NEWPORT NEWS, VA (WTKR)- On Thursday, Warwick legend Michael Vick spoke to the current Raiders team ahead of its state semifinal match-up with Dinwiddie. Among the group of current stars listening to Vick, sophomore Messiah Delhomme.
"I want to be in the NFL one day and get in the Hall of Fame for the ACC," Delhomme said of the bar Vick has set for him. "I just want to be great."
He's certainly played the role of star player well. Throughout the season, he's made key plays on both sides of the ball for Warwick, helping the Raiders to a 9-1 regular season mark. Ask him and he'll tell you that it was around the third or fourth game of 2022 when he really started to find traction.
"I started getting in my groove, started scoring more, getting more yards every play," he noted. "I started making a name for myself."
Area football fans will remember his name for quite some time, thanks to his performance in last Friday's regional championship game. The sophomore gained 212 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns, while also tallying two interceptions on defense, leading Warwick to a 31-19 win over King's Fork in the Region 4A championship game. The victory marked the Raiders' first regional crown in 30 years.
"I was excited, I was happy," he said of his career night. "I can't even describe the emotions. It just felt great to win."
"A lot of things he did last week, he's been doing all season so it's nothing new," added Warwick head coach Corey Hairston. "He really rallies around the team, the team rallies around him and we all play together."
Delhomme's performance last week helped guide the Raiders into the state semifinals, but they're not satisfied with just making it out of the region. They want to bring the ultimate prize back to the halls of Warwick.
"We have [come] so far, put in a lot of hard work from the beginning of the season to summer workouts," Delhomme said. "We're trying to get a state championship and bring it back to Newport News."
"That would be awesome and it's gonna happen," Hairston said confidently in regards to a win this Saturday at Dinwiddie, which would punch Warwick's ticket to the state title game.
One thing is for certain: Delhomme and his teammates have a chance to accomplish one of the few things Vick was unable to achieve during his time in a Raider uniform, which is bring home a state crown.
Warwick and Dinwiddie kickoff on the Generals' home field at 2:00 PM on Saturday afternoon.
