3 questions for each team in 2025

Whether you like it or not, every team has question marks about their teams when preseason practice begins.

After attending the media days and talking to the head coaches of the teams in our coverage area, we've listed below three questions that we feel each team will have to answer this fall.

Some of those questions will be answered as early as opening night. Meanwhile, some questions might not even be answered at all this season. But that's what makes high school football the unique sport that it is.

Chesapeake Panthers

1. Who will replace the likes of Drew Plantz, Jacob Harris, and Ethan Kerns as the Panthers playmakers in 2025?

It's going to be tough to replace those aforementioned players because of their speed factor. Fortunately, there are some athletes returning with good speed. Andrew Issacs, who is their top returning rusher, will lead a committee of backs. Aaden Nester-Howard has emerged as the trigger man at the quarterback position and should have some help on the outside in the spread offense.

2. How will the offensive line hold up?

The offensive line took a huge hit with the graduations of Garrett Napier and Chris Calderon. But they have three returners in Braxton Adams, Jackson Spitler and Andy Chapman to give them a good foundation in the trenches. Along with a new-look spread offense to help take pressure off the younger guys, it could give them a chance to find some cohesion through the first few weeks.

3. Is this the year Chesapeake can get a win against rival Coal Grove or Fairland?

Of the two, Fairland seems the most achievable for the Panthers. Both teams are going to be young in a lot of spots and have plenty of holes to fill. This one will come down to which team progresses the best between now and week 10.

Coal Grove Hornets

1. Can the Hornets get off to a good start in 2025?

Coal Grove opens up with two tough road opponents in Russell and Nelsonville-York. The thing the Hornets will benefit from the most is they return a lot of experience, something that could make the difference in the early going. How well their line plays will be the deciding factor in a 3-0 start going into league play.

2. Will the passing game be a major factor?

This has been something that's hindered the Hornets in the past. And this could be one of those 'wait-and-see' things this fall because the Hornets have made it a priority to have a position battle at quarterback. There's some pieces to work with when it comes to receivers, as they have Kaden Murphy out of the backfield, Caden Turner's height for jump balls, and some complimentary guys like Bradon Klaiber, Logan Roberts and Case Webb who could play a key role this fall.

3. Is this the year the Hornets end their drought against Fairland?

Even with all the returning starters back, the Dragons have always been a thorn in the side of the Hornets. But on paper, all signs indicate that Coal Grove is the preseason favorite and should be favored to win when these two team lock up at Lemaster Stadium.

Fairland Dragons

1. Can the Dragons find replacements for Keegan Smith, Jack Hayden and CJ Graham at the wide receiver position?

It's going to be tough for any team to replace players of those caliber because of the amount of plays they made last year. But there's still some returners like Xander Collins and Connor Black who made some contributions towards the end of the season. It's going to also help having Davin Murray back at the running back spot to make defenses still respect the run game.

2. Will depth be a factor this season?

Graduation did a lot of damage to the Dragons. Not only did they lose a lot playmakers, they lost 17 seniors that contributed everywhere. With a roster hovering around 33 players, the Dragons are going to call on a lot of younger players to step up quickly. The inexperience could result in some growing pains early on.

3. Can the Dragons repeat as OVC champions?

It's going to be a challenge that's for sure. Graduating 17 seniors off last year's team - including a ton of playmakers - is going to really force some younger guys to step up. One thing that will help is most of the OVC teams suffered a lot of losses to graduation as well and could aid the Dragons in staying in the race.

Green Bobcats

1. Can the Bobcats overcome their low numbers?

With only 19 players, it's tough to do much - especially in practice. But the Bobcats have a little bit of talent to work with and if they can limit injuries to a minimum, they have a chance to be competitive against several teams on their schedule this fall.

2. Who will step up to be the playmakers?

The Bobcats lost a lot of their production with Blake Smith, Quincy Merrill, Ryleigh Cunningham, and Landon Kimbler graduating. But they do have Mason Neal returning as a major part of the offense. Then there's seniors Brandon Boza, Connor Blanton and Caleb Lewis who should step in nicely to fill the missing spots.

3. Will the Bobcats compete in SOC play?

It's going to come down to one things: injuries. Despite the low numbers, this team has plenty of returners with experience. Injuries are inevitable in football, but if they can avoid key players or multiple players going down, they could be in some games this fall.

Ironton Fighting Tigers

1. Who will replace Shaun Terry as their next playmaker?

Terry is nearly irreplaceable, so it’s really a trick question. The Tigers are going to have to rely on a committee of players to make those plays this fall. Some of those expected to make the big plays will be RB Zayne Williams, WR Maddix Markel, and ATH Kayden Edwards who all played a lot last season as key role players. Now, they'll be tasked with becoming more involved.

2. Will Ironton’s offensive line hold up?

Depth is going to be the big if here. The offensive line has to replace four of its five starters off their state championship team. For any team, that’s a major challenge. But there will be still some pieces like Carson Akers and Caleb Jacobs, who logged in some time as spot players, and should be able to help fill the holes along the offensive line with returner Carter Bridges.

