Four Suffolk teams state-bound

Published 3:51 pm Saturday, June 3, 2017

Now that regional tournament play has concluded, Suffolk will have four teams playing in state tournaments.

The city will be represented well this week, as each team comes one step closer to a potential state championship. Nansemond River High School will have three teams competing on the state level, while King’s Fork High School will have one in the championships.

The Warriors will send their boys’ soccer, softball and girls’ tennis teams to the 5A state tournament. King’s Fork will have their girls’ soccer team playing on the state level.

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For two of these teams, history has been made. It is the first time the Lady Bulldogs and Warriors’ boy’s soccer teams have reached the state level in their respective schools’ history.

Mike Marston, KFHS girls’ soccer coach, is happy seeing his team finally get over the hump.

In each of the last four years, the team had competed well at the regional level but couldn’t quite clinch a bid to states. That changed on Wednesday after a 3-2 win against Hanover High School, which automatically qualified them for the 4A state tournament berth.

The Warriors have made school history and will try to continue to do so. The boys’ soccer team has been the underdog in each of its games since the PenSouth Conference semifinals. They have managed to elevate their game each time, in the process winning a PenSouth Conference title after being a No. 2 seed.

They clinched their state tournament bid after an unusual two-day game against Kempsville High School that ended in a win for the Warriors on Thursday.

Much like their boys’ soccer team, the Nansemond River’s softball team was not expected to reach the 5A state level of play. Two years ago, the Lady Warriors reached that point, but since then, productive players on that team have since graduated.

Some of the younger girls who were on that team have stepped into bigger roles this year and have taken advantage of them.

The Lady Warriors girls’ tennis team has been steamrolling its competition all year. It was evident from their first match that the Lady Warriors had potential to not only reach the 5A state level but possibly win the state championship, as well. They only have one loss this year, and that came in the 5A South regional finals. They will compete for the title on Tuesday.

Nansemond River’s softball and boys’ soccer teams will play at Westfield High School in Chantilly on Friday. The Lady Warriors’ tennis team will face Marshall Tucker High School in Falls Church. King’s Fork will play at Roanoke College on Friday.

Opponents and times have not been set.