WILLIAMSBURG — “Friday Night Lights” is a series looking in on area high school football programs ahead of the 2024 season.
The Warhill Lions football team is coming off one of its most successful campaigns since Jerome Rhodes has been the head coach. Now entering his sixth year, Rhodes is confident in his returning team members.
The Lions were undefeated during the 2023 regular season, getting a chance to win games against crosstown rivals Jamestown and Lafayette. The Lions ultimately lost in the postseason semifinal round to eventual state champion Phoebus.
“We met expectation last year. We had a good group of kids that had been in the program for four years. We started out with 36 2024 graduates and it dwindled down to 23 seniors going into the season. Those 23 seniors were excellent individuals, highly committed, which we believe resulted in the success that we had on the field,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes’s team notched thee most ever wins in Warhill football history — 12 — won the Bay Rivers District title outright and saw eight seniors earn opportunities to play collegiate football.
Four starters return for 2024, senior running back/defensive back Isaiah Rembert, senior wide receiver/defensive back Elijah Williams, senior offensive lineman and defensive lineman Maximus Schill and senior offensive lineman and defensive lineman Leland Hudik.
“We had 23 seniors and that is the largest group of seniors that I’ve ever had. We had to replace a lot of guys, nine starters on the defensive side and eight on the offensive side. My starters were also backed up by other seniors. The group that we have coming in now, there’s quite a few that got some playing time, but not a lot,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes hopes to continue to build upon last year’s success in 2024.
“We always have the expectation for a state championship, but it starts with our district. We really want to go out there, compete, do the best that we can and win our district. We have a lot of question marks, we have guys who have played a lot but they are not starters. We’ll find out very early on what our team can do but the hope for this season, we want to be highly competitive in every single game that we play,” Rhodes said.
Looking at the 2024 schedule, Rhodes knows that there will be some hard-fought games.
“We have an out-of-district game during week two against Matoaca. They are a division five team, they made it to the state semifinals last year, they are returning about three or four kids that are powerhouses. They are going to be extremely tough to beat. The thing about this year is that all of the Bay Rivers District games are going to be tough for us. We have a lot to lose this year,” Rhodes said.
As far as his approach, Rhodes is leaning on his staff to inspire the next generation of players with positive leadership skills.
“Our staff is going to have to take on more of a leadership role, and I mean that by the coaches are responsible for setting the example, making sure kids understand the standard. But then you really want your seniors on the team to be the extension of what your standards and beliefs are. They will become the driving force for the team,” Rhodes said.
To inspire that leadership, Rhodes looks to his age-old words of wisdom: effort, honor, and ownership.
“We believe that is the driving force behind the success of our program and it extends past the football field. We don’t separate, we believe that football is a part of these kids’ identities, so we want to help develop that. We believe that football is a microcosm of society so it’s always been that we want them to give a great effort both on and off the field, honor the decisions that they make in life on or off the field, and take ownership over their success and failures on and off the field,” Rhodes said.
Warhill will kick off the 2024 season at home versus Manor High School on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m.
Warhill High School football 2024 schedule:
Aug. 29 — home vs. Manor High School
Sept. 6 — home vs. Matoaca High School
Sept. 12 — home vs. York High School
Sept. 20 — away vs. Poquoson High School
Sept. 27 — away vs. New Kent High School
Oct. 4 — home vs. Smithfield High School
Oct. 11 — away vs. Lafayette High School
Oct. 18 — home vs. Grafton High School
Oct. 24 — home vs. Smithfield High School
Nov. 1 — away vs. Tabb High School
Nov. 8 — away vs. Jamestown High School