It’s been an exceptional season for sports at Gloucester and Mathews high schools.

One school already has a state championship under its belt, while another made it all the way to Tuesday’s semifinal game before missing out on a chance to retake the state crown. The state champion ended the 2018 season with a perfect, undefeated season, while the state quarterfinalist had only one blemish on its record.

And it wasn’t just the Gloucester High School field hockey and Mathews High School volleyball teams that had stellar seasons.

The cross country teams from the two counties also competed as teams this past weekend in the VHSL state tournament. And Gloucester football returned to post-season play for a second consecutive year after a nearly three-decade playoff drought.

While the girls were leading the way for Gloucester and Mathews in traditional team sports, the boys have excelled in cross country. In Gloucester, senior Joshua Shackelford came a fraction of a secon...