Herbert Hoover is the lone Kanawha County football program to appear in multiple state title games since the turn of the decade.
The Huskies are coming off their winningest season ever, with 13 victories.
Hoover made it to the Class AAA state title game before falling to Bridgeport, 49-7. Last season's championship game appearance was the Huskies' second in three seasons.
A large part of Hoover's success the last three seasons stemmed from its experienced players, with 12 seniors on the roster.
Herbert Hoover has since said good-bye to key players like quarterback Dane Hatfield and linemen Connor Facemire and Ethan Patrick.
"Our guys have worked really hard," sixth-year Hoover coach Joey Fields said. "We have a great group, probably the best attendance group we had in all of July, with 40-plus. That's great, because it means the kids are enjoying themselves and are excited about playing football."
Managing expectations, while trying to build toward the future, has been Fields' main point of emphasis during the offseason.
"We just tell the guys that it's one day at a time," Fields said. "What has been done can do no more for you or no more against you, good or bad. Last year's team is last year's team. Each team is different. That's the fun part about coaching, but there are also challenges with it.
"We'll be as good as this team wants us to be, because we have a lot of talent. But, is our locker room and the leadership there going to be the same as it was last year? That's the question."
Hatfield graduated from Herbert Hoover as one of the Huskies' most decorated players ever.
Hatfield, who signed with Northern Illinois University, left Hoover after recording more than 12,700 total yards and 170 touchdowns in his career.
He posted 4,009 yards and 54 touchdowns as a senior, which led to him being named the All-Kanawha Valley Player of the Year.
Herbert Hoover will turn to sophomore Peyton Grigsby (6-foot, 170 pounds), who transferred to Hoover from Capital.
"It's always hard when you replace a guy that's been here for 10 years," Fields jokingly said about Hatfield. "Peyton is as hard of a worker as I've been around. The kid loves football. He loves his teammates and is working really, really hard. I've seen him get better and better throughout the offseason, but his ceiling is high.
"It's high because of the choices he makes, because he loves football. I'm excited for what he can do in this offense."
Fields' face lit up when asked about the linemen on this year's roster, especially the offensive linemen, because he sees depth with that group.
Hoover welcomes back junior Mighty Lopez (6-1, 275), a member of the All-Kanawha Valley team last season as an offensive lineman.
"It starts with Mighty Lopez, who is a three-year starter returning," Fields said. "We've never had three guys back on the offensive line like we have this year. We normally had none to two. We got three, but we need to find two more, but more so four. Our offensive line is where we've had good depth the past few years.
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"A lot of guys can play from tackle to tackle. But, it does start with Mighty, because he's our leader and works hard."
Hoover's biggest offensive producer that returns this season is senior Blake Fisher (5-9, 175).
Fisher is coming off a productive junior season on both sides of the ball.
The now-senior finished with 957 rushing yards on offense in 2024, while recording 34 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
Fields is expecting a big season from the two-way weapon.
"He's just a football player," Fields said. "He could play for anybody. We're going to get our best players the ball. Obviously, he's our best player. We have to do a lot of things with him, not only on offense, but what we ask him to do defensively and special teams. Blake Fisher is a football player, and I [will] hate to see him graduate."
Fields said Hoover's wide receivers and defensive backs are two groups he's excited to see grow this season.
The wide receivers are led by Sam Kee (6-2, 180) and Aiden Hernandez (6-2, 180), a Winfield transfer.
"I like the growth of both those groups," Fields said. "Both did a great job during the summer. We put them, especially the defensive backs, in challenging situations against some matchups. We wanted to see how they would respond."
Fields also credited MyKell Taylor (5-9, 160) and Voss Duerenberger (6-1, 190) as two players who have caught his eye this off-season.
"MyKell can play any position offensively," Fields said. "It's because mentally he wants to be good. I'm excited about him. I'm also excited about Voss, our kicker. He's worked as hard as anybody I've ever been around in 18 years of coaching. He's changed his body, and he'll help us."
Herbert Hoover will play four of its first five games this season on the road, including its first two against Independence and Winfield.
The Huskies will meet five teams that qualified for the state playoffs last season, including a matchup in Mineral County on Oct. 24 against defending Class AA state champ Frankfort.
The Huskies were slated to scrimmage Martinsburg and Huntington in the preseason.
"Our schedule is always tough," Fields said. "It's always top-heavy, not to discredit any of those teams at the end. Our goal is to get better as the season goes on. In the past five years, we have done that. We think we have a great team. We're going to play some good teams and are excited about it.
"This schedule is as challenging as it's ever been."
Herbert Hoover will kick off the season on Friday against the Patriots in Raleigh County.
