Fairmont • Lumberton • Purnell Swett • Red Springs • St...

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Fairmont • Lumberton • Purnell Swett • Red Springs • St. Pauls • South Robeson

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Fairmont • Lumberton • Purnell Swett • Red Springs • St. Pauls • South Robeson

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Brad Crawford

Staff writer

faIrMoNT —Tyreke Addison

did a little bit of everything on the

football field last season as a junior at

Fairmont High School.

In Keith Wood’s first season on the

sideline, the all-purpose athlete be-

came the security blanket on offense

for the Golden Tornadoes and, by de-

sign, touched the football numerous

times each drive.

If all goes as planned this fall, Ad-

dison will be the primary threat and

one of many weapons on the Three

Rivers Conference’s fastest unit.

His workload shouldn’t be as bur-

densome.

“I played everywhere,” Addison

said. “Receiver, running back, quar-

terback, slot, you name it, I was

there. You could see me at almost

every position.”

Addison scored 12 touchdowns in

a variety of ways, registering over

900 yards from scrimmage and help-

ing his team to a perfect 5-0 mark in

conference play. Wood’s scheme, ad-

mittedly a work in progress through-

out last season, caught fire in the

second half as Fairmont averaged 35

points per game over its last seven

contests.

After stumbling out of the gate

with five losses in their first six

games, the Golden Tornadoes man-

aged to total seven victories and ad-

vance to the second round of the

state playoffs.

Tailback Alex Gilchrist says the

trial and error segment of Fairmont’s

playbook is over and the athlete-

heavy starting 11 is focused on mas-

tering the spread. Gilchrist will be

the featured back to alleviate strain

on Addison.

Gilchrist scored six touchdowns a

season ago.

“Last year was a lot of seeing what

worked and seeing what didn’t,”

Gilchrist said, a two-way player who

also starts in the secondary. “This

year, we’re hungry and ready to go.

We’ve learned a lot.”

This summer, the Golden Torna-

does have tested the ironed out ap-

proach against some of the state’s

top teams, including Jack Britt, and

participated in multiple 7-on-7 tour-

naments, notably Pinecrest’s Air

Raid Classic in Southern Pines.

Wood says quarterback Demetrius

Washington has improved his accu-

racy and ability to read coverages,

two nuances of the game that frus-

trated him as a junior. Last season,

Washington completed 36 percent of

his passes for eight touchdowns and

10 interceptions. A handful of new

receivers, including underclassmen

Ethan Baldwin and Andrew Hill, will

do their best to try and match the

production left by all-conference

wideouts Juwan Addison and

Desmond Parker.

“I’m more comfortable out there

now … with a better feel for what’s

going on,” Washington said. “It’s

about communication on offense. I

feel like we have better communica-

tion this year.”

Fairmont’s coaching staff called

plays last season using hand signals

and colored wristbands. The re-in-

vented no-huddle of 2011 includes

poster boards with graphics.

“It’s kind of like what Oregon does

with the signs,” Addison said. “We

have cards that we hold up with pic-

tures on them.”

Charlton Townsend, a 6-foot-2,

210-pound junior, makes the move

from defensive end to linebacker and

says Fairmont’s calling card will be

its defense. All-county player Luke

Hunt returns after collecting 74 tack-

les with four sacks and two forced

fumbles last season.

“We have almost the same exact

group coming back,” Townsend said.

“Defense will be our strength. We’re

ready to go play.”

Several Division I schools and

local universities have sent interest

letters to Wood’s foursome including

N.C. State, South Carolina, Catawba

and The University of North Car-

olina at Pembroke.

N.C. State and UNCP is courting

Gilchrist. South Carolina is looking

at Washington and Addison.

The Golden Tornadoes and their

talented foursome

open the

season

Friday

against

Union.

CoACh: KeiTh WooD (2nd year)

Last season: 7-6, 5-0; Three Rivers Conference cham-pion, lost in second round of playoffs

Key returners: Tyreke Addison (sr. RB), Alex Gilchrist (sr. SS), Luke hunt (jr. De)

Strengths: Team speed, athleticism

Weaknesses:Wide receivers

outlook:With most of its offense returning fromlast season’s championship team, theGolden Tornadoes are the clear-cut fa-vorite in the Three Rivers Conference.

Coach Wood says: “We’re going to be fast. We’ve got a lot ofguys colleges are looking at andDemetrius (Washington) has really im-proved as our quarterback.”

return to an experienced starting lineup in Fairmont.

Charlton Townsend, Alex Gilchrist, Tyreke Addison & Demetrius Washington

POLLS.......................... Page 3

LUMBERTON.......................... Page 4

PURNELL SWETT.......................... Page 5

RED SPRINGS.......................... Page 6

ST. PAULS.......................... Page 7

SOUTH ROBESON.......................... Page 8

4A SOUTHEASTERNCONFERENCE.......................... Page 9

SOUTHEASTERNSCHEDULES.......................... Page 10

THREE RIVERSSCHEDULES.......................... Page 11

GOLDENTORNADOES

Fairmont Golden Tornadoespg 2

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KaleB roedel

Sports editor

faIrMoNT —Lumberton High

School senior defensive end Darius

Lesane is strong.

