CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. β Throughout the 2025 high school football season we have followed the Clover Hill Cavaliers, under a first-year head coach and looking to undo several years of underachievement. While progress was made, not every season gets a perfect ending.
Midway through the 2025 season, Clover Hill had yet to win a game under new head coach Matt Hutchings.
While that was disappointing, it didn't take away from the primary goal the head coach had for his new team when they began practices back in August: to be able to compete.
On more than one occasion, they proved they could do that.
Ahead at the half
Their first good opportunity for a win came in their fifth game against Cosby β a one point loss.
Two weeks later, a game at Monacan in which they played as well as they had all year for the first half, and had an 18 point lead at the break.
"In our minds, we had won the game at halftime," said senior Theo Shaffer. "The way that we, as a team, were acting during the half was unacceptable. We treated it like we had just won the Super Bowl and that the game was over."
"After half, we got too complacent," said senior defensive end Francisco Fields. "Too comfortable with our lead, and then one mistake led to, as coach calls it, quicksand."
"We had a fumble, and all of a sudden everybody starts looking at each other and goes, Oh, here we go again," Hutchnings said.
Two second half fumbles led to Monacan touchdowns and a late lead for the Chiefs.
Clover Hill had their chances at the end, but could not convert when it mattered most.
Senior Night
On Senior Night, facing the Richmond High School for the Arts, there was an atmosphere of pride that belied their record.
"It was amazing," Shaffer said. "You know, got to walk down the field with my mom and dad. It was my mother's birthday that day, which made it extra special."
The Cavaliers had not lost to the Bulldogs since 2003, but once again could not find a way to close out a win in the final minutes.
"We're in the red zone three times at the five yard line, and we don't punch it in," Hutchings said. "It's not a physical thing. It's not a, you know, hey, their guys are better than our guys thing. It's all in between the ears."
The Cavaliers completed their first winless season in over 20 years.
Not all of the players who started the season in uniform ended it that way. But those who stuck it out would do it all over again β especially the seniors for whom their days in Kelly green are over.
"Coach Hutch, he made us like, turn it around," Shaffer said. "He gave us like, he inspired us. Made us like, a lot more active. Made us want to be out here, a lot more. I saw like, the change in all the kids, how much more excited they were to be out here."
Fields said, "It was more fun, but we did face a lot of challenges with people quitting, injuries. But it was a lot more fun this year."
Hutchings will return next year with a much better grasp of what this program needs and where it can go. He hopefully leaves an impression on this year's seniors that will last well beyond their high school days.
"At the end of the day it's football, right? You know, we'd all love to win, we'd all love to, you know, get rings on our fingers and all those things," Hutchings said. "But at the end of the day there's a brotherhood that you can kind of create here, that you can build for the rest of your life. And hopefully that's something to try to convey and get those guys to understand, that it's going to be bigger than that. You know, your record on your high school football career is not going to get you any job, but how you treat people and how you can build that brotherhood that's going to mean a lot more to you later on in life."
Watch for Lane Casadonte's features on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com. If you know someone Lane should profile, email him beyondtheroster@wtvr.com.
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