Just three weeks before Christmas and holiday shopping is the last thing on the mind of Goochland head football coach Joe Fowler. All but twelve high school coaches in the state of Virginia have folded the uniforms and closed up shop for the 2011 season. But unlike the majority, Fowler is still busy game planning. He preparing the Bulldogs for a Group A, Division 2 state championship match-up with Gretna this Saturday at Salem City Stadium in Roanoke.

  The Bulldogs earned that slot with a 47-21 win over Wilson Memorial last weekend, placing Goochland in the state finals for the first time since winning the title in 2006.

  Next week’s foe is not an unfamiliar opponent. Although most of the current squad haven’t encountered the perennial powerhouse, the schools do have a history. On their way to the 2006 championship, the Bulldogs defeated a previously undefeated Gretna team 6-0.

  The Hawks ended Goochland’s playoff run the next two seasons by convincing margins and Fowler has a healthy respect for this year’s 12-2 finalists.

  The Bulldogs enter the contest with a perfect 14-0 mark but Fowler said all of that won’t matter if they don’t complete the mission against the Hawks.

  “We’re really excited to get there, but it will a hollow thing if we don’t win it,” Fowler said. “We want to make sure we do everything possible this week to prepare to be successful next Saturday. I don’t want to be the state runner up.”

  For the players, a chance at the state title is well-deserved reward for a season of hard work and most said having that opportunity is the chance of a lifetime.

  “It’s hard to process right now but it’s a great honor to have a chance to go all the way this year,” said running/defensive back Jake Martin. “This is a team I’ve grown up with and played on all of my life.”

  Regarding the opponent, Martin feels the reputation is well established. “I’ve never played against Gretna but I know they are a hard-nosed football team, so it should be a great game.”

  Senior Chase Nuckols knows Goochland’s history with the Hawks, but thinks the key to victory is simple. “Whoever hits the hardest will come out as state champion,” he said.

  For quarterback Cody Johnson, the state final appearance is confirmation of the team’s tenacity and ability to believe in itself. “We had a lot of confidence coming in, but there were a lot of people who doubted us and now we’ve proved those doubters wrong,” he said.

  Johnson feels making it to the state finals is the culmination of a lifelong dream. “It feels great and it’s emotional for all of us,” he said. “I’ve been waiting since I was five years old to play with my boys in a state championship and now it’s finally here.”

  Bulldogs defensive leader Jess McLaughlin is also fulfilling his personal goal of playing for a title. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since I began watching this team when I was little.”

  McLaughlin said there it’s a dream that seemed distant back in the dog days of summer practice, but the thought of going all the way seemed possible to him. “I had hopes and I believed in my team mates,” he said.

  McLaughlin and his teammates will try to finish off a perfect season and turn those dreams into reality this Saturday in Salem.