Hoggard football’s pursuit of another undefeated regular season is off to a fiery start.
After going 10-0 in the regular season for the first time since 2017 last fall, the Vikings kept their perfect start to 2026 intact Friday, Aug. 28, racing past visiting Jack Britt 31-6 in Wilmington.
The prospect of another unbeaten regular season — and a fourth straight conference title — isn’t something Hoggard players or coaches will admit is front of mind this early in the fall.
But make no mistake, the Vikings’ ambitions stretch well beyond the four nonconference and six conference games standing between them and November.
“I think we definitely have that championship
in us,” Hoggard sophomore Judah Gillespie said. “If we finished (tonight) how we started, that could have been ugly.”
For one half, it was.
Gillespie rushed for two touchdowns as Hoggard stormed to a 28-0 halftime lead. Fellow running backs Jason Arciola and Mally Hansley also found the end zone as the Vikings turned an efficient start into an early rout.
The second half wasn't quite as sharp.
Hoggard was held to just three points after halftime and surrendered its lone touchdown when Jack Britt quarterback Tytan Cook escaped what looked like a certain sack before somehow getting off a short touchdown pass.
“We gotta finish better,” Hoggard coach Craig Underwood said. “I think that’s a little test of maturity. I’m confident that our guys are going to get to that, but that’s something we gotta really emphasize.”
For a team with championship aspirations, that maturity could matter far more than the 25-point margin Friday night.
Hoggard already knows how quickly an otherwise flawless season can come down to one game.
After a spotless regular season last fall, the Vikings marched all the way to the NCHSAA 8A East regional final before their run ended with a 14-7 loss to Millbrook at home.
It was a harsh reminder of how quickly perfection can lose its meaning once the playoffs begin.
The Vikings won't have to wait until November for another test.
Hoggard faces its most daunting nonconference challenge of the season in Week 3, traveling to Clayton to face a loaded Comets team.
“That is a huge matchup,” Underwood said. “To make a road trip into a really difficult environment, I just feel like it's a good opportunity for our guys, and that's what high school football is about.”
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Hoggard football pounces on Jack Britt in dominate home-opening win
