Jefferson’s varsity football team lost to the Northern Virginia Homeschool Athletic Association (NVHAA) Centurions 13-0 after the Back to School Bash on Sept. 1. 

Last year, the Colonials beat the NVHAA Centurions in the first game of the season. Partially because of that victory, the team went into Thursday’s game expecting a win.  

“We went in pretty confident. We beat them last year. We just came off a pretty big win. I think we weren’t as focused as we should have been,” senior quarterback Gavin Hatalosky (15) said.

The first quarter passed by with neither team scoring. To senior running back Christian Min (2), this was not ideal, but still manageable. 

“In the first quarter, even though our offensive game really wasn’t working, I didn’t really think too much of it, because that was our game plan,” Min said.

The Centurions started the second quarter with possession of the ball, and within two minutes had scored a touchdown and extra point. Near the end of the quarter, the Centurions scored another touchdown, but the extra point attempt was blocked, bringing the score to 13-0. 

“I was just trying to do everything I could to try and possibly lead a comeback, but it just seemed like they had a very well-coached defense. They clearly studied our past year’s film, because [it] seemed like everything we did on offense they had an answer for,” Hatalosky said. 

Following halftime, neither the Centurions or Colonials scored for the rest of the game. 

“The fourth quarter was demoralizing, I would say for everyone on the team. Not only did we lose, we didn’t even score, so hopefully it’ll motivate us to try harder next week,” junior tight end George Evanisko (8) said. 

The Colonials were down multiple players due to injuries, including senior running back Justin Yoo and senior receiver Shahzad Sohail. They also cited lack of focus as a contributor to the loss. 

“The week leading up to the Centurions’ game, as a team, the coaches were saying we weren’t focused enough. We didn’t have that intensity,” Evanisko said. 

The team hopes to improve and win the rest of the games in the season, starting with their next away game at Bell High School on Sept. 10. 

“[In] football, these things happen,” Hatalosky said. “But when you work hard, and you respond to adversity, you see your hard work get translated onto the field through wins, which I know we’re going to have more of. The highs are much higher than the lows.”