Long-struggling Herbert Hoover one of state's biggest surprises this season
By Rick Ryan Charleston Gazette Sports Writer
This is pretty heady stuff for Herbert Hoover, but the Huskies appear to be taking it all in stride.
Hoover saw a seven-game losing streak halted in Friday's 67-63 Cardinal Conference loss at Tolsia, but it's been a satisfying season so far for the Falling Rock school.
The Huskies (7-3) have spent the past two weeks in the Class AA rankings and already own three victories this season over top-10 teams in the state poll. Not bad for a program that just five years ago posted its first winning season since 1970.
"It's big for us,'' said Huskies coach Jeff Gandee. "I can't say enough about how proud I am of these kids to step up and take that challenge.''
In addition to two victories over Ravenswood, the 2006 and '09 AA state champion, the Huskies have downed conference rival Point Pleasant (No. 10 in last week's ratings) and also handed 8-1 Webster County its lone loss so far.
"We knew Ravenswood's one of the top teams, and we got them twice,'' Gandee said, "and then we got Point. It's confidence. It's learning how to win - that's been a big growing thing. In those first two games against Chapmanville and Sissonville, we didn't do what we had to do to win. Since then, we've made the right decisions and made the plays we need to make - whether it be offense or defense - that give us a chance to put it away.''