CHESAPEAKE, VA (WTKR)- Oscar Smith's 2025 football season didn't start the way the Tigers hoped it would.
Chris Scott's team hit the road to Gonzaga in Washington, DC, and found itself on the losing end of a 17-0 score.
"Losses like that help us not become complacent and things of that nature, not being comfortable where we were," junior quarterback Lonnie Andrews III pointed out. "We felt like we came into that game ready to work and then things happened so it just opened our eyes."
"It meant a lot to us for sure," added senior wide receiver Travis Johnson. "We knew from then we wanted to win 14 straight and win the state championship again."
Fast forward and the Tigers are pretty close to backing up that plan. They've won all 12 of their games since then and are once again practicing during state championship week, 48 minutes away from their fourth state title in the last six seasons and sixth championship overall.
"It's great," Johnson said. "Definitely my last go-round with the guys so it's definitely a great experience, but its going to be harder to go back-to-back than to win one like we did last year."
"It's always a great feeling to be out here practicing after Thanksgiving," Andrews added. "To be able to practice this late into the season is just a blessing knowing that a lot of teams don't make it here."
This is not uncharted territory for Oscar Smith (12-1). As Johnson noted, the Tigers won the Class 6 state title in 2024, holding off James Madison in a 21-20 thriller. The players on the field have that experience to fall back on that will come in handy when they face North Stafford (11-3) for another championship on Saturday.
"It helps us know that it's not just some crazy big game," Andrews said of how the experience helps. "It's probably a big game in the state, being that it's the state championship game, but we've been here before, we've been through the process so we've just got to come out and execute."
"It definitely helps us," Johnson reinforced. "The team chemistry is great, everybody loves each other around here. It's really a brotherhood so we're ready."
That brotherhood hits the field Saturday looking to add to its already-storied history. Another state crown is there for the taking, which would be a monumental achievement, not just for the team, but for the community that has supported the Tigers every step of the way.
"Definitely want to hold it again," Johnson said of another championship. "That feeling's amazing so I definitely want to feel it again."
"It would mean, not only a lot for me, but to the team, alumni and the people who support us in the stands," noted Andrews. "It wouldn't just be a big help to me and the team, it would be a great help to the community."
Oscar Smith and North Stafford kick off at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at James Madison University.
