The longer a streak goes, the harder it is for it continue. The reigning Class 6 State Champ Hayfield Hawks found that out when their 40-game winning streak was snapped in an 83-78 loss to Jackson-Reed out of Washington, D.C. in a showcase on the first weekend of January.

Carlos Poindexter's Hawks have been known for their brilliance and balance these past few years and they ran into a Tigers team that was able to match, and in some ways, exceed them. Jackson-Reed not only placed four players in double-figures in points, but shot 77% from the floor and 64% from behind the arc.

But it's worth putting in perspective how impressive this streak was for Hayfield, which by no means was the greatest in VHSL history, yet rare we see anyone go on such a string. Unless it is perhaps Class 2 juggernaut John Marshall, who even they will have a hard time because of the fierce schedule they face with national-caliber opponents.

The VHSL record for consecutive wins is 85 by the famed Robert E. Lee of Staunton powerhouse from 2003-06. As far as other public school programs go, noteworthy runs of dominance include Indian River winning 51 in a row from 1986-88 with Basketball Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning spearheading that run. Petersburg won 50 straight from 1972-74 during which another Hall of Famer, the late great Moses Malone, was the centerpiece of that showing of excellence.

Some have approached what Hayfield accomplished, most recently the likes of Radford, Henrico and GW-Danville, all of whom like the Hawks won state titles during their stretches.

Radford, who recently saw its sideline boss Rick Cormany move into second all-time in VHSL history for wins, prevailed 37 straight times from 2019-20. Henrico, then under current Douglas Freeman AD Vance Harmon, won 33 in a row from 2015-16. GW-Danville won 32 consecutive games from 1995-96 as they followed up their 28-0 state title season by opening 4-0 before falling to a nationally-ranked Dudley program out of North Carolina.

But since the classification split from three divisions to six about a decade ago, GW's was the last we can recall going wire-to-wire unbeaten at the Class 4 level or higher.

Besides Hayfield suffering a loss and John Marshall continuing to hum, there were other storylines, especially as the weekly showcases on the weekends are starting roll out with the recent conclusion of the Chance Harman Classic at Floyd County and Bruin Classic in Chesapeake at Western Branch High. That string of Saturday events will wrap up with our 14th Annual VirginiaPreps Classic at Virginia Wesleyan on February 4th.

* Indicates record including Eastern District Tournament games

Honorable Mention:
Yorktown (10-2)
Edison (9-1)
Fairfax (9-3)

Honorable Mention:
Mills Godwin (10-2)
Norview (9-4; 6-4*)
Princess Anne (8-4)
Potomac Falls (7-4)

Honorable Mention:
Smithfield (10-3)
Hampton (6-4)
Churchland (7-5; 7-4*)

Honorable Mention:
Lord Botetourt (8-3)
Wilson Memorial (7-3)
Liberty Christian (8-4)
Staunton (7-3)
Lakeland (5-3)

Honorable Mention:
Strasburg (6-3)
Martinsville (6-5)
Glenvar (7-5)

Honorable Mention:
Carver Academy (9-1)
Middlesex (9-2)
Buffalo Gap (7-5)

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald and The Farmville Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.