Blacksburg’s run to state was simply, “Unbelievable.”

BLACKSBURG, Va., - The 2016 Blacksburg Bruins football team is one that many people in Blacksburg will never forget. After a struggle that many teams would have let get the best of them, the Blacksburg Bruins were crowned the Virginia High School League 3A State Champions on Saturday. The Bruins started the season 2-4, with a chance at making the playoffs looking slim. While some people thought hope for a successful season was lost, some people took a trip down memory lane. The last Blacksburg football team to win a state championship was in 1989. The 1989 season looked a lot like the current season, with similarities that Brad Epperley; a player on that 1989 championship team would tell you are scary. After the 2-4 start, Coach Thad Wells and his staff knew there needed to be some changes in order for success to darken the doorstep of Blacksburg High School. A 17-13 upset win over Pulaski sent shockwaves across the New River Valley. “I’d say the Pulaski game was the turning point of the season,” said Justin Snyder, a Blacksburg senior leader. The Bruins kept their foot on the gas, only losing one more time in the regular season. They headed into the playoffs 5-5 and were about to make some noise. “We knew we were the better team going into every game,” said Brad Shelton, another Blacksburg senior when talking about Blacksburg’s magical postseason run. Blacksburg not only got the wins, but they won in convincing fashion. The Bruins rattled off wins over a seven, two, six and one seed in the playoffs before clinching a berth in the state championship game. The Cinderella story was in effect Saturday, as Blacksburg took on Staunton River. The Blacksburg Bruins found themselves in a hole early, going down 14-7 at the half. The Bruins made a big statement in the third quarter when quarterback Grant Johnston found Tiquest Terry on a 58-yard pitch and catch to tie the game at 14. After that, it was all Bruins. Blacksburg would score on two one-yard plunges from Cole Beck to put the Bruins up 28-14. Staunton River tried to make a comeback, scoring late in the 4th quarter, but it was not enough. The Cinderella 10th seed had just won a state championship. “We are excited as heck that these seniors get to go out on top,” said an ecstatic Thad Wells after the game. The celebration was just beginning for the Bruins. After the game, the soft-spoken tailback that had carried the team throughout the playoffs might have summed up the Blacksburg season the best that anyone could. Cole Beck simply said, “Unbelievable.”