They hope to do it tonight against the Phelps (Ky.) High Hornets at home in Phil Sizemore Stadium at Delbarton.
Burch's players are enthusiastic and optimistic and the crowd was larger than it has been in years in the first game of the season.
"I really believe we will be pretty good this year. We've got good players," Burch Quarterback Ryan Hatfield said in the preseason. "I believe we're going to win some games."
Last week, the Bulldogs were close to breaking their 31-game losing skid — the longest losing streak in the state — but their hopes were dashed by a tough Betsy Layne, Ky., team, as Burch fell in their season opener, 35-22.
Burch Coach James "Butch" Joplin said his Bulldogs could get their first win in more than three years tonight.
"It would be nice to get a win," Joplin said. "We're a lot better than we played against Betsy Layne. We had first-game jitters and we had only scrimmaged one time before that game. I don't want to use that as an excuse, but we looked like we hadn't ever touched the football in the first half against Betsy Layne. We're hoping the losing streak ends this year. These kids have worked hard all winter to try to get stronger — and that's when ballgames are won and lost."
Joplin is the former coach at Phelps. He said he knows the Hornets and the game won't be a cake walk. He said Phelps likes to run the ball and will hit the Bulldogs hard.
"Phelps is going to come in here and try to hit us in the mouth. They're scrappy, just like Betsy Layne," Joplin said. "We have to get tougher. We've got to block and tackle. We can do all the other fancy stuff. We just have to block and tackle. Not wrapping up cost us against Betsy Layne and we can't do that against Phelps."
The Bulldogs have not won a game since Nov. 4, 2005, when they beat Greater Beckley Christian, 52-12, on the road in Beckley.
That was the final game of the 2005 regular season. Burch finished with a 4-6 record that year, which is not too shabby for a team that has never been known as a football powerhouse.
During their last season with a win, the Bulldogs beat Tug Valley 46-0 on Oct. 29, 2005. Before that, Burch drubbed Williamson, 40-0 on Oct. 15, 2005. And their first win of that season came on Sept. 17 against Hannan, 50-12.
The Bulldogs return to action Friday night hosting Phelps, Ky., which is a school with a football reputation very much like Burch's.
The Bulldogs have fielded only three playoff teams in the school's history, starting with their first playoff appearance in 1985, a loss to Morgantown St. Francis.
Burch returned to the playoffs in 1997 under the guidance of Coach Doug Ward. That year, Burch made it past East Hardy in the first round of the playoffs and lost to Guyan Valley, 16-14, in a muddy semifinal game in Delbarton.
The Dogs made it back to the playoffs in 1999 and beat Bishop Donahue in the first round and lost to defending state champ Moorefield in the semifinals. Burch made it back in 2000 and lost to Matewan at Tiger Stadium in the first round.
"We had some good teams and good players," said Ward, who currently coaches the Williamson Wolfpack and whose record was 37-28 in his six years as BHS coach.
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