VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Kempsville football was the home of one of the area's best comeback stories in 2021. Now the Chiefs can't sneak up on anybody.
"Every situation we had last year was a first time for us," head coach Daryl Cherry pointed out.
He's right. Kempsville entered this preseason camp after navigating through some uncharted territory last year. In 2019, the Chiefs finished 1-9, snapping a 63-game losing streak. Two years later, the same players who were freshmen on that skid-ending squad helped take the program to a Region 5A championship game.
"Coming in our freshmen year, we were on a 63-game losing streak," said senior running back Naiquan Pearce. "We weren't expecting to be this far by our junior year, but we bought into what Coach Cherry talked about and now we're here."
"We were 0-63, then COVID season hit," Cherry added. "Last year in just our third year, getting to a 9-2 season, that's a new feeling. That's a new atmosphere for these guys."
Cherry, who oversaw the turnaround and is entering his fourth year at the head of the program, hopes that some of those new feelings from last year can become a little bit more familiar. Kempsville was a Green Run pass break-up away from a state semifinals berth a season ago and now this group understands what it takes to be one of the last teams standing.
"It's taught us a lot," senior athlete Quran Boyd noted. "That last game hurt us a lot, but we can't dwell on it in the past, so this year we just move forward."
"We know what the playoff atmosphere is like, we know what we've got to do and now we just take that and use it as a learning experience and looking to go further," the head coach said.
Last year's 9-2 campaign was the first winning season for the Chiefs since 2009. Cherry estimates they probably have about 14 starters returning from that squad, but the difference entering this year is that Kempsville is being mentioned among the area's top-tier programs. That's exciting for not only the players, but the community and long-time supporters as well.
"They're feeling good," Cherry said of the community. "Former students and alumni are saying 'hey, I can wear my Kempsville shirt again, I can wear my jacket, I can wear my stuff again,' so it just feels good to have that sense of pride."
2022 marks one last shot for the group that has turned the tide at Kempsville and a chance to write the perfect ending to their four year story.
"We've been talking about this since freshman year," Boyd said. "We always saw the vision, but nobody believed in us. We just stood together, stayed together."
"These guys that I had when I came in, they're about to be seniors," Cherry added. "They want to finish their last ride, do the best they can and change it out for the better."
Kempsville kicks off its season against the same Green Run squad that ended their 2021 campaign in the regional finals. The Chiefs and Stallions square off on August 26 at Green Run.
