Part of the year the Bennett’s Creek Warrior midget football team is a group of loyal, long-time teammates. Part of the year they are opponents.

“About half of the guys play at John Yeates and about half are at King’s Fork (Middle School),” said Warrior head coach Jim Hibbs.

“Most of the kids have been playing here since they were eight years old or so. Most of them have been here six or seven years at Bennett’s Creek,” Hibbs said.

Not many Pop Warner football squads can boast having 24 returning players from one season to the next. Last fall, the Warriors made it deep into the postseason and were two points away from winning the Mid-South Region and going to nationals in Florida.

“So this group’s very motivated,” Hibbs said. “This is pretty much the last year for many of them before they go on to high school ball.”

Most of the Warriors are already on their respective middle school squads in the spring.

Bennett’s Creek Pop Warner hosted an eight-week summer program, and most of the Warriors attended it, making football close to a year-round season.

The Warriors are 7-1 this fall heading into the semifinal round of the Mid-South Region playoffs as Division 2 champions of the Southeastern Virginia Pop Warner Conference. The Warriors go to Raleigh, N.C. to face the Kernersville Raiders (N.C.) Saturday.

The Warriors topped 200 points scored in the eight games while allowing 36.

“We play a very aggressive, attack-style defense,” Hibbs said.

“On offense, we have three running backs who carry the ball for us. We’re pretty potent with our running game and we have some balance. We do a good job of mixing in a few passes,” the coach said.

The Warriors need two victories to surpass where they reached last season. A win over Kernersville sends Bennett’s Creek to a game in Charlotte on Nov. 27.