SUFFOLK — King’s Fork has won at least 10 games in its last four seasons under coach Anthony Joffrion, including 11 wins the past two seasons.
But each year, the Bulldogs have come up short of a state title.
To prepare for this season, Joffrion decided to schedule Wise High of Prince George’s County in Maryland as the program’s first out-of-state opponent. The Pumas, who are ranked No. 10 in Maryland by MaxPreps and No. 8 in the Washington metropolitan area by The Washington Post, have won six state titles, the most recent one in 2023.
“We’ve lost in the playoffs to teams that won the state,” Joffrion said. “So I wanted to get our team ready for that playoff run because Maury (in Class 5 Region B, like King’s Fork) is a very good football team. So I scheduled this game out the gate so we can get the competition. And that team was a talented football team.”
The Pumas were talented, but so are the Bulldogs as they came from behind — after blowing a 14-point lead — to beat Wise 27-19 in the season opener for both teams.
“We just stayed together. That’s what I’m most proud about,” Joffrion said. “And we just did a great job of staying together and found a way to win.”
The Bulldogs took an early 7-0 lead when Ernest Jones Jr. returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown.
They added to their lead on Preston Hall’s 7-yard touchdown run.
Preston Hall III with the 7-yard TD. King’s Fork 14, Wise (MD) 0 pic.twitter.com/d2AuZG8FME
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) September 5, 2025
It seemed like it was going to be a rout as the Bulldogs had all the momentum.
But Wise scored 19 unanswered points, including an 85-yard interception return for a touchdowns, to take the lead with 7:20 left in the game.
King’s Fork answered on the ensuing kickoff when Zy’Dar’Eyus Wynn returned it 85 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-19 lead.
“They got too hyped and making all that noise,” Wynn said about the Pumas’ sideline. “We didn’t let none of that stop us. We knew we’re going to come back and win.”
Isaiah Gilliam with TD run to give King’s Fork 27-19 lead over Wise with 3:47 left pic.twitter.com/iPYzXKhWf7
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) September 6, 2025
The Bulldogs added another score late on running back Isaiah Gilliam’s 15-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed, but the defense held a late drive by Wise. The loss dropped the Pumas to 0-3 against teams from Hampton Roads, as they lost in the past two seasons to Maury.
“We still got a lot of work to do, but this was real big,” Wynn said. “We’re not going to get too big-headed. We’re going to keep on working and try to get to state.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
