MCKINNEY, TX. (WALB) - With emotions high, Valdosta State head football coach Tremaine Jackson asked a rhetorical question after the Blazers tenth win capping off the undefeated regular season.

“Who would have thought that we could go 10-0 in this season after going through a hurricane, after being displaced, after being refugees on someone else’s campus, who would’ve thought?”

Here we are three months later and the Blazers are still riding an unblemished record to a national championship. Up to this point of the 2024 season, their biggest test has come off the field.

“We didn’t have no power, I was out there grilling like eggs. I’m talking about I’m cooking breakfast on the grill. I’ve never done something like this, ever,” said senior grad transfer Larry Elder.

The eye of hurricane Helene passed right over Valdosta. Wind gusts reached over 100 miles per hour, dismantling homes, businesses, and causing damage to the school campus. The aftermath left behind by the storm led to the cancellation against a big conference matchup against West Alabama. The Blazers packed up and departed for Atlanta. The team was housed at Georgia State University and would hold team practices at Georgia Tech.

“When people talk about resilience, and say to me we haven’t been through much adversity in a game, I just reflect back to those moments and that time we had to go away from Valdosta and be together. We know that we’re a resilient group,” said Jackson.

That resiliency is just one of many characteristics that make up a championship team. Coach Jackson and his guys will face the ultimate test this Saturday when they face off against Ferris State this Saturday at McKinney ISD Stadium.

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