CHARLESTON – Play at the quarterback position has changed since the namesake of the award given to West Virginia’s top prep quarterback — Nitro’s J.R. House — last took the field.
Quarterbacks are now becoming more mobile and using their legs perhaps more than ever.
House only recorded 243 rushing yards during his time at Nitro.
Herbert Hoover’s Dane Hatfield is the winner of the 2024 J.R. House Award after posting more than 4,000 yards of offense, including 2,123 rushing yards, and 54 touchdowns.
Hatfield helped the Huskies to a 13-1 season and an appearance in the Class AAA state title game in Charleston.
The senior quarterback finished his prep football career with more than 12,500 yards of offense and 170 touchdowns.
“It means a lot,” Hatfield said. “When I found out, I was stoked about it. All the hard work, long hours and all the practices has paid off. It just means so much to me, and I’m glad I got selected for it.”
Hatfield becomes the first Kanawha County quarterback to win this award since Capital’s Tyrhee Pratt in 2014.
Hatfield is the first Hoover football player to win a major statewide award since Robin Lyons claimed the Kennedy Award in 1974.
“I’m so happy for what he’s accomplished,” Hoover coach Joey Fields said. “He was a fantastic teammate towards the guys this year and his career. Those are the things you remember. You can’t remember a second down or a move you made. He will remember the guys that are in the locker room with him. He’s had a good experience.
“That’s all I want to give as a coach, is create a good environment for them to be successful as they choose to be and create an atmosphere and experience. There was some adversity, and his response was finding success.”
Fields has had experience coaching high-level quarterbacks, dating back to his time at Mingo Central with Jeremy Dillon.
Hatfield’s totals as a quarterback have increased over his Hoover career.
He posted more than 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns his freshman season, during which the Huskies finished 10-1.
Hatfield has been able to adapt to the role as a dual-threat quarterback in a potent offense that recorded 43 points per game in 2024.
“A lot of it’s God-given ability and being able to run like that,” Hatfield said. “With running comes a lot of hits. You have to have a tough mentality and work in the offseason on your pass game and reading coverages.”
Hatfield capped his career at Herbert Hoover with a 42-9 record.
He shined during the regular season as the Huskies went 6-0 against teams that qualified for the playoffs across all classes.
Hatfield amassed more than 1,800 yards against those playoff teams and scored 26 touchdowns.
He saw the most success on the ground as he posted 1,060 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“I’ve been to other places, and there’s no community like it,” Hatfield said. “We played at the Joe [Eddie Cowley Field], and seeing how packed it was there was special. When we played at [West Virginia] State [in 2021 against Poca], there wasn’t a seat. Everybody was standing around the fence. Playing for this community and being able to go out there and win for them was something special.”
Hatfield also saw the growth in his peers. From a 2016 flood until the new Herbert Hoover High School opened in 2023, students attended class in mobile and temporary classrooms.
“It just shows how we persevere and are resilient to bad situations,” Hatfield said. “We take those and made something better out of it. We’re a really tight community with people helping other people. It is what’s gotten us through everything and being successful.”
Hatfield said he wants to play college football and has offers from the University of Charleston, Glenville State and Bluefield State University.
He’s remaining open-minded about where he would be positioned on the field.
Hatfield currently is playing his senior basketball season for the Huskies.
Hatfield will be presented with the House Award at the 78th annual Victory Awards Dinner, which will take place on May 4, 2025, at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport.
By Taylor Kennedy (Gazette-Mail)
