WILLIAMSBURG, VA (WTKR)- It's hard for Jamestown players to forget the last time they were on the field for a game. The Eagles fell to Phoebus in the Region 4A playoffs, 104-0, catching the attention of national outlets and making headlines on their worst day.
"You definitely feel very defeated, but I felt very motivated and very sure that I was going to work all year to come back to make sure something like that did not happen again," said Jamestown senior linebacker and running back Aaron Tuckey.
"Even though we lost that game by a very large margin that you don't see, really ever, it did kind of help us get some new perspective and new insight," added senior linebacker and tight end Jordan Lambin.
With that new perspective and insight in mind, the Eagles decided very early on that a lackluster November night would not define them.
"Sure, there were levels to it," Tuckey noted. "I would have preferred not to be put on the news or whatever, but you can't let that stuff get to you and completely deflate you for the rest of your career."
"I try not to look at things in a negative way," Lambin said. "The past is in the past and the only way is up from here."
Fast forward to August and a new-look Jamestown team is flying full speed ahead. It starts with new head coach James Riley, who came in and wasted no time getting to know his new group. Riley made it a point to speak with players, coaches and administrators to get a feel for what the team was experiencing.
"The best word I would use is 'uncertainty,'" he noted. "They've had a lot of change in the last couple years and so no one knew what to expect and one of the things I told them was 'we've got to bring hope and excitement back to the program.'"
So far so good. Riley describes his coaching as very loud. He pushes positivity, applauds the little things that go right, brings energy and is working to create a culture that will prevent things like last November's loss, but is not focused on last November's loss.
"This is our story," he pointed out. "We are working to be the best versions of ourselves and when you do that, there's no room for saying this is about revenge, this is about payback. This is about us playing to the best of our ability day in and day out."
"It's electric," Lambin said of the energy. "People are excited, they're optimistic about everything and we just all can't wait to get into the season."
Jamestown is coming off a 1-10 campaign, including the playoff loss, and while many measure success in wins and losses, that's not the entire focus for the Eagles.
"It was surprising to hear not many people mention wins and losses," Riley said of his meetings with players and coaches. "It was just about can we keep the team together and can we move forward and so I believe if we play the best version of ourselves, the wins are going to come."
"We definitely want wins," Tuckey said. "That's a big motivator for us is to have a better season, but that wouldn't be it. If we play as a whole team the whole year, I think that would be a good measure of success."
The 2024 campaign presents Jamestown with a clean slate. The Eagles hope to use it as a chance to prove that being on the wrong side of history is not the story itself, but merely a chapter in their climb back.
"What I do want the community and people to realize is that we're a completely different team and now we're building back up," Lambin pointed out. "This is going to be a season to remember."
"These young men have worked incredibly hard in the last five months," added Riley. "I'm really excited for the opportunity that they have this season to change their story a little bit."
Jamestown opens its schedule Thursday at Nottoway. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.
