SUFFOLK, VA (WTKR)- King's Fork head football coach Anthony Joffrion knows his team is still chasing that state championship.
It sounds like his city is making sure he doesn't forget.
"In the streets of Suffolk, they say we're like the Dallas Cowboys," Joffrion smiled. "We have great regular seasons, we might win a couple in the playoffs, but we can never win the championship. I ain't saying that we're the King's Fork Cowboys, but when I go to the barber shop and the grocery store, that's what they say."
Don't get confused, though. The state crown is the only thing missing on the Bulldogs' resume under Joffrion as they seem to have accomplished pretty much everything else. They've brought plenty of bark and bite since he took over the program ahead of the 2021 season.
"We've won everything but a state championship," the head coach pointed out. "At first it was 'hey, let's win a region.' We did that. 'Hey, let's win the district.' We've done that. We just haven't won a state championship, so we've got to find a way to get over that hurdle."
"That's the main goal, state championship," added senior outside linebacker Josh Pittman. "We talk about it. We do 15 push-ups every day in the weight room. Last one, we say 'win' so when we get to December 13 and get on that field, we're just going to dominate."
King's Fork appears to have the tools to do just that. 19 starters return from last year's squad that finished 11-2 and advanced to the Region 5B championship game. Many of this season's seniors have come up through the program, accelerating the process during preseason camp in 2025.
"I've been in in the program since eighth grade," said Pittman, a Virginia Tech verbal commit. "I've seen the ups and downs of it, so I'm definitely proud, man. I've been here awhile, so I'm excited."
"I've had the opportunity to coach them for years," Joffrion added. "They know what to expect from me and I know what to expect from them, so they're doing a great job leading the team, a great job holding each other accountable."
The Bulldogs have also added a key piece in junior wide receiver Anthony Henderson Jr. The transfer from Bruton gives the squad yet another weapon with his athleticism and skill and he's wasted no time fitting in with is new teammates.
"I knew they were an established program," Henderson said of King's Fork. "A lot of wins, a great program as it is. I just want to come in and do my part and help out to that next level, that state championship."
"He's answered the bell," the head coach said of his new receiver. "Last week against Phoebus and Manchester, two very tough teams, he caught a lot of balls that were tough to catch, played very physical and he's doing a great job just fitting into our culture and just trying to be that leader."
The Bulldogs know what their ultimate goal is, but right now they're focused on August, hoping the little things they work on now will lead to success down the road. With all the pieces in place, Joffrion says it all comes down to the coaches executing to their full potential.
"That's what it boils down to- I have to do a better job," he noted. "It's really not on the kids. It's really on the coaches because we have the talent, we have the kids that work hard, it's just going to come down to those in-game decisions."
"Us staying together as a team," Henderson said of what success looks like in 2025. "Individually, we're great, but as a team I feel like we can take that step as a team, us together, we'll go all the way."
King's Fork kicks off its season September 5 at home against Maryland powerhouse Wise.
