VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Green Run vividly remembers how its 2023 season came to a screeching halt before the Stallions were ready to go home.
Indian River came onto Green Run's field and prevented them from winning a third consecutive Region 5A championship.
"It was real bad," said senior wide receiver Jayden Anderson. "That was our seniors' last game and we couldn't get farther into it with those boys."
"It burns a lot," added senior quarterback K'Saan Farrar. "We go harder in the weight room, we go harder on the field because of that loss that we had last season."
Entering 2024, the motivation is there, but many of the key play-makers who made up last season's roster are not. Head coach Brandon Williams returns seven starters from last year's group and knows he lost some good players, but doesn't necessarily see that as a problem.
"This group that's coming up has been around the program for awhile," he noted. "They've been waiting their turn and are anxious to get on the field so this is their chance. We're a very talented team all around the board and the sky's the limit for us once again."
One of the few experienced players Williams has coming back is Farrar, who transferred into the program and took over the starting job last season. Now that he's had a year in the system, he's ready to take his leadership and game to the next level.
"I'm very comfortable in this environment," Farrar said. "It feels like home now. My first year was kind of like getting used to it. It feels great now."
"Coming back with experience as a signal-caller, that's half the battle in high school football," added Williams. "You have a quarterback, you have a team, so with our quarterback returning for his senior year and looking to make some things happen, I'm really excited for this season."
The Stallions enter the campaign riding a 38-game Beach District winning streak and are 38-3 over the course of the last three seasons, but they're aiming higher. This year's group has history in its sites and feels it has the tools to get over the hurdle of reaching the state title game.
"I believe we can definitely get over that hump and get to the state title game," Anderson declare. "We're coming to work."
"We are here to obtain a goal that we haven't obtained just yet here at Green Run High School," Williams pointed out. "We don't run away from it, which is pretty obvious, so we've got to keep going, keep our heads down and stay positive and keep on doing what we're doing."
Green Run opens its season August 29 when the Stallions host Tallwood.
