SALEM—When Coach Joe Fowler gathered his team together following the Bulldogs 21-16 loss to Gretna in the Division 2 state championship he had little to say about football. Instead Fowler spoke about life lessons and personal character.

  Character more than any other trait, was what the Goochland football team displayed best this season.

  While many football players would become cocky and antagonistic sporting a 14-0 record, the Bulldogs remained complimentary and courteous when it came to their opponents.

  A professional photographer standing on the sidelines for the championship game said he knew little about Goochland. What he did know was learned in watching the Bulldogs handily defeat Wilson Memorial the week before.

  The photographer did not speak of athletic skill or daunting talent, instead he spoke of character.

  He was impressed by how the Goochland team greeted Wilson Memorial after the game, congratulated them on a well played contest then cheered their opponent as they left the field of play.

  Emphasis was only added to Goochland’s character when earlier in the day a bench-clearing, game-ending brawl broke out between the University of Cincinnati and Xavier men’s basketball teams. In sport supposedly played between adults, the most childish of behavior arose.

  Yet, in the hard-fought physical game of football between adolescents, proper decorum remained.

  Fowler spoke about how the team pulled the Goochland community together. He spoke about subjects that transcended the sport of football.

  Fowler’s message to his players was simple. “There are going to be worse days than this in your life,” he said. “Hopefully this will help you when those days come around.”

  There were few tears among the players as they knelt on the field.

  “They’re great kids, they’re character kids,” Fowler said. “I’m sure they’re in (the locker room) balling their eyes out now. But they’re tough kids and they know that’s life. You’re not always going to win them all.”

  As a team and individuals, the players were certainly well aware that there are more important battles to win in life other than football.

  In February of 2010, the team provided support for teammate Adam Maguire after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Likewise, throughout this remarkable season, the players virtually adopted seven year old Jack Ridolphi, a young man who was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

“When it all comes down to it, football’s a game and we in our society put a awful big premium on it being important but ultimately it’s a game,” Fowler said. “It’s a game being played by kids who aren’t getting paid. They’re doing it because they love it. If we can teach them some life lessons that are more important than winning and losing then that’s our ultimate goal.”