Icy highways in western Virginia made for a slow ride home, but a couple of hundred fans gave the Franklin High Broncos a warm welcome home late Saturday night.

Supporters gathered in the school gymnasium for an impromptu pep rally after the team’s return from Salem, where the Broncos won the Virginia High School League Group A Division 1 state football championship.

The team buses, which got a police escort from the city limits to the campus, arrived around 11:30 p.m. Among those gathered to greet the team were Mayor Jim Councill, Vice Mayor Raystine Johnson, interim Schools Superintendent Bev Rabil and School Board Chairman Bill Scarboro.

Head coach Darren Parker thanked fans for their support throughout the season, which concluded with Saturday’s 28-20 victory over Clintwood. The Broncos finished with a 12-2 record and their second state championship in five years.