The final score was 71-59 on Monday evening as the Hayfield Hawks took down the similarly dominant and similarly titled South Lakes Seahawks. This win propelled the Hawks back to the VHSL Class 6A State Championship, which will take place on March 10th at 8:00PM at the Siegel Center of Virginia Commonwealth University.

The defending champs are led in points per game by three players who were there at the Siegel Center last year when Hayfield hoisted its first ever state trophy: David King, Daryl “DJ” Holloway, and Greg Jones. Paired with a few new names to Hayfield, such as active playmakers Donovan Bass Briscoe, John Awoke, and Owen Pottenburgh, the tower of a rebounder and blocker that is 6′ 8″, the Hawks have battled there way to what was nearly another undefeated season (they sustained one loss to Jackson Reed of D.C.), finding themselves 29-1 just days before the state final.

The Hawks will take on the Patriot High School Pioneers of Nokesville, Virginia for the second time this season. The two matched up on Thursday, December 1st of last year, and Hayfield barely pulled away with a 75-73 win, thanks to an impromptu buzzer beater from Bass Briscoe.

Hayfield has been scoring at an impressive pace this season, averaging 74.7 points per game as a team (Patriot: 67.0), only a slight step down from last year’s 78.1 through the undefeated season. On the defensive side, they allow only 50.5 points per game across all opponents (Patriot: 50.1), this time improving slightly from last season’s 51.6. All statistics and stakes considered, the game is expected to be high paced, high scoring, and high intensity for all 32 minutes of play, and the Hayfield boys would benefit from a substantial crowd to keep the energy going all night.

Hayfield Administration plans to run spirit busses to and from Virginia Commonwealth University, as they did last year, and have stated that more information is to come in the next few days. The game starts at 8:00 pm and the drive is approximately 1.5 hours from Hayfield, but may increase due to heavy traffic towards the University. For students who do plan to attend, the game’s theme is a fitting Hayfield “Orange Out” so all should be sure to sport their best orange attire.