Bench-pressing 330-pounds

strong. And for the first time in three

years, the reigning Robeson County

Defensive Player of the Year is play-

ing at 100 percent.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder had

knee surgery in the offseason.

Opposing offenses, take heed.

“I’ve just been working on my

pass rushing. I’ve been hitting the

weights hard. I’ve been working on

everything,” Lesane said. “(The sur-

gery) slowed me down (at first), but

I’ve been working hard all summer.

I’m probably faster than I was last

year.”

A season ago, Lesane collected an

area-high 11 sacks with 82 tackles, in-

cluding a 14-tackle, 3-sack perform-

ance against Overhills.

The thought of a healthy Lesane

wreaking havoc on opposing quar-

terbacks, tailbacks and those in-be-

tween, puts a smile on the face of

Lumberton coach Mike Brill.

“If he plays like he’s supposed to

there are not many people that can

stop him,” Brill said. “He’s just so

dog-gone strong … and he can run,

that’s his biggest attribute. He’s D1

all the way. He’s one of a kind.”

Lesane and his defensive counter-

parts will undoubtedly be the strong-

point for the 2011 Pirates, who return

seven starters on defense.

Offensively, Lumberton isn’t as

steady.

The Pirates are molding its

schemes around two starting quar-

terback candidates, Zach Wilcox and

Montrae Strother.

“Defense is definitely the strength

because we graduated so much on

the offensive side of the ball,” Brill

said, referring to notables such as

Larry Parker (627 rushing yards with

nine touchdowns last year) and

Kendrick McGill (296 yards, four

touchdowns). Moreover, last year’s

quarterback Marquez North — pro-

viding a bulk of last year’s offense

with 12 rushing touchdowns and 10

passing — transferred to Mallard

Creek during the offseason.

“We definitely don’t have what we

had last year (on offense),” Brill said.

“But at the same time, what we’re

asking them (the quarterbacks) to do

is just manage the offense and don’t

hurt us.”

Helping steer the offense will be

senior center Brad Currie.

“I kind of got to control the offen-

sive line, get everybody in the hud-

dle and know what’s going on with

everybody,” Currie said. “All our of-

fensive line is pretty experienced, so

that should be another strength for

us.”

Not to mention, the return of

wideout and cornerback Dorian

Davis, a rising senior who led all

Lumberton receivers last season with

17 catches, 332 yards and six touch-

downs. On the other side of the ball,

he had 33 tackles and two intercep-

tions.

“We got the defense down, we can

get the job done,” Davis said. “We’re

focused on the offense. We just try to

keep everybody together and make

sure they do their job. If one person

makes a mistake, it could cost us.”

Lumberton’s season kicks off Fri-

day at home against Cape Fear.

CoACh: MiKe BRiLL (5th year)

Last season: 8-4, 3-2; lost in first round of playoffs

Key returners: Darius Lesane (sr. De), Brad Currie (sr. C), Dorian Davis (sr. CB), Connor haskins (sr. K).

Strengths: Defense. The Pirates return seven starters from last season, including college prospects Lesane and Davis.

Weaknesses: Quarterback. Without last year’s starter Marquez North, who was all-league and county, a big void is left under center.

outlook: Limiting opponents’ scoring shouldn’t be a problem for Lumberton. Putting points on the board, however, will be a glaring question mark. if the Pirates find comfort on offense they could nip at the heels of the three SeC favorites (Richmond, Scotland and Purnell Swett).

Coach Brill says: “We can’t overlook anybody with our schedule. our conference is just unbelievable from top to bottom this year.”

Lumberton's Darius Lesane, Robeson County's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, returns to a stout defensive front four for the Pirates.

PIRATES

Lumberton Piratespg 4

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score 20 something touchdowns.”

Armstrong says he’s matured at

the line of scrimmage and has grown

more intelligent in passing situa-

tions, especially the shotgun forma-

tion.

“We’re trying to get out of the

pocket quicker now, a faster spread,”

Armstrong said. “The offensive line

is important for that. With them, we

feel pretty confident in our offense.”

The Rams host Pine Forest in Fri-

day’s season opener. Swett has won

four straight over its former Two

Rivers Conference rival.

Brad Crawford

Staff writer

PeMBroKe —Two years ago,

Travon Clark slipped on his pads in

his first varsity practice unsure how

his teammates would accept a 5-foot-

6, 160-pound runt in a backfield be-

longing to Ethan and Jock Clark.

Almost 250 carries later, Purnell

Swett’s bundle of steel has become

the face of the offense as a bulldozer

in short yardage situations that head

coach Mark Heil calls on behind a

veteran offensive line.

“Travon gives us power back there

and he has really good instincts for a

running back,” Swett captain and

senior quarterback Chase Armstrong

said. “He’s one of the main reasons

we think we can win a conference

title.”

