BUFFALO -- High school football at Buffalo is getting a fresh start and a new look under new coach Andy Anderson, who is looking to build on the steps the Bison took last season.
A former George Washington assistant under Steve Edwards Jr., Anderson is leading a program for the first time in his career and is following in the footsteps of former Buffalo coach Bob Mullett, who laid the groundwork for the new staff and a stable of good players who seek to turn things around in Putnam County.
Anderson brought with him as assistant coaches Scott Tinsley, Josh Culbertson, John Sowards, Joe Eary and Scott Marcum, who is Buffalo’s wrestling coach and the lone holdover from Mullett’s staff.
Tinsley, the offensive coordinator, is putting in changes Anderson said will be different than what fans and opponents are used to seeing from the Bison, who enter their 100th season, the coach said.
“Coach Tinsley’s offenses tend to be wide-open,†Anderson said. “We’ll definitely throw a lot more. Some of the old system has correlated to what we’re doing. [The players] have been very accepting. They’ve seen improvements. We’re very much making it ours.â€
Anderson is encouraged by the early results he’s seen from Buffalo, which took second place at West Virginia State’s 7-on-7 competition this summer. The Bison also won a similar event at Sissonville.
From those competitions, senior Hunter Rutan has emerged as Buffalo’s quarterback for the campaign. He replaces Caiden Craig, who took the bulk of the snaps last season, completing 47 of 97 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns.
Craig was also second on the Bison in rushing yards with 637 on 70 carries with eight of the team’s 15 rushing scores in 2024.
Rutan shifts under center from the receiver position he had last season.
Behind Rutan, Anderson said Buffalo will take a running back-by-committee approach. That committee will be junior Grant Weaver, who Anderson said will get a lot of the carries. However, as a slot receiver too, he will share carries with Grant Webb, who will also see time in the slot.
Weaver had 11 receptions last season for Buffalo, tying him for the team lead with Cole Whittington, who graduated. The receiving corps will also consist of Nathan Harris, who returned to the Bison after a two-year absence and drew interest from both WVSU and ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä in 7-on-7s.
Freshmen Jeremiah Cottrell and Jake Cossin and sophomore Noah Randolph will also factor into pacing the Bison rushing attack. Some formations Buffalo runs, however, will have no tailback at all, Anderson said.
Senior Caleb Sizemore will join Weaver and Webb as receivers. A pair of seniors – Landyn Shaffer and Colton Adkins – will line up as tight ends or H-backs.
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In the trenches, the Bison may be at their strongest, with seniors Davey Sayne, Zack Lovejoy, Marc Riley and Calvin Davis joining sophomore BJ Saxton on the offensive line.
On defense, Riley – who led Buffalo with 90 tackles in 2024 – will drop back to linebacker and Rutan will rotate in on the defensive front.
“Changes we’ve made will put [Riley] in position to make plays,†Anderson said.
Helping Riley out at inside linebacker will be Cottrell, a player Anderson said has a nose for the football, along with Shaffer and Adkins, who will be outside. Wyatt Jacobs, returning to football after two years away from the sport, will add depth.
Webb, Weaver, Randolph and Harris will play in the defensive backfield.
On special teams, punting duties could also be handled by multiple players, Anderson said. Freshman Carson Shock has shown promise as a kicker, Anderson said.
“He’s good at anything he does,†Anderson said. “He’s good at guitar, fishing and he’s got a good leg.â€
Soccer is another thing at which Shock is good, and he will play for the Bison in that spot as well. Anderson said Shock will work on his distance as the season goes, but he is a weapon the coach is counting on to help Buffalo's red zone offense.
“I really don’t like to go for two all the time,†Anderson said.
Buffalo's 4-6 campaign in 2024 followed a winless season, and although there were key departures from the Bison, experienced players return for Anderson.
The Bison will be tested early in the season. Buffalo kicks off against Poca, then has Clay County. An open date will fall before Bison take on Tolsia. Liberty Raleigh marks the homecoming game on Sept. 26.
On the flip side, each of those games is at Buffalo. The Bison play five of their final six games on the road, with an Oct. 17 home date against Ravenswood to break up the travel.
Scheduling gave Anderson some early additional stress. Two teams Buffalo was slated to face – Huntington St. Joe and Van – were forced to cancel their seasons, leaving open dates. Tolsia fit one of those spots, with PikeView stepping up to fill the other in the last regular-season game.
