School was shutting down.
“In June of 2024, the Wetzel County Board of Education closed Paden for like four and a half weeks,” Price recalled. “I had to tell the kids at that 7-on-7 that their school was closed.
I had just been named Class 1A Coach of the Year, and suddenly, I was told I could go to Magnolia as an assistant. I had turned that program around, and then—just like that—I didn’t have a job.”
But opportunity came knocking when longtime St. Marys head coach Jodi Mote invited him to join his staff.
“Watching Coach Mote has been inspiring,” Price said. “His leadership and connection with players is something special.”
That leadership was tested again during the 2024 postseason. St. Marys had made the playoffs, only to find out just before kickoff that the pairings had been changed due to a series of legal injunctions.
“We were at Herbert Hoover High School, ready to play,” Price said. “The players were there, the officials had arrived, and the hot dogs were already made. Then we were told we weren’t in the bracket anymore. It’s been a rollercoaster.”
Through it all, Price has remained focused on coaching. His resume includes a standout 2023 season at Paden City, where he led the Wildcats to an 8-2 record and a school-best 430 points scored in a single season.
That team featured standout talents like running backs Joey Baker and Brayden Neff, as well as sophomore quarterback Kayden Myers—who will now reunite with Price on this year’s BACF West Virginia squad.
“We really leaned on relationships with our players,” Price said. “We were lucky to have great talent that bought into our system. Brayden rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 20-plus touchdowns. We knew how to move the football.”
Now firmly planted in the St. Marys community with a teaching position in Pleasants County Schools, Price feels grateful—but still has dreams of being a head coach again.
“In my heart, I’d love to run my own program again,” he said. “But I’ve learned so much from the staff at St. Marys. Coach Mote is a great mentor.”
For Friday’s game, Price will lead a 37-player roster packed with talent, including five first-team all-state players: Porter Goodwin, Brody Ewing, and Trevor Jones from Wirt County; Braiden Haught from Ritchie County; and Clay Walker from Roane County.
Price is also excited to coach Ryan Kent, a smart and poised quarterback from St. Marys.
“Ryan has an elite football IQ,” Price said. “There’s nothing he can’t handle mentally.”
The team gathered for a media day on Sunday, giving players and coaches a chance to bond before the big night.
“The BACF has been a new experience for me—this is my first time coaching an all-star game,” Price said. “Seeing everyone at media day really got us into football mode. I’m excited for Friday. It’s one more chance for these guys to play the game they love.”
