The West Virginia football program has landed a commitment from Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College High 2025 spear Chris Fileppo.
Fileppo, 6-foot-3, 210-pounds, flipped his pledge to the Mountaineers from James Madison where he had been committed since April. The versatile athlete also held offers from Purdue, South Florida, Connecticut, Villanova, Monmouth and a number of others.
The Rivals.com two-star prospect received an offer from West Virginia in May and those efforts were spearheaded by secondary coach ShaDon Brown.
Fileppo made the trek to West Virginia over the weekend for an official visit and saw enough to end his recruitment by committing to the Mountaineers shortly after its conclusion.
Fileppo is set to play spear for West Virginia on defense, but also has the skill set where he could end up at free safety depending on how he continues to develop.
Fileppo represents the sixth commitment for West Virginia in the defensive backfield behind Tampa (Fla.) Gaither 2025 cornerback Serious Stinyard, Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork 2025 cornerback Elgin Sessions, Richmond (Va.) Trinity Episcopal 2025 defensive back Terrance “Deuce” Edwards, Lakeland (Fla.) 2025 defensive back Sammy Etienne and Huntington (W.Va.) 2025 safety Zah Jackson.
He is the 18th commitment overall.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Fileppo and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers football program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
Fileppo is a long rangy safety that has the frame to fill out even further. He is a sure tackler and has no reservations coming down into the box to spill ball carriers. He is equipped with the speed and athleticism to cover a lot of ground and his skill set is a good fit for what the program wants at the spear spot.
Fileppo plays both sides of the ball and creates separation as a wide receiver, showcasing his athleticism. He displays strong coverage skills and plays the game with a high IQ in the backend of the defense. He possesses good ball skills and shows the ability to track the football well to both make plays on it and deliver hits.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia continues to target versatility and length in the back end of the defense and Fileppo certainly possesses both of those traits. He has the size and skill set to move around to multiple positions but will likely start his career at either spear or possibly even the free safety spot.
This is a player that secondary coach ShaDon Brown targeted and was able to get him to campus in order to close the deal in his recruitment. The Mountaineers were also able to go into neighboring Pennsylvania to fill a need in the recruiting class and gives the program a safety that can move around to multiple positions.
Fileppo will step into a position where they will be seven scholarship players on the roster when he arrives on campus and with his ability to bounce around it opens doors for him to potentially challenge for early time.
Recruiting the position:
West Virginia has hit the defensive backs hard in this cycle and while there are options out there, expect the Mountaineers to be selective if there are any additional prospects added to the class.
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A 14-year-old boy from West Virginia was bitten by a shark as he was swimming at a beach in North Carolina.
Blayne Brown of Cabell County, West Virginia, was bit on the leg and ankle by a shark at Topsail Beach Access No. 4 in Pender County, North Carolina, on Sunday, The Herald-Dispatch reported. The boy was reportedly swimming in waist-deep water at around noon with a friend when he was bitten. Brown was about 30 or 40 feet away from the shore, the newspaper reported.
The newspaper reported that beachgoers helped provide medical attention to the teen before first responders arrived and took him to Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune.
“I didn’t know what it was,” he told The Herald-Dispatch. “I just felt something that hurt a lot.”
He underwent surgery and a specialist was brought in because the injury was more extensive than doctors originally thought, the newspaper reported.
Brown returned home to West Virginia on Tuesday, though his mother said he may need another surgery.
The Associated Press reported that there were 69 unprovoked shark bites worldwide last year, and 10 of those were fatal, according to the International Shark Attack File. That was higher than the recent average of six deaths per year.
LOGAN, WV (WOWK) — If you play “Fortnite,” chances are you’ve played on a map made in Logan County and one that has the same mountainous terrain.
PlayKigai is a fully remote global video game studio founded in Logan in January 2024.
Last month, the studio released a Fortnite map called “Dizzy Realistics,” where players can compete in a one-versus-one high-level training arena.
