PORTSMOUTH, VA (WTKR) – Those who played IC Norcom football in 2023 know this feeling well – the disappointment of missing the playoffs when they did enough to qualify there.

The Greyhounds were deemed ineligible for the playoffs by the VHSL after an altercation following a 2022 playoff game, keeping them at home at the end of last year’s regular season.

IC Norcom has now put this experience aside. The Greyhounds finished their schedule 6-4 and earned the second seed in the Region 3A playoffs, which begin Friday night. They will welcome Heritage to open things up.

“It’s definitely a burden on us,” Norcom head coach Anthony Hawkins said. “We’re pumped for this, we’ve talked about it all offseason and that’s why the schedule we’ve been playing, we’re ready for the playoffs and we’re ready to go.”

“We’re definitely motivated,” added Greyhounds senior lineman Mikhai Patterson. “We want to go here and really prove to everyone that we deserve to be here, show you that we should have been here last year and we’re going to prove it to you this year.”

The schedule Coach Hawkins is referring to was certainly a challenge. The Greyhounds visited Oscar Smith and welcomed Thomas Jefferson out of Richmond as part of their non-district roster. Their four losses came against teams that finished 9-1 or better, giving them plenty of tests to prepare them for the playoffs.

The year 2023 was marked by many adversities for IC Norcom. It was a difficult experience to live through at the time, but one that brought them closer together.

“It was a pretty turbulent time, a dark time last year, but these guys are very resilient,” Hawkins noted. “The guys that have stayed with us and played this year are really hungry, so they’re really confident in what they’re doing and that’s what they’re talking about.”

“It’s been a lot of trials and tribulations,” Patterson added. “We’ve had coaches come through, we’ve been banned from the playoffs. It was just a dark cloud over us, but now that’s all gone and we’re going to show we deserve this spot here.”

First up are the Hurricanes, who come in seventh in the region. The Greyhounds are in survival mode and moving forward as they look for two years of success.

“It would be big. Big for the town, big for the school, big for the community,” Hawkins said of the chance for a victory Friday night. “These kids are ready, they’ve been waiting for this opportunity, so it’s really important to the program, certainly important to the community and the school.”

“It would mean everything,” Patterson said. “It means the opportunity to take another step toward a state championship.”

IC Norcom and Heritage kick off Friday night at 7:00 p.m. with the winner facing Tabb or Hopewell next week. Check out the scores and highlights Friday night on The Locker Room at 11:15 p.m. on WTKR.