Bulldogs established themselves during two-year run
- By JOHN BREEDEN Daily News-Record
As John Marshall’s lead grew larger, you could see reality set in on the faces of Luray’s players.
The Bulldogs knew they would have their hands full against the Justices in Friday’s Virginia High School League Class 2 state semifinals at Huguenot High School in Richmond as they’re one of the best teams the nation has to offer.
John Marshall features high-level players from all over the country from the likes of Alabama, New York, and North Carolina, so a win for the small-town Luray squad on Friday would’ve arguably been one of the biggest upsets in VHSL basketball history.
Despite the odds stacked against them, the Bulldogs still had belief in themselves, and that hope was instilled in them by head coach Mat Huff and the Luray coaching staff.
Unfortunately for them, the belief was all but drained out by halftime as the Justices led by 23 at the break and proceeded to win 104-53 in the end.
The season-ending loss was crushing for the Bulldogs, but that won’t take away from what they accomplished this year in what was another deep postseason run that saw them earn back-to-back Region 2B championships and get into the state tournament.
“I was proud of them,” Huff said after the John Marshall loss. “To be one of the final four teams in classification and probably, in my opinion, we were playing the best as far as legit Class 2 basketball goes.”
The Bulldogs lose four seniors, including guard Blake Jenkins and post player Jae Frye, who played prominent roles in the team’s success this season.
Jenkins, a 5-foot-10 guard, was consistently one of Luray’s top scorers on a nightly basis and was one of the best shooters in Region 2B.
Anytime Jenkins got fired up, his teammates followed suit.
“For three years now, Blake’s been the motor of our team,” Huff said. “As he gets us going, we go. We’re really going to miss him. He’s been phenomenal.”
Frye, a 6-foot-2 post, was Luray’s big man throughout the season and reached double figures in points many times, which helped give his team the extra push needed to win games.
While Frye grew as a basketball player, Huff valued his leadership on and off the court more than anything.
“I told him, ‘Man, I couldn’t be prouder of you as a person and the person that you’ve become,’” Huff said. “‘It’s more important to me than the basketball player you’ve become. You’ve become a leader within the school, a leader in the program.’ That’s been the biggest thing that I think he’s grown from. I can’t be prouder of that.”
The Bulldogs (21-8) put together a 20-win season, won the region title for the second straight year, and downed Greensville County in a thrilling overtime state quarterfinal win.
These were all things people said they couldn’t do, but the Bulldogs defied the odds.
“Those things that everybody said we couldn’t do, we did,” Huff said.
Proving doubters wrong has been something Luray has managed to do over the last two seasons.
After winning a mere six games in the 2022-23 season, the Bulldogs went on a magical run last year by winning the 2B championship and making an appearance in the Class 2 state tournament.
This year, it was about proving to those who doubted them that last year wasn’t a fluke.
All of those skeptics were silenced after the Bulldogs ran past Buckingham County in the 2B semifinals on the road to make it back to the region title game, which they ended up victorious in against Central.
Last year was the miracle run, and this year was about vindication.
“Everybody was targeting us,” Huff said after the Buckingham County win. “It’s very vindicating, just for these guys to do it. The guys work so hard. Everybody put in work in the offseason for us and just worked so hard because they wanted to get back. From 1-through-12, they all wanted to get back. Man, we got back, and it’s awesome.”
The Bulldogs took it a step further this season with a win in the state quarterfinals, something they failed to do last season.
Now, looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, they’ll want to do it again.
While they lose some key seniors, the Bulldogs bring back a lot of skilled players, the least of which being this year’s Region 2B Player of the Year in Matthew Owens.
The Bulldogs will have Connor Hilliard back as a senior, who played a major role in leading the Bulldogs to victory in both the 2B semifinals and the state quarterfinals.
Also returning will be Ayden Haddock, who stepped up in a massive way throughout his sophomore campaign and was another go-to guy on the court for the Bulldogs.
With a handful of big-time returners and now seen as an established program that put the area on notice this season, Huff’s season-ending message to his guys was loud and clear as they put another incredible year behind them.
“I told the guys that in order for us to do it again next year, the work starts tomorrow,” Huff said.
