BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — The 5th Annual Tug Valley High School Hall of Fame (HOF) induction ceremony and dinner was held Friday, Sept. 5, before the Panthers home game with Sherman.
A large crowd attended the induction, which honored five former athletes and two former coaches.
HOF President Jeff Reynolds was the emcee for the event. He introduced the individuals who inducted the athletes. Other members of the TVHS HOF committee include Tony Clusky, Clyde Farley and Dr. Doug Ward.
“This is a prestigious class of players and former coaches for our 5th Hall of Fame class,” Reynolds stated. “This is the largest crowd we have had so far.”
“We are celebrating 38 years of the legacy and history of Tug Valley High School,” Reynolds said. The school was formed back in 1987 with the consolidation of Kermit and Lenore High Schools.
Principal Doug Ward spoke about both the academic and athletic success of the school. “We were recently honored as the 9th best high school in the state by US News and World Report (magazine),” Ward told the crowd. “Many of our students graduate with an associate degree in the two plus two program before they get out of high school.”
Many of the inductees became emotional during their acceptance speeches and shed a few tears.
Here is a list of those inducted and a summary of their accomplishments while at TVHS.
KAYLEA BAISDEN: A 2022 graduate, Kaylea Baisden was First-Team All-State in girls’ basketball in both her junior and senior years and was the Captain of the 2021 Class A Girls All-State team, the first and only TVHS girls basketball player to be All-State Team Captain. She was a member of the Class A State All-Tournament teams in both her junior and senior years.
Baisden was a 4-year girls basketball starter for Tug Valley and a member of the West Virginia Class A 2021 State Girls Basketball Championship team. She was a West Virginia Girls’ Basketball All-State team selection all four years, having been selected as a third-team member as a freshman and a second-team member as a sophomore as well. She became TVHS’s all-time leading scorer in girls’ basketball with 1,860 points and also broke the West Virginia State tournament 3-point single-game record with nine 3-pointers. Baisden holds the TVHS girls’ basketball records for the most career steals, assists and 3-point shooting. (Inducted by TV athletic director and former coach Clyde Farley)
BRETT BREWER: A 2004 graduate, Brett Brewer was a four-year starter in boys basketball and started at tight end and defensive end during his sophomore year in football for the Panthers. He was a member of the West Virginia All-State Boys Basketball First Team and the Class A State All-Tournament team during his junior year in 2003. Brewer was a McDonald’s All-American Team Nominee in his senior year of 2004. He was a member of the 2001 TVHS Class AA State Runner-up Team. During his time playing basketball at TVHS he scored over 1000 points, brought down over 1000 rebounds, and had over 200 blocked shots. (Inducted by former TV coach Roger Harless)
AUTUMN HALL: A 2022 graduate, Autumn Hall was a three-sport athlete for the Panthers in softball, girls basketball and volleyball. She was First-Team All-State in softball in both her freshman and senior years and Second-Team All-State in Softball in her junior year (what would have been her sophomore softball season in 2020 was eliminated by the COVID-19 pandemic). She was a member of the 2021 West Virginia Class A State Girls Basketball Championship Team for the Panthers.
Hall achieved many “firsts” in softball for Tug Valley, being the first Panther softball player to be chosen as First-Team All-State. She holds the record for career strikeouts in a season in softball for the Panthers (327). In 2022, she was one of the first two Panthers to play in the West Virginia North-South Softball game and she received a scholarship to West Virginia State University in Girls Softball. In girls basketball, she achieved 1,000 rebounds for the Panthers in her Senior Season. (Inducted by her father and TV coach Rocky Hall)
EMILY HATFIELD: A 2022 graduate, Emily Hatfield was a two-sport athlete for the Panthers, playing in softball and girls basketball. She was Second-Team All-State in softball as a senior (2022) and First-Team All-State in softball as a junior (2021). In 2022 she was one of the first two Panthers to play in the West Virginia North-South Softball game. She was a member of the 2021 West Virginia Class A State Girls Basketball Championship Team for the Panthers. She finished her TVHS softball career with 22 home runs, 109 RBIs, 22 doubles and eight triples. (Inducted by former basketball coach Clyde Farley)
JUANITA HOOKS: The inaugural TVHS Girls Basketball head coach, Juanita Hooks led the Panthers girls basketball program for 12 seasons until her retirement in 2000. During her tenure as head coach, the Panthers advanced to the West Virginia State Girls Basketball Tournament three times. Her teams won regional championships in 1989, 1990 and 1992.
A Mingo County girls basketball coaching icon, Coach Hooks is credited with being one of the coaches responsible for launching the county’s girls high school basketball program in the 1970s. She was honored in 2020 by Coach Tex Williams as a “West Virginia Coaching Legend” and had the largest number of supporters ever at the honoree’s dinner. She remains one of the most beloved coaches in TVHS athletic history. (Inducted by two of her former players, Nicole Colegrove and Dr. Patti Marcum)
MASON PACK: A 2012 graduate, Mason Pack excelled in boys basketball for the Panthers, being a 4-year member of the TVHS Boys Basketball Team. In 2012, he earned First-Team All-State honors and was named the “Mountain State Player of the Year.” Pack was a member of the 2012 Class AA State Championship Boys Basketball Team. Individually, he became a member of the TVHS “1000 Point Club” in 2012. Pack played on three regional championship teams for the Panthers. (Inducted by TV Coach Garland “Rabbit” Thompson)
DON SPENCE: A longtime Panthers coach, Don Spence was the inaugural head baseball coach for Tug Valley High School and in over 11 seasons had a record of 159-113. He served twice as head football coach of Tug Valley High School, totaling four years. Spence was also the assistant boys basketball coach for Tug Valley for five seasons and was the assistant coach of the very first Tug Valley Panthers Class AA State Boys Basketball Championship Team in 1999. Spence was an assistant football coach for the Panthers for several years.
Ever humble and unassuming, Coach Spence impacted the lives of countless young men during his TVHS coaching career. He served as both an administrator and superintendent for Mingo County Schools and in 2025, the Tug Valley High School Baseball Field was named in his honor as “Don Spence Field.” (Inducted by Dr. Doug Ward, principal, and accepted by Spence’s daughters Patty and Abigail)