SUFFOLK, VA (WTKR)- What a difference a year can make. Nansemond River did not have a home field in 2022, but fresh new turf sits in the Warriors' stadium waiting for the Friday night lights.
"We're on our campus," said head coach Alonzo Ricks. "We didn't have to move and go move transportation and to be able to have here and have all our family and friends and everything here, the same supporters we had last year, just staying a little closer to home this year, we're looking forward to it."
"All the people that know you cheering you on, you've got more family able to come, it just makes the environment way better," added senior linebacker Immanuel Ezeogu. "It makes you more comfortable and play better."
Hopping on a bus for every game did not seem to hurt the Warriors too much last season. Sure, there was plenty of travel, but the team also tallied up plenty of wins. Nansemond River advanced to the Region 5B title game before Maury ended its season just three wins shy of state gold.
"It makes us hungry that we saw the potential of where we can be and that we can get further," Ezeogu noted. "We've been feeding off that energy and we're having the goal."
"They remember that November 26 night and how they felt," Ricks said. "They remember coming back here and the conversations we had and they've been busting their butts since January."
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Don't be surprised to see more success from the red and black in 2023. Plenty of experience returns, including 16 starters and plenty of players who saw significant playing time off the bench. The Warriors are led by a senior class that Ricks has nicknamed "The Bubble Babies," as they were all freshmen during the COVID-19 condensed season that saw the program only face its fellow Suffolk rivals. It's a group that has seen its fair share of victories.
"The foundation is here, the culture is here," pointed out Ricks. "We're just trying to build on it and maybe try to take it to the next step and get to the next level."
The Nansemond River program is no stranger to winning. The Warriors won a region championship in 2017 and have made the playoffs in each of the last nine full campaigns. The way things are lining up this season has the team aiming high.
"We can go 10-0, but that's not our goal," said the JMU commit Ezeogu. "Our goal is to win states."
"We have a gauntlet to go through week in and week out in the Southeastern District," noted Ricks. "You look at (Region) 5B with the teams that we have, as well as 5A to even get to the state championship game, so whoever comes out, it'll be hard-fought, definitely well-earned and deserved."
Nansemond River opens up its 2023 slate on Friday at home against Bethel.
