The Kettle Run football team had a magical season, culminating in the first state title appearance in Fauquier County history. The Cougars put on a spectacular performance in the regular season, going 9-0. This earned them the district champions. They continued to steamroll teams throughout the playoffs and pushed past Heritage, Millbrook, and then Loudoun County in a tight 35-34 win to secure the Region 4C title. The celebration was on, and keeping this energy alive, the Cougars went to Lynchburg to take on E. C. Glass in the state semifinal game. They showed no mercy and won 30-14. With a record of 14-0, Kettle Run was ready to continue its historic run. 

The NVSHL Class 4 State Championship game was held on Saturday, December 10. The Kettle Run Cougars faced off against the Dinwiddie Generals. They were the last two undefeated teams left in the NVSHL playoffs, both sitting at 14-0. The game was held at Liberty University’s Williams Stadium in Lynchburg. These two teams were fighting on the biggest stage in high school football. 

The atmosphere was electric, as both teams’ fan sections showed out. On the first scoring drive for each team, they both stalled. Soon after, the fast-paced Dinwiddie offense came alive. Led by sophomore quarterback Harry Dalton, the Generals put up touchdowns on their next four straight possessions. By half-time, Kettle Run was down 38-13. Ultimately, the Cougar offense and defense could not recover. Dinwiddie won their second state title by a whopping score of 65-20. The three Cougar touchdowns came from senior quarterback Abram Chumley’s passes to fellow seniors Jordan Tapscott and Peyton Mehaffey, along with junior Sam Rodgers. These four had the most success for Kettle Run and led the offense as best they could. Once the game ended, individual awards were handed out to each player, and Head Coach Charlie Porterfield accepted the state runner-up trophy. 

Despite falling short in the state title game, this season was a wild success for the Cougars. Countless Kettle Run records were broken by individuals and the team as a whole. This historical football season will certainly be one to remember.