By Tom Bragg, For Lootpress.com
Gallery by Craig Allison
WINFIELD, W.Va. – Dane Hatfield was not going to let Friday’s game end the same way it did the first time his Herbert Hoover Huskies played Winfield.
In the first meeting in September during the regular season, the Generals sealed a close win with a late interception of Hatfield. On Friday in the postseason, it was the Hoover sophomore quarterback celebrating when the final whistle blew.
Hatfield and the Huskies got the ball down six points with 1:27 to play and marched down the field for a game-tying touchdown – a five-yard Hatfield pass to Jacob Burns. When Levi Paxton’s extra point went through the uprights with two seconds on the clock the No. 9 Huskies were on their way to a 27-26 upset of No. 1 Winfield in the Class AA state quarterfinals.
The win sends Hoover to the semifinal round of the playoffs, something prior to Friday the Huskies had not accomplished since 1994.
“So proud of our guys,” Hoover coach Joey Fields said. “This community deserves this. We fought through the whole season, and we told them, ‘The season is not over when you’re 0-2, it’s over in the first weekend in December.’ Now we have the opportunity to do that and practice on turkey day – something we haven’t done here since 1994.”
The game was a back and forth affair, but after Hatfield fumbled deep in Winfield territory and the Generals converted that turnover into a quick touchdown with less than two minutes to play for a 26-20 lead, the Huskies were in trouble.
Hatfield didn’t let it phase him. After two incompletions and a roughing the passer call put Hoover at its own 41, Hatfield found Burns for a 15-yard completion, then rattled two big runs to put the ball at the Winfield 14. A quick completion to Burns moved the ball to the five, where two plays later they would link up again for a touchdown that will be talked about for a long time along the Elk River.
“That’s what we talked about – that’s just his mentality,” Fields said of Hatfield. “It’s, ‘Hey, play the next play. Do your job and take it one play at a time.’ That’s what I’ve been saying since 2020 when I got here, and these kids believe in that. It’s a great group of kids.”
The first half of Friday’s game was owned by both defenses, and two of Class AA’s top scoring teams went into the locker room at halftime tied 7-7. Things opened up a bit in the second half, however, with Hatfield taking the Huskies down the field for a touchdown to Burns – his second of three receiving touchdowns Friday – on the opening drive of the third quarter. Winfield answered right away with a quick, seven play, 55 yard drive capped by a four-yard Bray Boggs touchdown run.
Hatfield and Hoover were back at it on their next drive, going 91 yards on five plays with Hatfield slipping through the middle of the Winfield defense on a quarterback keeper for a 35 yard touchdown run. Paxton’s extra point was blocked, but Hoover was back in the lead at 20-14.
Winfield drew even yet again on a 21 yard touchdown pass from Hayden Hinkle to Boggs early in the fourth quarter, but the Generals’ extra point attempt missed to keep the game tied at 20.
After the teams traded punts, Hoover got the ball at its own six yard line with not a lot of time left. Hatfield’s fumble on the first play of the drive set the Generals up deep in the Huskies’ half of the field and set the table for the fantastic finish.
The game was not without controversy, and it started early. Fields and Hoover took offense to comments made by Winfield coach Eddie Smolder this week, with Smolder telling the media he thought his team should have blown out the Huskies the first time they played.
Hoover took the field Friday as Winfield was warming up, and the two teams met near the sideline with lots of trash talk flying from both sides. Hoover players then stomped on the Winfield logo at midfield, which got members of both coaching staffs into the act of talking trash.
After the game was over, several Hoover players and coaches went near the Winfield sideline to celebrate and most of the team lingered on the field and took another turn at stomping on the Generals’ logo.
“[Smolder] said it should have been a blowout [in the first game], but that’s why there are four quarters like we just played,” Fields said. “He’s got a good team, and they should feel proud of themselves, but it’s a fight to get to the final four and I’m so proud of my team.”
Hatfield finished Friday’s game with 25 carries for 135 rushing yards while completing 8 of 18 pass attempts for 134 yards with three touchdowns – all caught by Burns, who totaled six receptions for 127 yards.
For Winfield, Boggs had 85 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while fellow senior Caden Beam ran for 40 yards on 13 carries.
Herbert Hoover will go on the road next week for its first semifinal appearance in nearly 30 years, it just doesn’t know where yet. The Huskies will face the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 4 Scott and No. 5 Frankfort.
HH 7 0 13 7 – 27
W 7 0 7 12 – 26
First quarter
HH – Jacob Burns 18 pass from Dane Hatfield (Levi Paxton kick)
W – K-Juan Pearson 16 pass from Brycen Brown (William Bradley kick)
Third quarter
HH – Burns 23 pass from Hatfield (Paxton kick)
W – Bray Boggs 4 run (Bradley kick)
HH – Hatfield 35 run (Paxton kick)
Fourth quarter
W – Boggs 21 pass from Hayden Hinkle (kick failed)
W – Boggs 1 run (2-point conversion failed)
HH – Burns 5 pass from Hatfield (Paxton kick)
Stats
Rushing: (HH) Hatfield 25-135-1, Randy Hughart 3-8; (W) Boggs 19-85-2, Caden Beam 13-40, Brycen Brown 7-32, Hayden Hinkle 5-31, K-Juan Pearson 2-(-3), Aiden Hernandez 1-0.
Passing:(HH) Hatfield 8-18-134-3-0; (W) Hinkle 2-4-55-0-0, Brown 1-2-16-1-0.
Receiving: (HH) Jacob Burns 7-127-3, Brayden Jones 1-7; (W) Toby Laugherty 1-34, Boggs 1-21-1, Pearson 1-16.