Oak Hill and Herbert Hoover have both compiled historic seasons on the gridiron during the 2024 campaign.
Friday night in Elkview, the two Class AAA powers meet at the crossroads of the state football playoffs with a semifinal berth lying in the balance.
The quarterfinal showdown between No. 5 Oak Hill and No. 4 Herbert Hoover will happen Friday night at 7 p.m. at Husky Stadium.
The Red Devils opened the playoffs this past Friday night with a win over Lewis County in weather that would make the big man at the North Pole shutter.
Shaking off a slow start, Oak Hill ripped off 20 straight points in a 27-6 win over the Minutemen. The triumph earned the first 10-win season for the Red Devils since 1950 and the first playoff win since 2001.
Hoover opened the playoffs Saturday with a regular season rematch against Elkins. After winning 56-7 in late October, the Huskies had no problems with the Tigers, leaving with a 49-7 thrashing.
It was the sixth playoff win for Hoover under head coach Joey Fields in just his fifth year as the Huskies head coach. The victory pushed Hoover’s record to 11-0 for the first time in school history.
While history will always view both seasons as a huge success, neither team is ready to put the helmets away just yet.
“That is the mentality coming into this week. Be happy, enjoy your first victory, but don’t be satisfied in it. I told the kids yesterday that we are eight quarters away from playing in the state championship game,” Oak Hill head coach Davon Marion. “You never know in your life when you will get a chance to be this close to a championship again. We are good with Friday’s performance. We celebrated over the weekend, but now it is time to get back to work.”
The Red Devils will have their hands full with the explosive and diverse Herbert Hoover offense when they make the trek to Kanawha County.
“The quarterback (Dane Hatfield) is one of the best players in the state. (Running back) Blake Fisher is no slouch either and they have some receivers that can go get the football,” Marion said. “They are big and physical up front. Coach Fields does a good job with that group. We have watched film since Sunday night and they do a lot. I told our defensive coaches that there is no way to game plan for everything they do. We have to pick and choose some things we hope to eliminate going into Friday night.”
Entering the season with huge career numbers already, Hatfield’s senior campaign alone dwarfs most careers at any level.
Through 11 games, the Husky signal-caller has 1,748 yards on 201 carries to go along with 1,590 yards through the air on 99 completions. Hatfield has scored 30 times with his feet and notched 14 more with his arm.
“He is the type of quarterback that we haven’t seen all season. When he runs the ball, he is looking for contact. Most quarterbacks try to get out of bounds to stay healthy, but he has run kids over all year,” Marion said. “He is the true definition of a dual-threat. When he breaks the pocket, his first thought is to throw the ball down the field. We have to get in scramble drill mode and cover deep. The big thing is we have to get him on the ground when we get a chance. He is a one of a kind talent and one of the top-five players in the state for sure.”
Herbert Hoover is averaging over 45 points per game and allowing just 11 points on defense. In the last seven contests, the Huskies have surrendered seven points in four games and recorded two shutouts.
“They are an explosive team. We have seen one team like that already in Princeton. I feel like that helps in some ways, but Hoover is Hoover,” Marion said. “We know we have our work cut out for us, so we will see what happens.”
The Oak Hill offense has played well the last part of the season, but has battled some slow starts. Marion is hoping his offense can get off to a quick start against the high powered Huskies.
“If we start off the first quarter like we did against University (to end the regular season) or Lewis County, we could find ourselves in a hole that we can’t climb out of,” Marion said. “Luckily the last two games, we have been able to dig ourselves out. Hoover is so explosive that if you get down two or three scores to them, you may never see that again. We need to start fast and execute on offense.”
The Red Devils have, as coach Marion says, “hung their hat on defense,” and that group has responded in big moments throughout the year.
Since the loss to No. 1 Princeton in Week 3, the Red Devils have surrendered an average of 12 points per contest with two shutouts along the way.
Sophomore linebacker Cade Compton leads the Red and Black attack with plenty of help from seniors J.D. Mauritz, James Green and Mikey Spack. Senior Armonyi Hicks has been a pass eraser in the secondary.
Even though the Oak Hill defense is stout, this will be a game where it will need some help from its offense. Marion is convinced his team is up to the challenge.
“They are an odd front, a three-man front and they will send bodies at us,” Marion said. “In the pass game, we have to figure out where they are blitzing from and attack that area. If we can get in behind the blitzes with some short, intermediate throws, I think we might have some field to work with.”
“Running the ball, we have to block with our eyes up and find the guys coming at us,” Marion went on to say. “We have to bury them inside, or run them out of the play to open lanes. We have three good backs and a quarterback that can run. Hopefully we can give them some daylight and they can make some plays.”
Once again, weather could play a factor in the Friday night showdown with extremely cold temperatures in the forecast and some possible lingering snow showers.
“Holding onto the ball is always a big emphasis for us. Don’t give up short fields and protect the football. Win the turnover battle to give yourself the best chance to win,” Marion said. “It will be another cold night. I have stressed to our team for weeks that good football teams play in the cold. You want to be playing in November and December. It is all about mental toughness. Are you tough enough to be out here, execute and take care of the football. I think we are in a good spot.”
The two teams have one common opponent in Class AA No. 3 Independence. The Huskies rallied to beat the Patriots 37-30 in week one of the high school season, while the Red Devils slipped by Indy 21-20 in early October.
The winner between Oak Hill and Hoover will move to the semifinal round where it will face the survivor of the Princeton-North Marion game.
