CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WTKR) — Before the calendar turns to August, Atlantic Shores gets to get out on the practice fields a little early.
"I was in church last Sunday and someone mentioned that they didn't start for another week," said head coach Wayne Lance Jr. "Because our first game date is August 23, that makes us one of the few out here doing what we do."
"While everyone else still has a week of training and doing their thing, we're actually getting after it."
A perennial contender for a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association state championships, the Seahawks relishing the opportunity to get put their hand in the dirt a little sooner than their peers.
"We got a week off before camp officially started and the whole week I was just waiting to get back out here and play football," said senior wide receiver Chris Higgins.
"Basically after the (last) game, once we left the locker room, I've been looking forward to next season," said senior defensive back Corey Williams. "Working on the stuff I didn't get to do."
One of the things Atlantic Shores didn't get to do was play in a third straight state title game in 2023. After winning the VISAA Division II state crown in 2021 and playing in the championship game again in 2022, the Seahawks finished 7-4 last season with a loss in the state semifinals.
While it's still a nice result for the campaign, the returning players still motivated by coming up short of their barometer of success.
"Been together for a couple years now, most of us have played since 2021 when we won the state championship and then went back the next year," said junior quarterback Micah Lance. "That's the standard here so we're going to get back there this year for sure."
Just a couple of practices in, Lance's group touting their unity as a strength.
"We started in January doing a ton of 7-on-7's," Higgins said. "Travel the east coast going to college campuses together."
"We all push each other," Williams said. "It's not just one player doing everything, we can all rely on each other."
Atlantic Shores open up their season against Isle of Wight Academy at home. They've got a constant reminder of that game and the one at the end of the season they've all set their sights on returning to.
"We put on the board in January days until state championships, days until the playoffs, days until the first game, days until practice," Lance Jr. said. "It's that ticking clock in the back of your head."
"Getting back to that level," Higgins said, "because the standard is the standard."
