CHILLICOTHE — In the latter stages of last year’s season-ending loss to Piketon, Huntington head coach Clay Beeler understood the opportunity that his team had let fall by the wayside.
In a game that saw multiple lead changes throughout the night, the Huntsmen suffered a gut-punching 36-30 loss that put a screeching halt on their season.
Coming into that night, they had aspirations of clinching their second-ever postseason berth. Instead, the curtain had quickly closed and they were left on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.
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The loss dropped Huntington into the 13th spot of the Division VI, Region 24 rankings — the top 12 teams in each region clinch postseason dates — by a margin of exactly 0.3515 points.
“We should’ve taken care of business. It’s as simple as that,” Beeler said. “We gave love to our seniors and made sure they knew that the game wasn’t going to define them and their careers. But then, we talked about knowing that certain situations are going to be there, like that Week 10 game. We have to be prepared for those. We need to play Huntington football and not worry about the moment. We left some things on the table last year. But we learned a lesson, too.”
The march from that moment to present day has been a grueling 10-month process. But every step of the way, the Huntsmen have prepared themselves to earn a similar opportunity.
Three years ago, they were 1-9.
In 2024, they finished 3-7.
Last year? 6-4.
The community has taken notice of that trend and, throughout the hills and valleys of the Township, there’s a buzz in the air that hasn’t been felt in quite some time.
“We continue to work for everything we get,” Beeler said. “What I’ve seen out of our kids is that they’ve earned a new expectation. They’ve worked their butts off and I think they’re excited to meet, or exceed, some of the expectations that have been put on them. And I look at our community. We’ve struggled for a long time. So it’s great to have a community that wants to stand behind a group of kids that are working their tails off to try and make great things happen.”
The coaching staff and administration have been busy behind the scenes as well, revamping the program’s non-conference schedule in an effort to prepare it for a possible playoff run.
East Clinton, Eastern Pike and Sciotoville East are no longer on the docket.
Instead, Huntington opens the season at Newark Catholic before hosting Berne Union and Portsmouth West.
“Obviously, I feel like the program has grown over the past three years,” Beeler said. “We wanted to make it a point to prepare for SVC play and get into some games that we felt would prepare our kids for offensive line play against some of the better teams in the league. And then, we wanted to know that, if we handled business [in the non-league], the numbers would be there later in the year so our kids would have the chance at a playoff spot.”
Leading the charge on the field will be senior quarterback Frankie Hirsch, who was a Special Mention All-Ohioan last fall.
He’ll be surrounded by a cast of viable playmakers in Junior McDonald, Calvin Hirsch, Carson McNeal, LJ Cooper and Jonah Yates, to name a few.
But, most importantly, he’ll be protected by an experienced offensive line that includes returners Carson Smith, Jackson McNeal, Jarred Johnson, Kaiden Birchfield and Luke George.
“Our offensive line is a group of kids I believe in,” Beeler said. “From freshmen to varsity, we’ve got 16 kids and eight or nine of those can be put into varsity action at any time. I feel like the depth there is something that stands out. That’s because of their commitment to this program and to the weightroom. We’ve got guys that just continue to work. At the end of the day, if those guys don’t do their jobs, then Frankie Hirsch isn’t an All-Ohio quarterback.”
In 2022, Huntington clinched its first-ever playoff berth. The Huntsmen, at 5-5, were a No. 10 seed and were tasked with traveling to Paint Valley. They lost that contest by a 50-6 final.
This season, making the playoffs isn’t a goal. It’s an expectation.
And, the icing on the cake would be both a home playoff date and a Week 11 victory.
While those goals are indeed lofty, Huntington feels like they’re also attainable with a cast of talented returning starters and the right mindset.
The journey starts at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, at Newark Catholic High School. The Irish bring in a rich history of success that includes 39 state playoff appearances and eight state titles.
“We’re focused on Week 1 right now. We know that [Newark Catholic is] working and we just try to work a little bit harder,” Beeler said. “Having said that, we do have high expectations and our standards have risen. But if we can handle business, week by week, we’ll be in a great situation to make history. [Making the playoffs] would be a special moment for Huntington’s athletic program in general. But, it’s brick by brick. We have to earn it.”
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: With expectations in place, Huntington hoping to make playoff push