Martinsburg Football 2026 Preview, Players and Schedule | Top 25 Public HSFB
Series
2026 Teams to Know Season Preview: No. 64 Martinsburg (WV)
Martinsburg returns 13 starters from an 11-3 state runner-up team and remains built for another December run.
Top 25 Public HSFB8/25/20266 min read
Martinsburg reached another West Virginia state championship game in 2025, but Morgantown ended the run 28-21. The Bulldogs finished 11-3, and the standard inside this program remains as demanding as ever.
Seven offensive starters and six defensive starters return for David Walker. Boston Todd, Ty Ricketts, Kingston McDonald-Gibson, Brian Dick and Zion Reaves give the Bulldogs enough continuity to enter 2026 expecting another December game.
Team Snapshot
Team: Martinsburg Bulldogs
Location: Martinsburg, West Virginia
Head Coach: David Walker
2025 Record: 11-3
2025 Finish: WVSSAC Class AAAA state runner-up
Returning Starters: 7 offense, 6 defense
T25PS Ranking: No. 64
The Standard Is Another Final
Martinsburg has reached this point too often to confuse experience with entitlement. The returning starters know how quickly a championship game can turn on a giveaway, or one lost possession. The value of last year's run is that the current group has already felt those margins.
Todd, Ricketts, McDonald-Gibson, Dick and Reaves give Walker a core that already understands the program's December standard. The Bulldogs do not need one player to replace the entire senior class; they need those leaders to make the new starters look comfortable.
I would watch how Martinsburg handles pressure rather than how many points it scores against overmatched opponents. The program will be judged in the late rounds, and the returning 13 have to make the decisive possessions cleaner than they were in the final.
Your team. Your state. Your T25PS.
Make the national coverage more personal.
Save your home state and favorite team, then choose whether to receive major rankings and coverage updates. The account is free.
Todd is the player every defense has to find before the ball is snapped. He surpassed 1,200 receiving yards and scored more than 20 offensive touchdowns last season while also contributing at defensive back and in the return game. The first-team Class AAAA all-state selection now holds a Division I offer from Morgan State and can change a game with one touch.
Ty Ricketts, RB/WR/DB, Senior
Ricketts may be Martinsburg’s most complete football player. The three-year starter scored eight touchdowns last season and can run, catch, block, cover, tackle and contribute on special teams. An honorable-mention Class AAAA all-state selection with an offer from Glenville State, Ricketts gives Martinsburg an experienced senior who can be moved wherever the game needs him most.
Kingston McDonald-Gibson, RB/DB, Senior
McDonald-Gibson emerged as one of West Virginia’s most explosive backs last season, producing 970 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on only 69 offensive touches. He followed that breakout year with a 4.51-second 40-yard dash during the offseason and earned his first college offer from West Virginia Wesleyan. Give him a crease and he can change a drive in one play.
Brian Dick, QB/OLB, Senior
Dick produced more than 3,200 yards of total offense and over 40 touchdowns in his first season leading the offense. That earned him first-team Class AAAA all-state recognition as a utility player. His power as a runner already forces defenses to account for the quarterback on every snap, and his development as a passer should make that decision even harder in 2026. Glenville State has offered him.
Zion Reaves, OL/DL, Senior
Reaves becomes even more important after Martinsburg graduated two first-team all-state linemen. He brings quick feet, strong hands and the leverage to win inside on either side of the ball, giving the Bulldogs an experienced piece while the rest of the front settles into place. Reaves also enters his senior season with an offer from Glenville State.
Newcomers to Follow
Zane Wipf, WR/DB, Senior
Wipf arrives from Spring Mills with proof that he can produce against Class AAAA competition. He caught eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against University last season, then posted a 4.65-second 40 and a 4.45 shuttle during the offseason. With offers from Glenville State and West Virginia State, Wipf is capable of helping Martinsburg immediately on either side of the ball.
Noah Hockman, OL/DL, Senior
Hockman is immediate help up front. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound transfer from Jefferson earned second-team Class AAAA all-state honors on the offensive line last season and enters Martinsburg with offers from California (Pa.) and Glenville State. That combination of size and varsity experience is exactly what the Bulldogs need after losing two all-state linemen.
Aubree Burrell, QB/WR, Junior
Burrell comes over from Hedgesville as a 6-foot-4, 190-pound athlete with varsity experience at quarterback and the length to help at receiver. Martinsburg does not need Burrell to carry the offense with Dick returning, but that flexibility gives the Bulldogs another matchup option while Burrell continues developing into a larger role.
Evan Hockman, OL/DL, Sophomore
Hockman was on Jefferson’s junior varsity roster last season and now enters Martinsburg’s program as a class-of-2029 two-way lineman. He already lists at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, giving the Bulldogs a young body with varsity size. He remains a developmental player, but Martinsburg can begin preparing him now instead of waiting until he becomes an upperclassman.
Schedule Breakdown
The first major measuring stick comes Sept. 4 at defending Class AAA champion Bridgeport. Canisius brings another interstate test two weeks later, and the regular season closes against Canada’s Huron Heights before the postseason begins.
Inside West Virginia, road dates with Morgantown, Washington and Spring Mills will demand consistency. The Oct. 9 trip to Morgantown is the rematch everyone will circle, but Martinsburg cannot let one opponent become the entire season.
Complete 2026 Schedule
Aug. 27: Hedgesville
Sept. 4: at Bridgeport
Sept. 19: Canisius (N.Y.)
Sept. 25: at Jefferson
Oct. 2: Musselman
Oct. 9: at Morgantown
Oct. 16: at Washington
Oct. 23: at Spring Mills
Oct. 30: Huron Heights (Oh! Canada)
Biggest Question
Can Martinsburg's returning core turn the lessons of the 2025 final into a cleaner championship game?
Getting back is only part of the job. The Bulldogs need the 13 returning starters to protect possessions, handle momentum and keep the new lineup composed when the opponent can answer. That is where last year's pain becomes useful without becoming a slogan.
Bottom Line
Martinsburg remains a West Virginia championship favorite. Thirteen starters return from an 11-3 state runner-up team, and the roster points to another deep run. The standard is not reaching December. It is finishing it.
MISTER F00TBALL's National High School Football Composite Rankings, partnered with and powered by Prep Gridiron Logistics, the only rankings to include every national poll and every team receiving a Top 25 vote.
I have this team running the table and winning the AAAA championship. I do think however that Huron Heights team can end up being the biggest test of the regular season. That's a good squad and the placement of the game is one that can lead to overlooking the opponent. They need to be careful with some complicacy heading into that week.
Want to put your company in front of high school football audiences nationally, in Western Pennsylvania or across Georgia? Email alex@t25ps.com to discuss T25PS sponsorship and advertising opportunities with partnered brands.
