HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- Bethel has a long, successful football tradition dating back to the mid-1970's. There were points when the Bruins climbed to the top of the state, including the Allen Iverson days of the early '90's.
After some down years, the program is starting to make a comeback.
"There's a saying, 'you lose big, you lose close, then you win close, then you win big,'" said Bethel head coach David Porter. "We're right on time with that."
Porter took the reins of the Bruins prior to the 2022 season with hopes of leading the program back to prominence. Most of his upperclassmen have been beside him every step of the way.
"First year, we went 2-8," remembered senior running back Amari Pryear. "It felt bad. Then we started climbing up from there. 5-5, 6-4. We went 6-4 this year."
"I've been here since eighth grade, seeing us go 2-8, 4-6, all that," junior wide receiver and defensive back Derek Fisher added. "5-5, 6-4."
Bethel has taken steps forward in each of the last four years. That includes this past Friday night, when the Bruins, the number five seed in Region 5B, hit the road to Nansemond River for the region quarterfinals. Something different was in the air.
"My defensive coordinator before the game said 'Coach, this feels different,'"recalled Porter.
"As soon as I came out for warm-ups, they were talking trash," Fisher smiled. "That got me riled up. I knew it was going to be a night for us."
Sports
19 Hampton Roads teams hit region football semifinals stage
That feeling proved correct, as Bethel overcame a three-point halftime deficit to upset the Warriors, 28-18. Pryear scored two rushing touchdowns, while Fisher accounted for two takeaways, including an interception return for a touchdown early in the second half that proved to be a key turning point. It marked the program's first postseason victory since 2008, before some of the current Bruins were even born.
It's part of Porter's plan to develop a high school football program, rather than just a team.
"Moving on beyond the first round was a big step in that," he said. "The goal was a home playoff game. We fell a little short there. We gave away a couple games that we probably should've won, but it's a good thing for the seniors."
"We're in the history books," Pryear added. "It feels good to be another senior class that did it. We're the first senior class to win a (playoff) game since 2008. It feels good."
"They dumped me with the water," Porter chuckled. "I didn't get a chance to watch it. I felt it, but it was exciting to see some of those guys happy about getting the win and the parents lined up and the fans there, that was exciting."
Will more excitement lie ahead? The road doesn't get any easier as Bethel travels back to Suffolk to face top-seeded King's Fork this Friday night. Once again, the Bruins are the underdogs, but they're looking to make some more noise and punch their ticket to the region title game.
"My approach is to get revenge on them," said Fisher. "My freshman year when we made it to the playoffs for the first time in a couple years, we played King's Fork and they beat us, so now it's our chance to beat them."
"It would mean a lot for the program," Porter said of a potential win Friday night. "For the kids and the school, it would mean a lot for that."
Bethel and King's Fork kick things off at 7 p.m. Friday night.
