It’s a long way from the week before Labor Day to almost-Thanksgiving, but the last 11 or 12 weeks have shown the dedication and grit of Suffolk’s football players and coaches.

Our four hometown teams have powered through practices in the sweltering heat and, lately, practices in the freezing cold. They have overcome illness, injury and internal disagreements to get out there on the field every Friday night. They have memorized the plays, made the tackles, caught the passes and made it into the end zone time after time. They have experienced “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” and continued to show up for practice the following Monday, ready to put it all behind them and play again.

As we approach the end of the season, two of our teams remain in the playoffs, and we encourage everybody who is able to go and support them this Friday night.

Our Nansemond River High School Warriors will face off against Indian River High School in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors and the Braves have traded wins back and forth the last few years, with each team having knocked the other out of the playoffs once in the previous two seasons. Each team has a chance to revenge those losses and emerge victorious tonight. We’re cheering for Coach Justin Conyers and his Warriors to take the victory.

Our King’s Fork High School Bulldogs will compete against Warhill High School in the first round Friday. This is the first playoff appearance under Coach Kermit Buggs, who is in his first year with the Bulldogs. King’s Fork has had a challenging schedule this year, and they expect that to play to their advantage now that they have earned a spot in the playoffs. We’re pumped to see a win for the Bulldogs.

Both teams are on the road Friday. The Nansemond River game will be at 1969 Braves Trail, Chesapeake. The King’s Fork game will be at 4725 Stadium Road, Williamsburg. Each game starts at 7 p.m. and costs $10 admission.

Go Warriors and Bulldogs!