The Huntington area has been producing highly regarded football players at quite a nice clip lately.
With apparently no end in sight.
In February, Huntington's Bill Ross signed with North Carolina and Spring Valley's Riley Locklear signed with Tennessee. Meanwhile, Rivals.com has offensive tackle Darnell Wright of Huntington High rated as a four-star recruit for the class of 2019. Likewise, offensive tackle Doug Nester of Spring Valley is a four-star kid for the same class.
Fertile ground indeed, and West Virginia University's football coaches also believe they got in on the harvest. Just a sophomore, Cabell Midland graduate Reese Donahue is vying for a starting spot at defensive end.
And to say he's proud to represent Ona and the Mountain State would be, well, an understatement.
"It's so much more than I thought," he said. "Going from being a fan to playing on the field ... having kids come up to you after games is a dream come true. I never thought or dreamed it would be as sweet as it is."
Let's walk this back a bit, though. Few imagined when Donahue, 6-foot-4, 264 pounds, hit Morgantown he'd play defensive end as a true freshman. Yet there he was in 2016, not only dipping his toe, but playing in 12 games.
"Very surprising," Donahue said of his first taste of action. "I'd been on the field to watch games, but I'd never been dressed and playing. It was definitely an eye-opener. So many emotions ran through my head."
He said he was thankful for one edge.
"Early enrolling really helps," said the sophomore. "The coaches do a great job of getting us ready. Early enrolling is the best thing that could have happened to me."
That, he said, and going against last season's Mountaineer offensive line in practice. That line graded out over the season as one of the Big 12's best.
"I'm a firm believer our offensive line is one of the best in the Big 12," Donahue said. "They do a wonderful job. Our coaches do a wonderful job. So when I first got here I was surprised how fast they were, how physical they were and the speed of the game. So when I got into the game, it was a little easier."
Donahue ended up with 12 tackles, six unassisted, last season. He had four at Iowa State. Now, though, he's moving from a complementary role to a leadership position.
"This spring, we're all trying to be leaders," Donahue said. "We know we lost a lot of guys from last season that were crucial. We know we have to replace them. But we don't want one guy to step up; we want everyone to step up."
It is a concern for WVU. Gone are starting defensive ends Christian Brown and Noble Nwachukwu as well as nose tackle Darrien Howard. The hope for the Mountaineer coaches is guys like Donahue, Adam Shuler and others learned from the trio.
"They put in a lot of hard work," Donahue said. "I mean, those guys came in every day into the weight room and field and gave it their all. They taught us how to become good players and get where they were at."
Of course, where Donahue was in high school was heavily populated by Marshall fans. Any razzing back home?
"I don't go home too much," he laughed. "I stay pretty busy up here. Not really though. It's really actually pretty cool. I get a lot of support from everybody back home, not just West Virginia fans. Ona is small, so even if they're a Marshall fan, they're supportive of in-state guys."
And Donahue is a proud, card-carrying "in-state guy." Just ask him his favorite moment from last season as a Mountaineer.
"Every time I took the field," he said. "I loved it."
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.