WINDSOR, VA (WTKR)- Venture west on Route 460 beyond Suffolk and you'll drive right through Windsor, a small southeastern Virginia town, one that happens to take pride in its football players.
"A lot of times people notice me, especially at the gas station up the street," smiled Windsor senior quarterback Jeremy King. "You go up there, they see your jersey, they know that's you so it's nice knowing everyone knows you."
"I love it," added senior tight end and safety Jamonte Johnson. "All the people in the stands, they know you everywhere you go, so you'll get noticed everywhere around here."
Fridays during the fall find those same members of the community flocking to the football field. They fill the stands ready to cheer on the Dukes once the Friday night lights fire up.
"Most of the town is up there in the stands," senior running back and linebacker Logan Powell pointed out. "We've got a lot of energy coming out of there."
"We wished on Friday nights that everything closed down and right now it's getting to that point," said head coach Benjamin Dubois. "When we first got here, the bleachers were pretty empty. Now every game is packed and we're loving it."
"Knowing there's no other school out here and they only come to see us, we've got to show out every time we step on the field," added senior running back and quarterback Javion Collins. "The stands fill up every time and it feels good just to see all the people support us. Win, lose or draw, they're still out here."
2025 finds the Dukes zeroing in on that win column Collins mentioned. Dubois has seen the program grow during his three years as king of the castle, not just in numbers, but also in work ethic and talent.
"We've watched them go from little, weak kids to, now we have some of the stronger kids that I've had in my 29 years of coaching football," he observed.
"Disciplined us more, holding our standard up here," Collins said, holding his hand up. "We were just OK with losing. Not anymore. We're up there with the rest of the teams now. We're competitive with anybody now."
With all that in mind, Windsor has its sights set high for the upcoming campaign. Not since 1995 have the Dukes experienced the postseason, but they think they have the tools to make a run as this senior class looks to go out strong.
"Playoffs," said Johnson. "That's all we're trying to get to. We've been practicing hard for it. I feel like we've got it this year."
"We've worked our butts off since our freshmen, even our eighth grade years," King added. "We know we can do it. It just takes time. We put the work in and I think we can do it this year."
"Definitely playoffs and at least a winning record this year," said Powell. "We want to go all the way."
The players are chasing history both for the school and their community as a senior class looks to leave a legacy with a trip to the postseason.
"It would mean to world to me," Collins said of a potential playoff berth. "We've been working for this for a long time, but we actually mean it now. We're going to see what's going to happen this year."
"We've seen the worst of the worst, we've started seeing the best of the best," pointed out King. "We're getting there and once we get there it's going to be the best feeling in the world."
"To be able to come back in maybe 10 years and stand in front of them saying 'we took it to the next level' would be more than a reward for me," Dubois added.
Windsor begins its quest Thursday when it kicks off its schedule at Lakeland.
