HAMPTON, VA (WTKR)- Hampton High School football players know the Crabbers' tradition well before putting on the helmet.
17 state championships, 629 all-time wins- both good enough for VHSL records.
"We preach that to them," Hampton head coach Woodrow Wilson said. "We've got the banners up in the weight room and it seems like now they're grasping it."
"Very competitive teams," added junior quarterback Marcus Chapman. "Nobody really wanted to play them, lots of state championships and they were always great teams that played here."
2024 saw the program take a big step towards returning to the Crabbers of old. Hampton finished 9-4 and advanced to the Region 4A championship game, where it would fall to cross-town foe Phoebus. The team put together a 7-3 regular season and came away with two playoff victories, putting the Crabbers back on the map. The success helped light a fire under this year's group, which returns all but two starters from a season ago.
"That helps a lot as far as their confidence and as far as their attention to detail," noted Wilson, who is kicking ff his fourth season at the head of the program.
"Since we lost last season, we did build," Chapman pointed out. "During the offseason we were working real hard to make sure we can get back there and go further than that."
Chapman will be the man leading the charge for Hampton in 2025. The junior quarterback has shown signs of stardom during his young career and now he's hoping to be the latest in a long line of strong QB's to wear a Crabber uniform that includes Ronald Curry, Marques Hagans and Tyrod Taylor. Chapman, who says he's worked out with Taylor in the past, is aiming high for year three.
"It feels good knowing that people think that I can be some of those guys who played here before me," he said. "It's a lot of pressure, but I'm just staying calm and making sure I'm doing what I'm supposed to do and my responsibilities to make sure we win a state championship."
"He's more dedicated to his craft," noted Wilson. "He gets the kids out here early every day. We started today at 7:30. He was here at 6:45 and had the kids out here about 7:10."
Of course, taking the next step means knocking off the champions. Phoebus has put a lock on the Peninsula District, Region 4A and the state throughout the last four years, but the Crabbers hope that 2025 can signal a changing of the guard.
"We get a chance to play against them two times a year," pointed out Chapman. "We're trying to beat them both times and we don't want to hear them bragging anymore, so we're trying to stop that."
"We're working real hard, knowing that we're going to have to go through Phoebus if we're going to be state champions," Wilson said. "The kids are looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to that."
Hampton kicks off its season September 5 at Lake Taylor.
