Fairmont Senior's Dylan Ours, Sammy Viani to continue athletic careers in college

“There were a lot of different things going into it,” Ours said. “I felt most wanted there from the whole coaching staff and the whole program. It’s closer to home. My parents can come watch games on the weekends and I can come in for breaks.”

“I feel like the best four years I’m going to have is at Fairmont State,” Viani said. “It was the right fit for me.”

Both shared that the belief the coaches and schools showed in them went a long way in helping them make their decisions.

“They gave me a great offer and paid a lot of money for me to go to school and play football,” Ours said. “With the history they have at that program, I believe in them and what they’ve done.”

Viani will play for former West Virginia University standouts and in-state products Matt Yurish (Hedgesville) and David Carpenter (East Fairmont) at Fairmont State.

“It’s better to play for them because I know them personally,” Viani said. “Carpenter, I’ve known him for the past five or six years.”

A torn ACL and meniscus cost Viani his entire junior season and gave him perspective on the game. Fairmont State was his only college offer because of the injury.

“I appreciate it a lot more. It feels like I couldn’t have as much fun in my daily life without playing baseball,” Viani said. “It’s more enjoyable.”

Ours, who starred on all three sides of the ball for Fairmont Senior as a first-team all-state selection, will play middle linebacker, a position where he was a finalist for the statewide Howley Award as a senior, in college.

“I met with the whole coaching staff on both sides of the ball and they told me that they would take me on any side of the ball,” Ours said. “They gave me the choice.”

Ours also expects to play on special teams.

Viani will pitch and “maybe play in the field a little bit” for the Fighting Falcons and still has a high school year to get back into form.

He’s already got a no-hitter against a talented Cameron team under his belt.

“I’m working on my command and getting back into everything with my leg,” Viani said. “Hopefully, the next four years go well.”

Viani is in the middle of his senior campaign, but Ours is able to reflect on his in football, which ended with six touchdowns and a Class AA title at Wheeling Island Stadium.

“My senior season was a great year. I feel like this is one of the best teams we’ve ever had chemistry-wise. Not a single team I’ve played on has clicked like this one,” Ours said. “We had great athletes on teams before and this year we thought we were falling a little bit short, but even the guys that we didn’t think had it in them stepped up. Most of them have another year or two to play.”

Ours was the catalyst on offense, but it was Fairmont Senior’s defense, which stopped a 2-point conversion on the final play, that sealed the deal.

“It was an offensive battle,” Ours said. “It’s not like defense wasn’t playing, it’s just that the offenses were playing so great. The main thing that I can remember is, the very last timeout that they took…we got in the huddle and I remember telling the team, ‘Right now, right then, this is it. This is the last chance I’m going to have to win this game. This is the last chance I’ve going to have to play a high school football game and win a state championship.’

“We went out there and performed so well in stopping that 2-point conversion. It’s something that’s going to stick with me forever, for sure.”

This was a goal for Ours all along, but how it came about exceeded even his expectations.

“Coming in, I knew I was good at football. Never did I think I was solely going to be the player of the team, the one who is counted on to make the big plays in the big-time moments. My freshman year, I had Gage Michael in front of me, one of the best quarterbacks in the state, so playing on that team was working around Gage and trying to help him do as well as he can. The years after that, we still had great receivers and a great quarterback. Junior year came up and it was Jiggy (Germaine Lewis)’s senior year and we started worked me a little outside as receiver,” Ours said.

Ours was guided in the process by his father, former West Virginia fullback Wes, and his brother, Brady, who played at Robert Morris.

“They told me, ‘Pick where you want to go. It’s what you want to do.’ Every decision I had was completely up to me. They guided me towards things and took me away from certain things, but otherwise it was completely on me” Ours said.

Southern Utah, Shepherd and Fairmont State also showed interest in Ours.

Viani will team up with former Polar Bears like Gunner Riley and players from around the region.

“I have a bunch of local friends from Byrd and B-U and Lewis County,” Viani said.

Before he teams up with Eagles and Buccaneers and Minutemen, he’ll be trying to beat them, as he did on a run to the state championship game in 2022.

“We’ve had a lot of fun playing baseball and we’ve won a lot doing it,” Viani said.

Which leads into Viani’s goals for 2024: “I want to accomplish a state championship, first team all-state and Big 10 player of the year.”

Both Ours and Viani plan to major in business.