Coach’s Corner
Rayfield in his eighth season at Elkins High
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Editor's note: Elkins High School boys basketball coach Amrit Rayfield recently spoke with The Inter-Mountain sports editor Joey Kittle about the outlook for his team this season. The Tigers lost a 58-52 decision in overtime to John Marshall this past Monday in their latest game. Landon Shreve had 17 points, Isaiah Nutter 13 and Dreyton Boggs 11 in the setback. They will return to action at 3 p.m. Tuesday at home against Class AAAA, No. 8 Washington.
I-M: Your team lost most of its point production from last season. How will you replace those points and four graduated senior starters?
Coach Rayfield: Even though we have just one player back (Shreve) that started a lot of games for us last year, we think our program is now at a level where we don't look at rebuilding years. We have a solid group of guys that just need to gain experience playing at the varsity level.
I-M: Along with losing the scoring to graduation, new leaders will be needed this year, especially with a young squad. Who will fill that role"
Coach Rayfield: Landon Shreve and Dreyton Boggs are the guys we have back with the most varsity experience. Landon doesn't say a whole lot but when he speaks, the younger players listen and know he has been through the wars at the varsity level and competing at the state tournament. Dreyton gained quality varsity experience on the court last year in big situations, so we hope that experience will pay dividends this season when he's playing at the varsity level as a full-time starter.
I-M: This will be your eighth season at Elkins, what are some of the highlights of your tenure as head coach?
Coach Rayfield: We have been very fortunate to make the state tournament in two of the last three years. In those two trips to Charleston, we lost to the eventual state champion (Fairmont Senior in 2023 in the semifinals and Bridgeport in the 2025 quarterfinals). I really think the most talented team we had, though, was the 2022 team that got upset by Grafton in the regional finals. We may lose good players to graduation but the culture of our program is in a good place right now, and the standard is set and bar raised to get out of regionals and make the state tournament. The ultimate goal is to win games in Charleston.
I-M: Your team will once again face a tough schedule. Talk about the schools you will battle this season?
Coach Rayfield: First off, we play in one of the most competitive conferences (Big 10) in the state. It's a fight every night in league play and you have to bring your "A" game or you will be headed for a long night. We also play a tough non-conference schedule with the likes of Tucker County, Washington, Charleston Catholic (Herbert) Hoover and so forth.