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ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœHeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s done it on the field and in the classroom,ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ� Hurricane coach Brian Sutphin said. ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬœHeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s gotten it done every year. ItÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s been a lot of fun to watch him grow, not only as a player but as a person.ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ�

Smith, who also stars in center field, heads a vaunted first-team pitching staff. Senior Ian Ginger led Ironton to the Division V region final, going 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA and 44 strikeouts against seven walks. Ginger committed to NCAA Division II Lake Erie College before reopening his recruitment after a coaching change.

Sophomore Grant Slater is the latest in a long line of talented Boyd County hurlers. He went 9-1 with a 0.68 ERA to help the Lions to the KHSAA state semifinals. Slater fanned 103 and walked 24, allowing 17 hits in 51 2/3 innings.

SlaterÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s teammate, sophomore Brody Biggs, went 3-0 with a 0.80 ERA, whiffing 29 and walking nine while giving up 17 hits in 29 innings. Cabell Midland junior Owen Maynard rounds out the staff.

The position players are talented at the plate but also make up one of the best defensive teams the newspaper has recognized.

Spring ValleyÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Jonah Harrold brings versatility at first base. He also caught, played the outfield and pitched. He batted .327, drove in 29 runs and fielded .975.

Second baseman Bryson Shirkey of Hurricane teams with Spring Valley shortstop Caleb Ferguson for a Gold Glove-worthy middle infield. Each player topped .300 at the plate.

Timberwolves third baseman Brody Spencer completes the infield. Spencer batted .404 with one home run, nine doubles and 26 runs batted in. He slugged .519 and reached base 54.6% of the time.

A pair of players ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ” Spring ValleyÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Garrett Wagoner and Cabell MidlandÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Landon Nida ÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ” who signed with West Virginia State make up two-thirds of the outfield.

Wagoner, runner-up in the player of the year quest, fielded .982, stole 15 bases and batted .423 with six homers and 40 RBIs. On the mound, Wagoner went 3-1 with a 0.68 ERA. Nida batted .308 while playing a strong center field and pitching in relief.

The third outfielder is Spring Valley sophomore Jake Van Arsdale, who hit .389, homered once and knocked in 25 runners. He stole six bases and made no errors in 72 chances.

Catcher Griffin Dempsey hit well and handled HurricaneÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s high-octane pitching staff. HeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s joined on the squad by a pair of Boyd County stars as the utility players.

Conner Davis, a sophomore, batted .358 with two homers, 31 RBIs, 10 doubles and three triples. Davis stole 15 bases in as many attempts. Lions senior Caleb Gray homered once, drove in 19 and hit .370. He was 6 for 8 on stolen-base attempts with five doubles and three triples.

The second team, too, is formidable.

The infield features senior first baseman Kadin Shore of Raceland, senior Ethan Wall of Fairland at the keystone, Russell senior Kyle Mokas at shortstop and Hurricane sophomore Tyler Baxter at third.

In the outfield is Evan Childers of Huntington High, Kaleb Kelley of Boyd County and Hayden Lloyd of Wahama. IrontonÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Jacob Hughes is the catcher. Cabell MidlandÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Eli McGinnis and Ethan Hatcher are the utility players.

Brayden Hanshaw from South Point, Jamie Legg and Jaxon Hatfield from Huntington High and Ryan Bowman and Wyatt Gautier from Hurricane make up the pitching staff.

Austin Pratt is coach of the year after leading the Timberwolves to within one game of the state tournament. He edged HurricaneÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Brian Sutphin, Huntington St. JoeÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Scott Shumate, IrontonÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s John Hunt and Boyd CountyÈËÑýÉ«ÇéƬ™s Frank Conley.