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Southampton High School’s varsity football team has struggled in the opening weeks of the 2023 season, but the Indians returned to their winning ways on Thursday, Sept. 21, with a 40-12 road win over Lakeland High School.

“It was a very big win for us because we needed to snap the three-game losing streak,” Southampton Head Coach Travis Parker said. “Some players stepped up earlier in the week to play some different roles, and they made a big difference. We are proud of our younger players who played with lots of effort. This is the performance we needed right before going into district play this week. We are far from where we want to be, but we made great strides in that direction in this game.”

The game against the Cavaliers was rescheduled from Friday, Sept. 22, to Thursday to avoid expected inclement weather brought on in connection with Tropical Storm Ophelia.

The Indians (1-3) fell 34-3 at home on Sept. 15 against Colonial Heights High School and 12-7 at home on Sept. 11 against Petersburg High School after losing their season opener 56-7 at Poquoson High School on Aug. 25.

Parker explained how Southampton was able to break this streak with its win against Lakeland.

“Scoring on our first offensive drive gave us very good momentum for the game,” he said. “It also gave our players confidence that they can execute the game plan. Also, as mentioned before, we had some key players to either play their position a lot better in this game than in previous games, or players step up and play different positions, accepted their role and played well.”

The Indians scored five touchdowns, four rushing and one passing, and they also recorded five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and an interception on defense.

What remains of the regular season schedule for the defending Tri-Rivers District champion Indians is their district schedule. Southampton visits Sussex Central High School (3-1) on Friday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m.