SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Veteran Huntington High School head football coach Billy Seals wasn’t present Thursday at Little Creek Golf Course for Mountain State Athletic Conference Media Day due to a preplanned vacation.
Instead, assistant coach Kyle Gwinn was on hand to represent the defending Class AAA state champion Highlanders, who find themselves atop the 2023 MSAC Football Preseason Poll with 99 points and all but one of 10 first-place votes from league head coaches.
Hurricane, a semifinalist from 2022, is second with 81 points and the remaining first-place vote. Cabell Midland follows at the third with 79 points, followed by George Washington with 76.
Spring Valley, with 60 points, rounds out the top five.
Projected to finish in the bottom half of the league are: No. 6 Parkersburg with 51 points, No. 7 Capital (37), No. 8 Riverside (30), No. 9 South Charleston (24) and No. 10 St. Albans (13).
“The biggest thing about the MSAC, just like [Cabell Midland head coach] Luke Salmons said, it’s tough and you have to bring your ‘A’ game every single time you come out,” Gwinn said. “Make sure you’re paying attention to what’s going on and who’s what and where. It is definitely the hardest conference in the state and usually, easily six or seven playoff teams come from our conference.”
A season ago, in addition to the state champion Highlanders and semifinalist Redskins, George Washington, Spring Valley and Cabell Midland all qualified for the postseason.
Hurricane eliminated the Patriots in a quarterfinal, while the Timberwolves and Knights suffered first-round losses.
“We all know it’s a tough conference with great coaches and some really good players,” Salmons said. “I feel like it’s gotten tougher every year. A lot of talent in our conference and a lot of kids going to college to play football. It’s a product of the coaches working hard and the kids doing extra.”
“It’s come a long way and football has come a long way in our state and especially in our conference,” Salmons continued. “A lot of the best teams are in our conference. It’s because the kids work and the coaches work.”
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As he enters his 16th season as head coach at Spring Valley, Brad Dingess finds himself in unfamiliar territory.
“It’s probably the most question marks I’ve had coming into a season,” Dingess said. “A lot of young, new faces. It’s the smallest senior class I’ve had and this group were freshmen during that COVID year, so those guys really didn’t get to play much.”
Because the Timberwolves open with Huntington and games follow against Cabell Midland, Jefferson and Hurricane, Dingess noted the learning curve will have to be a quick one out of necessity.
“We generally have aggressive kids that play hard and like contact,” Dingess said. “I think these kids will be like that, but it’s kind of an unforgiving schedule we play, especially early, so we have to grow up quick.”
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The lone first-year head coach in the MSAC this season is South Charleston’s Dustin Resler, a former Black Eagles’ assistant under current Hurricane head coach Donnie Mays during Mays’ tenure at SC.
Resler, 37, is replacing Carl Lee after the former NFL Pro Bowler resigned following a 1-9 season in his first and only year as head coach.
“One of our team’s greatest strengths this year is our hunger for success after a challenging 1-9 season,” Resler said. “Our players are more motivated than ever to make a comeback and prove their resilience. We have cultivated a sense of unity among our team where our players and staff function more like a family and support pushing one another to be the best version of ourselves.”
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MSAC Commissioner Jim Hamric confirmed starting in 2024, each MSAC team will be required to play six regular season conference games in football as opposed to the minimum eight they’re currently required to play.
MSAC Preseason Poll
(Presented by Wally’s & Wimpy’s Sports Digest)
1. Huntington 99 (9)
2. Hurricane 81 (1)
3. Cabell Midland 79
4. George Washington 76
5. Spring Valley 60
6. Parkersburg 51
7. Capital 37
8. Riverside 30
9. South Charleston 24
10. St. Albans 13