Good morning. The Dinwiddie Generals held their annual football banquet this past Sunday. Colonel Matthew Bradford (US Marines) was the keynote speaker. Colonel Bradford is a former Dinwiddie player who lost both legs and his vision in Iraq. Matt walks with two prosthetic legs and amazingly competes in marathons, spartan challenges and hand cycling events. He is a true inspiration and his message was about using your platform to serve others.
During the ceremony we said goodbye to 7 seniors (6 were starters) who will truly be missed. In case some of you don't know our starting long snapper Cheyenne Wray (yes a female), was recognized for receiving the Richmond HS Football Humanitarian Award and signing a semi pro contract with the Women's Football League. She will be playing on the interior lines and her first season starts this spring.
I guess the most enlightening part of the night was Coach Mills acknowledgement of the struggle and frustration this team faced this past season. A slew of injuries, tough schedule and the youth of the team all played a part. At one point the offensive line had 2 sophomores, 2 freshmen, and 1 senior starting. The good news is the Generals will have a very big and experienced group coming back. In fact, two 2019 projected starters that were out the entire year will be ready, so things are looking up.
I must admit it will be tough to find someone to pick up where Barlow left off, but King (sophomore) did an admirable job against Patrick Henry in the region final, so we should be okay. I look for Brenton Hilton (QB) to have a breakout season as he has an experienced receiving corp returning. JV tight end Hazlewood (sophomore) made a huge impression the last few games and at 6'4" he will be a huge target going forward.
I have attached the 2019 highlight presentation. I hope it links.
During the ceremony we said goodbye to 7 seniors (6 were starters) who will truly be missed. In case some of you don't know our starting long snapper Cheyenne Wray (yes a female), was recognized for receiving the Richmond HS Football Humanitarian Award and signing a semi pro contract with the Women's Football League. She will be playing on the interior lines and her first season starts this spring.
I guess the most enlightening part of the night was Coach Mills acknowledgement of the struggle and frustration this team faced this past season. A slew of injuries, tough schedule and the youth of the team all played a part. At one point the offensive line had 2 sophomores, 2 freshmen, and 1 senior starting. The good news is the Generals will have a very big and experienced group coming back. In fact, two 2019 projected starters that were out the entire year will be ready, so things are looking up.
I must admit it will be tough to find someone to pick up where Barlow left off, but King (sophomore) did an admirable job against Patrick Henry in the region final, so we should be okay. I look for Brenton Hilton (QB) to have a breakout season as he has an experienced receiving corp returning. JV tight end Hazlewood (sophomore) made a huge impression the last few games and at 6'4" he will be a huge target going forward.
I have attached the 2019 highlight presentation. I hope it links.
