NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Maury football knows what it takes to win. The Commodores have become postseason staples under head coach Dyrri McCain, but where the team has fallen short recently is what's driving it this season.
As the squad kicks off its preseason camp, one word is at the center of it all.
Finish.
"We haven't been able to finish," said senior receiver Joshua Powell.
"Everything is to just finish," McCain added.
The Commodores are referring to their state title pushes the last two seasons. 2021 and 2022 saw Maury reach the state championship game, only to fall in those final contests. That's what has driven the Eastern District power's mission in 2023.
"You're going to keep hearing that over and over," the head coach said of the goal of finishing. "It's just about finishing when it counts. That's all we're trying to fight for this year."
"Going all the way, that's been the whole point, the whole thing with all of this," Powell added. "He's put emphasis on us finishing this time."
The 2023 version of the Commodores is one that knows how to win. 17 starters return from last year's state runner-up squad, which leaves McCain feeling good about the team's approach to the season.
"Just the experience factor and understanding what it takes to get there, how we prepare," the head coach said of his veteran group. "I'm not worried about that part at all because we understand how to practice. We understand how to prepare. It's really solely just about finishing."
The road to doing so is quite the gauntlet. Maury will navigate one of the most difficult schedules in the area, a slate that features two reigning state champions (Highland Springs, Dinwiddie) and Maryland powerhouse Wise, which is its season opener on the road.
"We're expecting the win," McCain declared. "Obviously those teams coming to play are expecting to win, too, but should be good games, good talent, good coaching, good programs."
The Commodores boast a good program of their own. They won the state crown back in 2019, but nobody on the current team has hoisted the crown and McCain would love nothing more than to see his seniors finish their careers by claiming the ultimate prize.
"It would mean a lot," Powell said. "Since I've been a freshman, we've come up short every year so for us to finish this year would be good."
McCain agrees.
"This group hasn't won one yet and that group wants to be able to leave out and be able to call itself a state champion, get their jacket, get that ring, and we plan on doing that."
Maury's opener with Wise kicks off at 7:00 PM on September 1.
