VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — Denzel Polk was quick with a smile when asked about what his record was in the Army-Navy game.
"Listen, what happened was there was a snow storm, there was a bunch of other things that went wrong. I went 1-3," the former Midshipmen defensive end said with a laugh. "But we won my senior year."
A celebration he still remembers like it was yesterday.
"We were all laughing on the field, giving each other hugs," Polk said. "I saw my mom and dad afterwards and I remember they were crying."
It's those kinds of stories shared at Shorebreak Pizza and Taproom in Virginia Beach throughout the week as fellow Navy football players meet ahead of the 124th edition of the Army-Navy rivalry game on Saturday.
The restaurant serving as the host for the Hampton Roads chapter of the Navy Alumni Association's annual watch party for the game, which has brought in upwards of 400 people throughout the last few years for the matchup.
Players like Elijah Merchant, who played defensive back at Navy from 2014-2017, is still just as invested watching the rivalry matchup as he was when he suited up for it.
"We understand the concept of team and what that looks like," Merchant said. "And that doesn't graduate. That translates through all classes whether the team was good or bad. Whether we beat Army or didn't beat Army."
Navy holds a 62-54-7 lead in the all-time series over Army.
The moments after the game, where both teams join to sing the almae matres of the two schools, still stand out even years after they've played in the game.
"It is pretty powerful. It's hard to put into words," said Matt Oberlander, a long snapper who graduated from the Naval Academy in 2008. "I still get choked up thinking about the Army-Navy game."
"I'll probably get choked up on Saturday right before kickoff wishing I was playing again."
Army-Navy gets underway at 3:00 from Gillette Stadium on Saturday. The Navy Alumni Association will begin hosting it's watch party around noon, with those wanting to come encouraged to arrive at Shorebreak at 1:00.
