Poca coach Seth Ramsey applauds his players as they come off the field during a high school football game against Buffalo, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Poca.
Huntington's Tayveon Wilson carries the ball as Hurricane's TyShawn Dues (0), Noah Vellaithambi (7) and Joey Quijano (33) try to bring him down during a high school football game in 2024.
Excitement looms in the Kanawha Valley and beyond as the high school football season approaches, with opening night taking place on Thursday, Aug. 28.
As I went out on my second annual tour of the Tri-State and saw teams firsthand, I started developing thoughts about each.
It's going to be an exciting season once again here and beyond, with only eight spots available for teams to compete for state titles Dec. 5 and 6 in Charleston.
I normally like to do midseason superlatives for teams, but I wanted to shake it up this year by giving my take on a few preseason superlatives for teams in the Tri-State.
Hungriest: Capital, Winfield
The Cougars are coming off a 3-7 season under coach Jon Carpenter, who returned to the University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field sideline after three seasons away.
Capital started the year by winning two of its first three games before winning just once the rest of the season, with the third coming in its season finale.
The Cougars welcome back a strong core of players, and it starts with running back David Robinson Jr.
Robinson closed his sophomore campaign with 179 carries for 1,322 yards and 18 touchdowns.
This is an energized and hungry Capital team that will play in Class AAA this season.
The Generals finished last season 4-6, the first losing season in the Eddie Smolder era and Winfield's first since 2020.
Winfield, like GW, lost senior productivity in Easton Pinkerton and Jake Kimble. The Generals also lost Aiden Hernandez and Chris Radcliffe to transfer.
Winfield’s Jared Miller (8) carries the ball as Lewis County’s Alex Goodwin closes in for the stop during a high school football game in 2023.
Gazette-Mail file
Smolder, who is entering his fourth year in charge, will look for players like Jared Miller, Gannon Boggs and Aiden Tate to fill the holes for those who are no longer at Winfield.
The Generals want to get back to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons.
Most likely to surprise: Poca
Seth Ramsey is entering his 10th season as the leader of the Dots.
The Dots have posted a record of 9-21 in the last three seasons, including a 4-6 mark in 2024. Poca was a win or so away from qualifying for the Class AA playoffs.
Poca coach Seth Ramsey applauds his players as they come off the field during a high school football game against Buffalo, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Poca.
Gazette-Mail file
Poca fielded a team last season that saw some inexperience and youth, with the injury bug catching the Dots at the wrong time. That bug derailed any kind of momentum during the course of the season for Poca.
When speaking with Ramsey, he seemed confident in what he has coming back with players like Corey Cook, Spencer Jones and Jackson McClanahan.
Poca's schedule isn't the easiest, as the Dots will play five teams that qualified for the playoffs last season, with four of the five coming in their final five games.
Most upside: Herbert Hoover
The Huskies are coming off their best season ever, winning 13 games and reaching the Class AAA state title game.
That was the second time in three seasons that the Huskies have reached the championship round.
Herbert Hoover, like a few teams already mentioned, said goodbye to key playmakers, especially quarterback Dane Hatfield, who seemed to be at Hoover for at least 10 years. Hatfield totaled more than 12,700 yards of offense in his prep career.
Sixth-year coach Joey Fields will lean on Capital transfer Peyton Grigsby to be the signal-caller for the Huskies. Hoover will also look to athlete Blake Fisher and lineman Mighty Lopez as other cornerstones toward success.
The Huskies remain open-minded about the upcoming season despite losing key players during the offseason.
Likely champs: Nitro, Huntington
The Wildcats and Highlanders both saw success in 2024, each posting at least 10 wins. Nitro's 10 victories last season marked its most since 2006.
Huntington was a game away from competing for a state title, falling to eventual champion Martinsburg, 35-34, in the Class AAAA state semifinals.
Huntington's Tayveon Wilson carries the ball as Hurricane's TyShawn Dues (0), Noah Vellaithambi (7) and Joey Quijano (33) try to bring him down during a high school football game in 2024.
Gazette-Mail file
Huntington coach Billy Seals welcomed back Mason Ramsey, Clemson commit Tayveon Wilson and Jamari Tubbs.
Nitro lost quarterback Josh Moody and running back Eli Littlejohn, but the Wildcats bring back wideout Malachi Thompson and welcome lineman Da'Ron Parks.
Classes AAA and AAAA are both stacked from top to bottom. But expect both Nitro and Huntington to post key wins throughout the season that could piece together memorable campaigns ending in Charleston.
Taylor Kennedy covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-7935 or tkennedy@hdmediallc.com. Follow  on Twitter.
