GRETNA—In its preparations for the season, Gretna heard and read on the message boards how it was supposed to be a down year for a program fresh off a state championship game appearance.

One of the areas the Hawks needed to address to make another run for a state championship was on the defensive side, where most of the playmakers graduated.
“As the year has gone on, we kept getting better and better on defense. We’ve really gotten better on offense too, but I just thought the defense was going to be behind because they weren’t as good,” Gretna coach Kevin Saunders said. “We had lost most of our kids from defense. We felt like we were going to be a little bit behind. .?.?. (But) we haven’t given up more than two touchdowns in any game this year. Even our second team, when they’ve gone in and played, they’ve held people down.”

Gretna (12-2) hasn’t allowed more than two touchdowns in a game all season, including the postseason, and is allowing just 9.4 points per game.

The Hawks have enjoyed plenty of defensive success in their state title runs (7.8 points per game in 2003 and 7.1 in 2007), but this defensive unit holds a stat that neither of those teams could boast with the two-TD mark.

And the most telling instance that Gretna’s defense was better than Saunders thought was in the team’s season opener against Essex. The Hawks held the Trojans to eight points and 140 yards.

It was the first of seven times Gretna held its opponent to fewer than 10 points, including two shutouts.

“I think the defense has grown, especially. I think we got better as a defense,” Gretna sophomore defensive end Shantre Miller said. “We’re pretty confident. We think we can go in there and win, but we’ve got be consistent and we have to be ready to go.”

The Hawks’ rush defense, which has held opponents to 3.4 yards per carry, will be put to the test again against Goochland. After shutting down run-heavy teams Giles and Riverheads, Gretna faces a team that runs a wing-T attack and averages 6.1 yards per carry. The Bulldogs have three players who have rushed for 550 or more yards and nine or more touchdowns.

“We play better as a team,” Gretna sophomore defensive back Virgil Glass said. “We’re not big like past teams, but we play as a team.”

Said Saunders: “Our defense plays well as one. We’re really good as a unit. They know the game. These guys are pretty good kids in the classroom. They do a very good job of adapting to the game and as the game goes on, we can make adjustments I couldn’t really make my first year because it was new to them. They understand what we do on defense, and it makes us better.”

Damien Sordelett is a staff writer for the News & Advance.