Herbert Hoover’s Sam Kee (3) catches a pass while Wayne’s Fisher Fry (12) and Wyatt Brown (5) defend during a high school football game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at Herbert Hoover High School in Elkview.
Herbert Hoover’s Sam Kee (3) catches a pass while Wayne’s Fisher Fry (12) and Wyatt Brown (5) defend during a high school football game Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, at Herbert Hoover High School in Elkview.
Scott Abbott | For the Gazette-Mail
Herbert Hoover’s Sam Kee tries for an interception during a high school football playoff game against Elkins on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, in Elkview.
Herbert Hoover’s offense this season has seen different players step up at key moments. That’s gotten the Huskies to 12-0 and one win away from the Class AAA state title game.
Quarterback Dane Hatfield and utility back Blake Fisher have been Hoover’s focal points this season.
However, when Hatfield needs to find a target downfield, his top target has been junior wideout Sam Kee.
Kee has posted 27 catches for 483 yards and a team-high six touchdowns.
“Sam’s become a leader in our locker room,†Herbert Hoover coach Joey Fields said. “No one practices harder. No one’s more focused. He is the smartest football player on our team. This is a kid that’s only played two and a half seasons. My main thing was getting him out to play football.
“I knew who his family was. I knew he was going to hear the right things at home with the way he was raised and held him accountable. That’s who he is.â€
Kee, like Fields, has seen himself become more and more of the leader Hoover has wanted him to be.
“Coach Fields always says that his best players are the best people,†Kee said. “He’s not just making football players. He’s trying to make great people. I may not be athletically gifted as the others, but I can be a good person, to be a leader, with that and my attitude.
“I know if I just have a good effort and attitude, hopefully, other people buy into it and keep it rolling.â€
Kee started playing football as a freshman. The now-junior wide receiver has also excelled in basketball and baseball, but he hadn’t served as much of a leader before this season.
“Last year, I wasn’t as much of a leader and what I needed to be at some points,†Kee said. “We didn’t have as many leaders as we should have. We didn’t have people buying in. This year, everyone has stepped up in a huge way. That’s carried on to everyone, from the starters to the players on the sidelines.â€
Kee’s game has continued to take strides in each of the last three seasons.
He has felt more and more comfortable in his game, despite not having as much experience as others.
“The coaching staff and players have really taught me the game and how it’s supposed to be played,†Kee said. “I’ve definitely learned more football and understand not [only] what I’m supposed to be doing but why I’m doing it. I’ve gotten stronger. One of the things I try to do is hold myself accountable in blocking for my teammates.
“Coach Fields wants someone to go out there and play the same on every single play. Coach Fields has done a great job in using me to my skill set and what I’m good at. He puts me in places that help me succeed.â€
Fields has seen Kee’s game grow as much as anyone around the Husky program.
The Hoover coach believes what’s made the junior receiver effective is who he is off the field.
“For him, it’s what’s between his ears,†Fields said. “This is a kid that will go on to be a doctor or whatever he wants to be. Nothing is too big for him. Moments aren’t big for him. This is a kid that’ll sweep our locker room. He’s the first one in and last one out. It rubs off on his teammates.
“They know they can count on him, and you see it in big games.â€
Herbert Hoover is one victory away from qualifying for the Class AAA state final.
The undefeated Huskies will travel to top-seeded Princeton on Friday evening for the state semifinals.
Kee credits Hoover’s internal camaraderie as a catalyst for its success this season.
“There’s definitely a brotherhood there,†Kee said. “I don’t think anyone on this team has been this close, and we all want to see each other succeed. We’re playing every play for one another. It doesn’t matter who’s getting the ball. We’re trying to do our best all the time and doing our job because we know the guys with us is going to do theirs.
“We’re very close inside and outside the locker room. We’re always together having fun and thinking about football.â€
