Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Although the King’s Fork Bulldogs football team fell to Warwick in the region semifinals, head football coach Anthony Joffrion’s team accomplished something the school’s program has never seen — an undefeated and outright Southeastern District title, earning him Suffolk’s football Coach of the Year.

The difference this season for Joffrion is how he approached the head coach role, and most of all, he learned to enjoy the moment,

“I kind of took it for granted my first season. As head coach, we won the region,” Joffrion said. “I didn’t really get to enjoy the moment. So ever since then, you know, I didn’t really realize it to the offseason season, and I tried to, you know, every moment that you have, really try to make the most of it. Even though you do want to go further. You do want to win more games. You know, I think you got to do a better job of enjoying the success when it happens.”

Four of the Bulldog’s 10 games were decided by one score or less. 

Joffrion’s team breezed through most teams they played but faced adversity in two back-to-back double overtime games against Nansemond River and Indian River and powered past Oscar Smith on a rain-drenched October Friday night. 

Handling adversity is something Joffrion has taken pride in teaching his team throughout his tenure as head coach.

“Just getting a kid to buy into the idea of overcoming adversity because, as a football coach, that’s everything a game, but also, it goes directly into real life,” Joffrion said. “Stuff doesn’t always go your way in the real world. So, I just hope and pray that these kids take that lesson of adversity and carry [it] with them the rest of their life.”

When asked what stood out the most to him this season, Joffrion said it was how close the kids on the team were.

“They just did a great job of buying into the family atmosphere,” he said. “It was crazy, [it] was the first group where kids just wanted to stay after to get extra work, wanted to come in early. They just love being around each other.”

That family atmosphere is likely to continue next season as the Bulldogs return all but four starters.

Like many, Joffrion juggles his family on the field and off. Joffrion and his wife DeSrea have two children — a two-year-old daughter and a three-month-old son — and says the balance is challenging but credits his wife for her support.

“I would say the most important thing is, you have to marry the right person,” he said. “So my wife, she fully supports it, you know, she doesn’t miss a game. I try to involve my two-year-old as much as possible. If you ever come to a JV game, she’s with me.”

In Joffrion’s three years as the head coach, the Bulldogs are 36-6 — including the COVID-19 bubble season — earning a trip to the postseason in each of them.