Record-setting Miners’ Drew Hatfield claims Moss Award
There isn’t much Mingo Central wide receiver Drew Hatfield hasn’t already accomplished on the gridiron in his Miners career.
Hatfield has been voted to the Class AA All-State team all four years of his career, landing first team honors as a sophomore, junior, and most recently as a senior.
He has set single season and career state records for his position and is also a state champion from his days as a freshman on the Miners’ 2016 team.
Now Hatfield can add one more accomplishment to his storied high school football career — recipient of the 2019 Randy Moss Award, given to the state’s top receiver, by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
“From the time I was a freshman and I first came into Mingo and I heard about the award, it’s just always been one of my personal goals,” Hatfield said. “I wanted to be recognized as the best receiver in the state … it’s a dream come true, it’s been a goal these past four years and to win it my senior year means the world to me.”
Hatfield had a monster season in 2019 for the Miners as he hauled in an incredible 124 passes for 1,870 yards and 20 touchdowns — the first two figures led the state and the latter ranked second.
The speedy Hatfield also led the state in all three receiving categories last season as a junior for Mingo Central when he totaled 84 catches for 1,389 yards, and 21 TDs, but finished second in the Moss Award to University’s Evan Parrow.
Missing out on the award made Hatfield work harder this season.
“I was just focused on getting better as an individual player and using it as motivation,” Hatfield said. “I knew if I took it one game at a time, one practice at a time, and just trust the way that I can play, that good things would happen.”
Hatfield finished his illustrious career with 343 catches for 5,168 yards, and 64 touchdowns, breaking the old receiving records of 329 receptions and 5,068 yards also held by Nitro’s Chris Fulmer. Hatfield also broke Fulmer’s mark of career yards per game (146.8), as he averaged 155.8 yards per contest during his career.
“He is a playmaker,” Mingo Central coach Josh Sammons said. “You get him the ball and he’s going to make plays for you, and that’s what we did for the past four years. And Drew is a great kid, so that makes you want to give him the ball even more. He’s here early every day and was in the weight room in the off-season and is just a true leader for us on and off the field.”
Hatfield said he has been surrounded by other talented players and a good coaching staff during his time at Mingo Central, which helps contribute to some of his success, but he said that God gets all the glory for what he has achieved in Miner Mountain.
“My first two years at Mingo, I was blessed to have Jeremy Dillon as my quarterback,” he said. “Having a QB like him really helped me. Then my junior and senior year, I’ve had a young QB in Day Day (Daylin Goad) and he blew my expectations out of the water. And then I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by great coaches for four years.
“But I couldn’t have done this without God. I give him more credit than anybody. I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve got and I’ve always played kind of like the underdog. I feel like everything that has happened through these four years has led to now and me winning this award, and I am just very grateful.”
Hatfield has already received four offers and “definitely” has plans to go play college football, but is going to wait a couple of months before deciding where.
His current offers are from Mountain East Conference members West Virginia State, Glenville State and Fairmont State, along with Morehead State, a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Hatfield beat out Martinsburg standout Jarod Bowie, who finished second in voting for the award, while Logan Vance from Clay County — who led the state with 21 TD catches — finished third.
Tug Valley’s Caleb May was fourth and Doddridge County’s Griffin Devericks fifth.
Hatfield will be presented with the Moss Award at the 74th annual Victory Awards Dinner May 3 at the Embassy Suites in Charleston.