PORTSMOUTH, VA (WTKR)- Those who suited up for I.C. Norcom football in 2023 know the feeling well- the disappointment of missing the playoffs despite doing enough to qualify for them.
The Greyhounds were ruled ineligible for the postseason by the VHSL after an altercation following a playoff game in 2022, keeping them at home at the conclusion of last year's regular season.
Now I.C. Norcom has put that experience in the rear-view mirror. The Greyhounds finished their schedule 6-4 and earned the number two seed in the Region 3A playoffs, which kick off Friday night. They'll host Heritage to open things up.
"It's definitely a chip on our shoulder," Norcom head coach Anthony Hawkins said. "We're motivated for this, we talked about this all offseason and that's why the schedule we played, we're primed for the postseason and we're ready to go."
"We're definitely motivated," added Greyhounds' senior lineman Mikhai Patterson. "We want to go in here and really prove to everybody that we deserve to be here, show y'all we should've been here last year and we're going to prove that to y'all this year."
The schedule Coach Hawkins is referring to was certainly challenging. The Greyhounds visited Oscar Smith and hosted Thomas Jefferson out of Richmond as part of their non-district slate. All four of their defeats came to teams that finished 9-1 or better, giving them plenty of tests to get them playoff-ready.
Sports
High school football playoffs kick off Friday night
2023 handed I.C. Norcom plenty of adversity. It was an experience that was hard to handle at the time, but one that brought them closer together.
"It was kind of turbulent times, a dark time last year, but these guys are very resilient," Hawkins noted. "The guys that stayed with us and played through this year, they're really hungry, so they're definitely confident about what they're doing and this is what they've been talking about."
"It was a lot of trials and tribulations," added Patterson. "We had coaches passing, we had the ban from playoffs. It was just a dark cloud over us, but now all that's gone and we're going to show that we deserve this spot right here."
First up is the Hurricanes, who come in as the No. 7 seed in the region. The Greyhounds are in survive-and-advance mode as they look to make a run for two years worth of success.
"It would be big. Big for the city, big for the school, big for the community," Hawkins said of the chance to pick up a win Friday night. "These kids are ready, they've been waiting for this opportunity, so it's definitely big for the program, definitely big for the community and the school."
"It would mean everything," said Patterson. "It means the opportunity to take that next step closer to a state championship."
I.C. Norcom and Heritage kick off Friday night at 7:00 with the winner facing either Tabb or Hopewell next week. Check out scores and highlights Friday night on The Locker Room at 11:15 PM on WTKR.
