Warren’s Eric Carr carries the ball as Marietta’s Zach Carver chases him during last year’s game in Vincent. Warren went on to win 35-16 to clinch the Twin State League championship. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

PARKERSBURG — With football right around the corner, Twin State League coaches met for the annual TSL Media Day Wednesday at Western Sizzlin Steak House.

The league has three new head coaches — Jason Gandee at Warren, Mike Kupfner at Marietta and James Higginbotham at Point Pleasant — with Fort Frye’s Eric Huck as the lone returning head man.

Gandee was an assistant for the Warriors when they captured the league crown last year. He takes over for Jimmy Peyton, who was hired as the head coach at Logan. Gandee’s squad has some holes to fill but also returns plenty of talent in their quest for a repeat.

“You prepare your team the best you can,” said Gandee, who’s been an assistant at Warren since 2018. “We want to compete for a league title and compete for the playoffs. That’s our goal every year. This is a tough league and has been a tough league. The games are always close. It’s always a battle with every one of these teams. You look at the scores over the last few years and how competitive the games are — that’s our goal is to win that first and see what happens with the playoffs.”

Last year, Warren was blown out 44-13 against Point Pleasant in its TSL opener, but bounced back with huge wins over Fort Frye (28-6) and Marietta (35-16) to cap the regular season at 7-3 and clinch the league title outright. The Warriors clinched the 16 seed in Region 11 to earn a playoff spot, falling to top-seeded Watterson 44-7 in the first round.

It was a campaign Warren is looking to build upon. They’ll have some big shoes to fill at some key spots, including quarterback with the graduation of Jake Sealey, but the Warriors return some big-time playmakers like receiver Tanner Pepper and running back Eric Carr.

Like Warren, Huck’s Cadets finished 2-1 in the TSL last year, losing the head-to-head tie-breaker with Warren for the conference crown. Fort Frye beat Marietta 28-21 and Point Pleasant 35-7 before winning a pair of playoff games against Buckeye Trail (30-22) and Waterford (29-26). The Cadets eventually lost to Grandview Heights 27-0 in the regional semifinals to finish 9-4.

“It’s a tough league, especially being the smallest school in it,” Huck said. “We feel like we can compete year-in and year-out in this league. We’re definitely going to be tested. It’s a very, very tough league for us, but we’re excited about that opportunity. We’ve got a long way to go before we get to league play at the end of the season, but it’s definitely in the back of our mind.”

Fort Frye graduated two of the top players in the state at their respective positions in running back Clayton Miller and lineman Braxton Ross. However, the Cadets have a strong returning group, headlined by running back Tyce Beardsley, quarterback Grady Hesson and linebackers Kainan Bradford and Blake Wheeler, and expectations remain high.

Marietta and Point Pleasant each finished 1-2 in the league last year, with the Tigers trouncing the Big Blacks 24-3. MHS finished 6-4 to clinch the program’s first winning season since 2002. That was under head coach Jason Schob, who is now an assistant at Fort Frye.

Kupfner takes over for the Tigers, and though numbers are a bit down, he’s optimistic about this group.

“We’re working with about 35 kids, and that’s kids that have been with us pretty much all summer,” said Kupfner, who was previously an assistant at Parkersburg. “I’m happy with the 35, 36 that we’ve got. At the end of the day, you’ve got to put the best 11 on the field. (We want) to be in that conversation for the conference title.”

Leading rusher Seth Britton and starting QB Drew Warden graduated, but Marietta returns a deep and experienced senior class, which includes four-year starters in lineman Teddy Bauer, linebacker Kobe Alexander, receiver Owen Riley and tight end Braiden Plaugher.

Point Pleasant is coming off a 4-6 season in the final year of the David Darst era, which lasted 18 seasons. With Higginbotham now in charge, the Big Blacks are looking to make some noise in 2025.

“The league is pretty balanced,” he said. “It is a pretty competitive league. You usually don’t get that. Usually, you have a bottom feeder, but this league is pretty competitive.

“We have some good skill players. Our linemen are going to be young. We’re going to have to bring them along. Our defensive coordinator retired after coaching 48 years, so we’re going to be a little bit different defensively. Hopefully we get better as the year goes on.”

Some players to watch for Point Pleasant are quarterback Caden Hill, running backs Andrew Whittington and Brody Bowen, linebackers Parker Boles and Jairus Robinson and defensive back Isaiah Waminan.

The Ohio teams open up Aug. 22 — Marietta hosts Morgan, Warren visits Circleville and Fort Frye travels to Barnesville — while Point Pleasant’s season starts Aug. 29 at Fairland.

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.