PlayKigai’s founders are industry veterans, including Aaron Chambers, a former employee at PlayStation and Twitch, and Simone Di Gravio, formerly of Epic Games.
Chambers is from Logan and graduated from West Virginia University. He says he moved back to Logan from California to be able to work on game development from the comfort of his home.
“A lot of people who want to be where they are, but don’t want to move to make something cool. That was the seed for something like PlayKigai. And we just ran with it,” Chambers said.
His co-founder and business partner, Simone Di Gravio, works out of Italy. He says it is his and Chambers’ dream that PlayKigai make their own video games from scratch.
“I really missed making a product that we can ship, and say I made this. I made it from start to end and I shipped it out,” said Di Gravio.
“I hope in a year or two, it won’t be just Fortnite maps,” Chambers said. “We’re starting with our strengths. In a year or two, we’ll be able to say we played lots of games made in Logan County, West Virginia.”
The studio’s next projects are also Fortnite maps, including “Backrooms Mansion” and “Ace Sniper.” The first is a horror/survival game where up to four players try to survive against waves of dark energy, and the second is a training map where players can test long-distance weapons.
By mid-to-late 2025, Chambers says they hope to be developing their own video games, in addition to their contract work.
BRUCETON MILLS, WV (WVNS) — Progress continues to be made on the first stargazing cabins in the Mountain State.
The stargazing cabins will be located at Coopers Rock State Forest and are estimated to open in fall 2024. Reservations for the cabins will begin to be accepted on August 1, 2024. Governor Justice visited Coopers Rock State Forest on Monday, June 24, 2024 to check on the progress on the cabins.
This is another exciting day for West Virginia with the addition of these incredible cabins. Coopers Rock State Forest is a gem within our state park system, and as we continue to draw visitors from around the world, it’s important that we maintain and enhance its amazing condition and reputation. This stunning park is among our most frequently visited, and the projects we’re working on here will further put this forest on the map.
Governor Jim Justice
The stargazing cabins are part of more than $200 million in improvements made to the West Virginia parks system under the leadership of Governor Justice.
There will be five A-frame stargazing cabins that will be found by the main ridge between Raven Rock and the main overlook, and there are plans to add seven more cabins in spring 2025.
The cabins will be set up to give guests a chance for unique stargazing opportunities using the telescopes in the cabins to look at some of the darkest skies on the East Coast.
It’s amazing to see these improvements coming to fruition at Coopers Rock State Forest. Gov. Justice has brought the West Virginia State Parks system to much higher levels with his vision and guidance. I’m looking forward to all of the new and returning visitors who will come to stay in the newly constructed cabins and at the campground once they’re ready.
Brett McMillion | Division of Natural Resources Director
Investments were made at 36 parks, nine forests and three rail trails throughout the Mountain State. Cacapon Resort State Park’s new lodge, creating two new state parks, new recreational facilities, hundreds of new campsites built or upgraded, systemwide infrastructure upgrades, and renovations at every lodge and cabin in the system will be included in the projects.
Since the investments were made, revenue grew significantly and visitation increased, which will allow for reinvestment in public lands in West Virginia.
We continue to see folks interested in unique lodging, and I’m thrilled to see our state’s first stargazing cabins nearing completion. The more than $200 million in improvements at our state parks system are paying dividends. A visit to any of our parks will show the incredible quality of our facilities and the popularity of our public lands. Our state parks system is a true gem, and we are forever grateful to the Governor for his continued commitment to ensuring our facilities the very best.
Chelsea Ruby | West Virginia Tourism Secretary of Tourism
More than $15 million in investments were made at Coopers Rock State Forest. Some of the improvements include the stargazing cabins, major water and wastewater treatment improvements, a new laundry and firewood facility, and a modern 25-site RV campground.
The contracts in the investments were awarded to companies and firms in West Virginia. The first five stargazing cabins and new campground to Wolfes Excavating in Clarksburg, the next seven cabins will be built by Zetti Contracting LLC in Morgantown, ZMM did the architectural work, and CEC completed the engineering.
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