Media Day Notebook: Hanover County gets set for an exciting football season

It also provided an opportunity for writers and media members to speak with team captains and coaches about the season ahead.

The teams of Hanover County were among the schools in attendance, with each coach bringing along captains we’ll be seeing plenty of throughout the season.

So, what did we learn about this upcoming season and the teams we’ll be watching under the Friday night lights?

Atlee adds new faces to its running back committee

Bringing to the podium seniors Mike Jones and Patton Cross, Atlee head coach Matt Gray began by discussing the leadership of those two captains throughout the summer, ushering in the new season with the right attitude for a team that finished 5-5 last year.

"These are two young men that have been tremendous leaders the entire offseason,” Gray said. “I'm really proud of their work and what they've done in the offseason."

Jones, listed as a wide receiver and defensive back, was an overall impact player last year, also contributing as a ball-carrier and special teams return man. He’ll be one of the team’s top playmakers on both sides of the ball, but he was an especially dynamic cover corner last season.

Cross, a 285-pound Army commit that’ll line up in the trenches on both sides of the ball, didn’t give up a single sack last year, while sacking the opposing quarterback four times. His strength on the inside will be a huge boost for a team that likes to run the football.

Last year’s Raiders had a run game built around a committee of different runners, like Jones, running backs Barrett Bucholz and Kaden Wright, and mobile quarterback Scottie Tompkins.

Gray noted Wright as among the team’s fastest players and a great teammate, something we saw plenty of last year, including in a 143-yard performance against Patrick Henry during Atlee’s homecoming.

"When we talk about Kaden, he and Michael (Jones) have such a good relationship, they're constantly competing in everything we do,” Gray said.

Expect a similar committee style this year, with Wright, Jones and Tompkins returning, along with a few newer names mentioned by Gray.

Reid Barber, a junior with a track-running background, and Brock Bardar, a physical senior who can drive through contact up the middle, will be feature players in the run game, which will combine new additions with returning fixtures.

Mechanicsville’s senior experience headlines new year

On the media day podium last year, Mechanicsville head coach Shane Reynolds called that team the most experienced he’s worked with since taking the position. This year, he reiterated that sentiment, bringing along four-year starters Camden Metzger and Eli Maxie.

“This is probably the most senior-heavy team I’ve had since I’ve been here,” Reynolds said. “I think that’s a benefit for us. I’m really excited to get things going with them.”

Maxie, a standout defensive back and receiver, has seen all the work that’s gone into the past three seasons, including a 2025-26 campaign that ended with the team showing improvements on both sides of the ball and finishing with a 3-7 record.

All that work allowed the team to smoothly transition into their summer training, with each returning contributor knowing what the expectations are and where they want to go after those positive steps forward.

"We have the foundation set, guys have been playing for so long so you can add more advanced stuff," Maxie said.

Metzger, the team’s quarterback, has had a busy summer with the ball in his hands, participating in college camps around the country to better himself and show off the improvements he’s made from his junior season to now. Most recently, Metzger flashed his arm talent at the Tyrod Taylor Passing Camp on July 26.

"I definitely want to complete more passes, spread the ball out to my guys," Metzger said.

Both of those seniors are receiving college offers before the start of their senior seasons, with Metzger receiving offers from Hampden-Sydney and Gettysburg College, and Maxie getting an offer from Christopher Newport. Expect more on the way for both Mustang standouts.

Hanover’s senior leadership aims to build on team standard

Hanover head coach Sam Rogers brought along three key contributors from last year’s talented 7-4 playoff team.

Quarterback Joel Nicholson, who Rogers called the most accurate passer he’s worked with, was on the podium with wide receiver/defensive back duo Kayden Hughes and Lane Zyglocke, who both made clutch plays throughout the 2025-26 season.

Last year, Rogers brought along seniors J.J. Parker and Patrick Liptrap, two guys who he said embodied the standard set by their coaching staff. Those two, particularly on defense, were major components to a playoff season, and the three new faces on the podium discussed the value of that type of leadership and how it helps them set the tone as the new captains on the field.

“They really upped the standard year after year, and I feel it just really helps to see the perfect alignment of what it should look like,” Nicholson said.

“I think they both did a great job of setting the standard and our job is to raise that standard, and the ways we've done that so far is to build a relationship with the younger kids and get them involved earlier so they can realize what it's like to be a good leader,” Zyglocke said.

Rogers had praise for all three of the student-athletes he brought along to media day, citing their skills on the field and the way they carry themselves off of it as the exact right way to represent Hawks football. When talking about Hughes, someone who stepped into a role under center at one point last season due to injuries at the quarterback position, he praised the growth he’s seen compared to the young man that first walked onto the field.

"He became such a great leader this year, and I just see his growth from freshman year, and now it's something that I'll talk about for a long time because I'm so proud of what he is,” Rogers said.

The Hawks were a feel-good story in the county last year, pulling out clutch victories in defensive-minded battles throughout the season. This year, Rogers brings back a ton of returning contributors to that team, with many of them taking on even greater roles.

Father-son duo leads Patrick Henry one last time

Head coach Ken Wakefield brought up a pair of two-year captains in seniors Cole Wakefield and Eddie Gonzalez, two guys who are now well-familiar with being a vocal presence in the locker room.

"I think that experience of being a captain junior year going into senior year helped me find out how I am as a leader and how I show myself to the young guys, how I lead,” Gonzalez said. "Even when I was injured I was able to coach up the younger guys, so just being a captain that the younger kids look up to, it's been huge being able to do that."

Gonzalez, a safety, receiver and special teams ace, adds a speedy dimension to Patrick Henry’s passing game, which should be dynamic with Cole Wakefield under center again. The young Wakefield has the arm to stretch the field, and had time to build a nice rapport with receivers like Gonzalez for this upcoming season. He’s also had time on the field to make mistakes, learn from them, and apply those lessons to his final high school season.

"Being a two-year captain is a big role,” Cole Wakefield said. “There's just a lot to learn from previous mistakes, and it's really trying to perfect yourself."

For the elder Wakefield, who gets to coach his son for the last time in high school, there’s always a balance to life at home and life on the football field, but he says it’s all been part of a great father-son experience.

"It's a privilege to coach him,” Ken Wakefield said. “I have the rare opportunity to go out there every day and work with him."