3. Who’s going to step up at linebacker?

Ironton took some heavy losses due to graduation at the linebacker position. Players like Braylon Sturgill, Austin Bump, and Jesse Copas logged in a ton of minutes and tackles for the defense. Luckily, there’s one key returner in Zayne Williams who will be a key leader at the position to bring the young guys along.

Rock Hill Redmen

1. How will the Redmen make up for Anthony Stamper’s offensive production?

You can't understate how important Stamper was to the offense last season, especially the run game. It might take a committee of players to pick up the slack this fall. One of those candidates could be quarterback Dallin Cox, who was able to use his feet at times to rip off big gains last fall. But he'll need help from others like Braylon McClellan, Kelan Davidson, and Aaron Workman.

2. Can the defensive front seven be replenished?

Graduation pretty much depleted the defensive line and linebacker positions for the Redmen. They still have Daniel Medinger and Yaden Bailey from last season, which will help with bringing the others along. But there will probably be some growing pains there to begin the season.

3. Can Rock Hill carry last years’ success into this season?

Their success is going to come down to how the newcomers fair in the early non-conference games. They have two very tough contests with Boyd County and Purcell Marian. But fortunately, those games will be played in the friendly confines of Redmen Stadium. But also don't forget their league opener against Fairland, as that game will be critical for both teams in week four.

Russell Red Devils

1. Can the Red Devils replace the loss of Elijah Hankins at quarterback?

The loss of Hankins can't be understated as he accounted for nearly 1,900 yards and 26 touchdowns. The quarterback battle is down to candidates Jayden Frasure and Wyatt Hudson, with Frasure being the favorite. Luckily for the Red Devils, they return a stable of backs and plenty of speed at the wideout positions to help fill some of those questions marks.

2. Can the offensive line find its replacements and mesh together quickly?

The Red Devils have several returners that saw some playing time last year, but will now be asked to play a full time role there. The tackle positions will be filled by Zach Brown and Reagan Banks. Meanwhile, they moved around some guys like Ian Lother and Tate Smith to give them more athleticism up front and provide depth as well. The moves might see some growing pains in the beginning, but could pay huge dividends down the road.

3. Can the Red Devils sweep both rivals Ashland and Greenup County?

Russell returns 10 of 11 starters on defense and will be up against two teams breaking in new quarterbacks this fall. That could wind up being a key factor in helping the Red Devils keep the games close and give the offense the opportunities needed to win.

South Point Pointers

1. Will the Pointers bounce back this fall?

Based on the theory of addition by subtraction, the Pointers should see improvement. They lost 5 seniors to graduation but they return a lot of underclassmen who gained a wealth of experience last season. The key is if the Pointers can get off to a good start this fall.

2. Who will take over the quarterback spot?

With the loss of Brayden Hanshaw to graduation, the Pointers are going to hand the reigns over to Ethan Hunt. Now this isn't unfamiliar territory for Hunt, who got some playing time there back during his sophomore season. Now that it's his senior year, Hunt should be ready to handle the load.

3. Despite their youth, will their experience be enough to make strides this fall?

The Pointers took their lumps last season with a very inexperienced team. But with a year under their belts, they should see some growth. Their success is going to come down to how they finish in non-conference play. Contests against teams like Eastern Pike and Symmes Valley will be good indicators.

Symmes Valley Vikings

1. Will the offense come out clicking to start the season?

Losing Bronx Carpenter to an injury in the preseason last year really put the Vikings behind the 8-ball with their plans. This year, the sophomore QB is healthy and ready to go. He's got plenty of athletes surrounding him like Andy Strow and Gradee Holland at wide receiver. Then at the running back spots there's Asher Maynard and Ayden Freeman as well.

2. Will the heavy losses to graduation hurt the Vikings?

There's no question that losing 15 seniors will make anyone's job hard when it comes to finding replacements. But, there's a good nucleus of skill players back. The real issue is going to be along the line on both sides. With just two returnees in senior Tucker Ross and junior Caleb Mount, the Vikings will need to really the younger guys to step up early.

3. Can the Vikings get back into the playoffs this fall?

Postseason droughts aren’t this common in Willow Wood. Despite just 2 seniors, the Vikings have a lot of experience back and a schedule that should be to their advantage. Their first two games will be huge in terms of where this team goes when October comes around.

Wheelersburg Pirates

1. Can the Pirates get off to a good start this fall?

Last season saw the first-ever 0-3 start in school history and there shouldn't be any threat of a repeat. The Pirates will begin the season with a lot of upperclassmen with experience and an opener against KIPP. The McNicholas game will be a big momentum game for the front half of the schedule.

2. Will the offense find its stride earlier this season?

Last season, the offense struggled early on. They seemed to find their identity around week 3 against Jackson and rode that wave all the way into a deep playoff run. This years' team returns a pretty good mix of experience and playmakers like Braylon Rucker, Kenyon Evans, and Elijah Brown to lead the way. Much of their success could hinge on the play in the trenches.

3. Can the Pirates get back to the regional finals?

In some ways the Pirates' postseason was a surprise last season. But in other ways, it really wasn't. The Pirates improved as the year went and they kept finding ways to win. This years' edition should see better results early on and earn a better playoff seed. But getting back to the regional final will still be a challenge with Harvest Prep and Ironton still lurking about in the region.