The game was set, the trash talking had been said, and it was time for March Madness to start on March 21, 2019, at Kempsville High School as students faced up against faculty. The students were headed by Trey Goodman, a senior. With his teammates, the students were able to score a  victory over the faculty team.

The game started off slow with both teams missing their first shots. Finally, Jalen Mims, senior, scored the game’s first bucket. In time the game was looking to be a blowout. The scoring drought ended very quickly, with Nick DiMascio, a special education assistant and member of the faculty team, knocking down an open 3-pointer.

The game remained close, with many explosions of excitement as Assistant Principal Darryl Johnson and Tyson Brown, senior, both performed dunks that ignited the crowd.

However, nothing was as exciting as senior Trey Goodman scoring his first points. After his low score performance last year, where he only scored 8 rebounds, he declared this year a “statement.”

“I want to prove that I’m one of the most dynamic players when I step on the basketball court,” Goodman, who plays guard on the court, said.

“To be the man, you have to beat the man. Last year we failed and this year I had to prove [myself] to those teachers. This year is my statement [and] my farewell – I had to take the win,” Goodman added.

The fourth quarter encompassed everything March Madness is about.

“It was fun to watch, and it was better that it was a close game than a blowout,” said Ms. Goodman, who was in the stands watching the game.

The was tight but key plays such as a huge block by Cameron “Cam” Carpenter, senior, and points by Qrystian Harston, senior, and Jaylen Hudgins, senior, helped the students stay ahead.

“I really was trying to win but I wanted to score at the same time,” said Hudgins. “I think we did what we needed to do to win and beat them.”

The final score was 60-58.