Under the leadership of Fred Simon, the state's longest-tenured head coach, the Bluefield Beavers are preparing for the 2025 season after a resilient 2024 campaign where they reached the Class AA quarterfinals and gave eventual champion Frankfort its most competitive playoff game. The offense ret...

Nathan Tanner takes over as the new head coach of the Princeton Tigers, returning to his Southern West Virginia roots after a successful six-year tenure at Parkersburg South that included a state runner-up finish. Tanner inherits an experienced and successful program, not one in transition, that ...

After a state runner-up finish in 2023, the Greenbrier West football team is focused on a major rebound for the 2025 season. An injury-riddled 2024 campaign led to a 5-5 record, snapping the school's five-year streak of playoff appearances. With a renewed emphasis on conditioning, the Cavaliers a...

The comparisons are easy to draw between the group of Independence Patriots that will take the field this fall to the one that brought the Class AA state championship trophy back to Coal City in 2022. Several seniors and multi-year starters are back for John H. Lilly's club. With four consecutive...

Under the leadership of head coach Davon Marion, the Oak Hill football program has seen a dramatic resurgence, culminating in a 10-win season last year and the school's first playoff victory since 2001. This success has raised expectations as the team now moves up to the state's Class AAAA divisi...

The Roane County High School football team is looking to build on their record-breaking 2024 season, where they went 13-1 and reached the Class AA championship game. The Raiders had a dominant playoff run at home, winning three games by at least 21 points each. Head coach Paul Burdette praised th...

In the midst of the best five-year run in program history, Herbert Hoover has posted a pair of undefeated regular seasons and clinched two state runner-up spots since Joey Fields was named head coach of the Huskies in 2020. Hoover won their first 13 games last fall before losing to Bridgeport in ...

In 2024, the Sherman Tide football team, under head coach Kevin Buzzard, had a successful season, finishing 8-2 and securing their first playoff win in six years before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by the eventual state champions. Although the team graduated a large and talented senior c...

After a promising 4-1 start to the 2024 season, the Wayne Pioneers football team, coached by Tom Harmon, saw their playoff hopes curtailed by a series of key injuries, finishing the year with a 6-5 record. Entering the new season, there's a renewed sense of optimism as many of those injured playe...

The Nitro Wildcats football team, under fifth-year head coach Boom McKinney, is looking to build on a successful 10-win season where they reached the Class AAA quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years. Despite losing their top passer and rusher, the team returns a significant portion of its r...

In each of the last four seasons, the Huntington Highlanders have faced off against the Martinsburg Bulldogs in the playoffs. Last season, the Highlanders' season ended with an 11-2 record, with both losses coming from Martinsburg, including a one-point defeat in the semifinal round. According to...

Following their deepest postseason run in a decade and a program-record 12 wins, the Tug Valley Panthers are aiming to build on their success from last season. The Panthers' 2023 campaign, which concluded with a loss to Cameron in the Class A semifinal, set a new standard for the team, according ...

In 2024, the Spring Valley Timberwolves extended their postseason appearance streak to 17 years, finishing with an 8-4 record and securing their first playoff victory in three years. Head coach Brad Dingess noted that last season's tough schedule and a change in classes helped give many players v...

Steve Edwards Jr. is beginning his 30th season as the head coach of the George Washington Patriots, a tenure that includes 22 postseason appearances. Last year, the team finished with a 7-4 record, losing a close first-round playoff game to Hurricane. Edwards Jr. acknowledges the challenge of rep...

Last season, Head Coach Kevin Whiteman led the Frankfort Falcons to their first state championship, achieving an undefeated 14-0 season with every win by 20 points or more. Despite losing five first-team All-State players from their large senior class, the team is optimistic due to the experience...

Wheeling Park High School, led by head coach Chris Daugherty, enters the upcoming football season with high expectations after a strong showing last year. Despite losing key players, the Patriots finished the regular season with a three-game winning streak, securing the No. 4 seed in the Class AA...

The Wheeling Central Catholic Maroon Knights football team is entering the season with a significant advantage in veteran players and returning starters, a stark contrast to their young squad from two years ago. After a 5-5 season in 2022 that saw them miss the postseason, the Maroon Knights rebo...

The Williamstown Yellowjackets football team is entering its preseason with a robust roster of nearly 50 players, a strong showing for a Class AA school, though three-quarters of them are underclassmen. Head coach Chris Beck acknowledges the challenge of filling the void left by four All-State se...

The Wahama White Falcons are gearing up to defend their Class A state championship title this fall, aiming to replicate their undefeated 2024 season, which was highlighted by a high-powered offense averaging 54 points per game. Coach James Toth and his players, including senior lineman Alijah Hic...