“WE’RE BAACK!!!”
A banner held by Mathews High School cheerleaders, and run through by members of the Blue Devil football team, celebrated the return to the gridiron on Friday night at the school’s Ken Brown Field.
The return of Mathews football was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd who packed the stands and sidelines to root on the home team as they faced John Marshall High School from Richmond.
If school spirit could translate into points, Mathews would have easily come away with the win. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case as the inexperienced Blue Devils fell to the Justices, 70-6.
For many of the MHS players, Friday night was their first time playing organized, competitive football. The last game played on Ken Brown Field was Nov. 4, 2021, with the 2022 and 2023 seasons canceled due to lack of numbers.
“I think the night was a night filled with anxiety and excitement,” MHS head coach Dustin Mullins said. “One of the biggest challenges we faced last night was ball security. We had a...