King’s Fork High School’s T.J. Hart was named to the second VHSL 4A All-State team.

Hart is a junior defensive back for the Bulldogs who had a historic individual season, leading to him getting a nod from coaches across the state to be a part of the All-State defensive second team.

“He’s a great kid, and he works hard,” Bulldogs coach Scottie Littles said. “He understands what it takes, and he works his tail off at it. He does well in the classroom, too. He’s the total package. His game can get even better.”

Hart finished the season with 11 interceptions, including six in his first two games. That mark was a school record while also placing him among the top in the state and nation. He was voted first team All-Conference and All-Region.

What makes Hart’s accomplishments so impressive is that this was his first season in which he was a full-time starter. He set expectations high for himself, and he achieved them.

“My expectations were extremely high,” Hart said. “I wanted to prove that I could be a dominant player. The All-State selection is excellent, but that just means I have to work even harder next year to make the first team.”

“He expected to have a good season,” Littles said. “He knew he had certain abilities. He actually took the coaching in and got better each week. When you have an athletic kid that can take coaching, anything can happen.”

His goal this year was to win a championship. King’s Fork wasn’t able to accomplish that this year, but Hart was able to achieve his individual goal, which was to be a lockdown defender.

One thing Hart prides himself on is not settling. Even though he now has the school record for interceptions, he will try to surpass his own record next year. Instead of being named second team All-State, he wants to achieve first team All-State. Instead of being first team All-Conference, he’d like to be defensive player of the year.

“It felt great to represent my King’s Fork family and school,” Hart said. “It feels good to be a part of history, and on top of that, I’m only a junior. I’m looking to achieve much more with my teammates and coaches next year.”