HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Take a look at some of the state’s most high-profile college recruits and you will find several members of the Huntington Highlanders. Billy Seals’ club averaged 51.3 points per game last year in an 11-win season. Many of their top weapons are back.
“I think offensively we’ll be a little bit ahead of the defense right now just due to the number of guys back from last year on that side of the ball. Defensively, we have to replace seven three-year starters. So we have a lot of pieces of the puzzle we have to put together,” Seals said.
WVU commit Zah’Trelious Jackson is one of several running backs that will battle for carries. He led the team with 10 rushing touchdowns as a junior.
“We’re probably going to run the ball a little bit more,” Jackson said. “So I feel like that’s going to be good. Teams aren’t thinking we are going to run the ball, but we’re probably going to run it a lot.”
Jackson will also be on the move on defense, shifting to safety.
“I was at corner and they moved me to safety because that’s what I am going to WVU for,” Jackson said. “I feel like that’s a big help for our defense.”
Junior Tayveon Wilson is one of the state’s most highly-recruited athletes in the Class of 2026. His offer list contains the likes of Power Four programs WVU, Louisville, Miami, N.C. State and Virginia Tech. Wilson led Huntington in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last year.
“He was a backup to start the [sophomore] year,” Seals said. “He was behind Wayne Harris and that tells you how good Wayne Harris is. Tayveon came on and got his opportunity and grabbed the bull by the horns and played really well for us last year.”
Air Force commit Keegan Sack has joined the Highlanders after scoring 14 touchdowns for George Washington last fall. Senior Avonte Crawford tossed 23 touchdowns against just three interceptions in 2023 in his first year as the starting signal caller.
“Last year early in the year, he probably struggled a little bit,” Seals said. “As the year went on, he got more and more comfortable. The game started to slow down for him. We expect him to have a big year for us.”
The Highlanders will feature some new big guys up front, filling the shoes of N.C. State lineman Robby Martin among others.
“We feel pretty good right now about eight or nine guys on the offensive and defensive lines,” Seals said. “That’s probably the most depth we have had at that position in a long time.”
Huntington defeated Martinsburg en route to winning the state title in 2022 but the Bulldogs avenged that loss in the semifinals last November. Those two teams will meet in Week 2 in the state’s premier regular season contest.
“I think it bothers them,” Seals said. “Our expectation every year is to compete for state championships. We fell one game short of getting that opportunity to play for another one.”