BLACKSBURG, Va. (WFXR) — After nearly four years and 29 straight games of being on the losing side of the scoreboard, the Blacksburg High School football team last Friday buried the long losing streak with a 40-14 win at Floyd County.
“It was definitely an emotional night. When you have worked hard for something and it finally happens it means a lot to you,” said Blacksburg head coach Zach Leonard.
Good things come to those who wait. For the Blacksburg Bruins and a senior class never to have seen a win on the gridiron, the wait was long. Finally, they got the big losing streak of 29 games off of their backs.
“That night we played together as a team, we played great as a team. When that clock started winding down, I think everyone started to realize you know the streak is over and we got a win and when it hit zero, it was an amazing feeling,” said Blacksburg senior safety/wide receiver Luke Poff.
Things didn’t look good for the Bruins after two games as they were outscored in their losses by a combined score of 118-14. With the tough start, the team still had confidence they would win in 2023.
“We didn’t match up well that night, we didn’t execute that night. But we fought together. We were all on the same side. We had that tenacity to keep fighting and I was really really proud of that,” said Leonard.
Blacksburg was thankful for their first win since October 2019. But, they don’t want to rest on their laurels. The Bruins want to start a new string of wins.
“Once you turn that page, and you get that monkey off your back, I think our guys have a really being year in for them. I feel like they can continue to do good things and do good stuff,” said Leonard.
“We can’t get complacent with one win. We have got a lot of games we can take on our schedule we just need to go and do it,” said Poff.
Blacksburg looks for their second straight win as they host Rockbridge County Friday at 7 p.m.
