SUFFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — It felt like 2023 was the banner year King's Fork had been preparing for.
Winning a southeastern District champions and tallying the first undefeated regular season in program history, everything seemed poised for the Bulldogs to make a run at a state title.
The Region 5B semifinal against Warwick brought all of that to a screeching halt.
"I hear about that game more than I hear about anything," said senior running back Javon Ford.
A 42-13 loss to the Raiders ending the season at 11-1. After so much success, it was the one loss that followed King's Fork players into the offseason.
"It stuck in my mind a lot. Knowing we came off an undefeated season and losing at home for the first time, it just came off real hard," said senior defensive back Zach Walton.
During the offseason, head coach Anthony Joffrion sought out advice from trusted mentors around the coaching world. The response he got kept him encouraged that the obstacles would be worth going through.
"try to seek out guidance from my old head coach Chris Scott. Coach Johnson at Highland Springs has been great, just reaching out to people who have won at that level," Joffrion said. "They remind me to stick to the process, keep reinforcing it, and eventually it's bound to happen."
Coming into 2024, the Bulldogs are latching onto that belief. With double digit starters returning on both sides of the ball, the maroon and gold centered around one word throughout camp.
"We got to finish every workout, finish everything we do," said senior linebacker Brandon Jeune. "Our motto is finish. Finish the game, finish the workout. Just finish."
"It just made more want more coming up this season," Walton said.
All eyes locked in on the one goal they've yet to achieve.
"State championship. It drives us crazy," Ford said. "We know we can do it, we just can't get too ahead of ourselves or get cocky. We just have to sit back, stay humble and work until y'all see that yourselves."
King's Fork opens the season against Churchland on August 30 at home, setting out on a quest to repeat the success it had in 2023 and push it even further in 2024.
"The job's not finished yet. Everyone's got that goal for a state championship," Jeune said. "We just have to come in here every day, work, and finish."