Through an intense workout pro-

gram in the offseason, Clark has

bulked up to 180 pounds – mostly

muscle – after missing nearly two

full games a year ago with an ankle

and shoulder injury. In 11 games,

Clark rushed for 808 yards, scored 17

touchdowns and was Robeson

County’s Offensive Player of the

Year.

“Travon’s such a good kid, a really

tough football player,” Heil said. “He

plays with a lot of heart.”

At full strength heading into the

opener for the first time in his career,

Clark has high expectations for his

final campaign, one he hopes ends

with a state championship.

“I’m looking forward to going out

there and playing to the best of my

abilities,” Clark said. “I feel pretty

good and I’m waiting on somebody

to underestimate me. I can’t wait to

lower my pads on them.”

Armstrong has started the last 14

games under center and, along with

Clark, gives the Rams the top return-

ing 1-2 punch in Robeson County.

Add 27 other seniors with playoff ex-

perience to the mix and fellow

coaches – and media – expect the

Rams to finish in the top half of the

4A Southeastern Conference.

The Rams were picked to finish

behind Scotland and Richmond in

the coaches poll and fourth by the

media.

“Coach thinks this could be one of

the best teams he’s ever had,” Arm-

strong said. “Our expectations are re-

ally high because we know what

we’re capable of, but I wouldn’t call

it pressure. We aren’t worried about

how good we should be.”

The Rams’ offensive success will

hinge on the performance of the of-

fensive line, a physical group an-

chored by four returnees. Swett’s

starting front five includes left tackle

Codi Locklear, left guard Austin C.

Locklear, center Joseph Locklear,

right guard Austin D. Locklear and

right tackle Dannellye Clark. Codi

Locklear, a junior, is the only new-

comer and started every game last

season for Swett’s junior varsity

squad.

“We’re very confident in this

group and as of right now, it’s one of

the better units I’ve ever had,” Heil

said.

His running back agrees.

“My mindset is positive with those

guys because of how well we’ve

practiced this summer,” Clark said.

“It’s been so hot, but everybody’s

been going hard. There’s a little pres-

sure (on me) trying to equal last year,

but it’s really up to our offensive

line.

“It’s up to them to block. My goal

is to run for at least 1,000 yards and

CoACh: MARK heiL (5th year)

Last season: 8-5, 2-3; lost in second round of playoffs

Key returners: Chase Armstrong (sr. QB), Travon Clark (sr. RB), Telvin Clark (sr. FS)

Strengths: experience, offensive line | Weaknesses: Wide receivers, linebackers

outlook: The Rams return 27 seniors to a team that was a few touchdowns away from challenging Richmond in

the Southeastern Conference. This could be Mark heil’s best team yet in Pembroke.

Coach heil says: “We’re expecting most of our productivity out of guys like Chase (Armstrong), Travon (Clark)

and Juwan (Jones). Those guys have been with us awhile. The SeC is a tough conference to win, but we hope to be pretty good.”

RAMS Purnell Swett tailback Travon Clark is one of 27 seniors returning to a squadthat advanced to the second round of the state playoffs last season.

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KaleB roedel

Sports editor

faIrMoNT —First-year Red

Springs High School football coach

George Coltharp has coached his

share of Division I talent — includ-

ing current NFL players Jason

Hunter (Appalachian State), Aaron

Curry (Wake Forest) and Tank Tyler

(North Carolina State).

Drayvon Fairley, Red Springs’ 6-

foot-4, 200-pound senior defensive

end, may be one of the next DI

prospects under Coltharp’s watch.

He currently has interest from half a

dozen DI schools, including North

Carolina, N.C. State, Appalachian

State, Clemson, Virginia Tech and

Tennessee.

“He’s as good as any three of

those pros were in high school — he

has those intangibles,” Coltharp said.

“He has everything that you’re look-

ing for — the speed, the power, the

long arms … He’s got everything.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he

ends up being a major college re-

cruit.”

And this is all based on what

Coltharp has seen in limited full-con-

tact practices — low numbers kept

Red Springs out of full pads until last

week — and scrimmages. He can

only imagine what Fairley is capable

of once the lights are turned on.

Fairley is primed to impress.

“Being my senior year, I want to

do way better than we did the years

before. I just wanna win,” Fairley

said. He had 78 tackles and a team-

high six sacks as a junior. “We’re fo-

cused this season. Period. We’ve got

a good season ahead of us. I just

want to help my team out. I want to

be the best man I can.”

Fairley and his teammates are

going to have to do just that for a

program looking to shake off recent

hardships.

The Red Devils have struggled to

1-10 and 3-8 records the past two

seasons, ending with coaches find-

ing the exit. Coltharp is the pro-

gram’s third coach in three years.

Hoping to turn things around on

offense will be senior running back

Xavier McEachern, who rushed for

750 yards and nine touchdowns

last year en route to all-county hon-

ors. He’ll fill the holes created by

an experienced offensive line an-

chored by Robert Overton, who

stands 6-foot-1, 220 pounds.

And the ball will be put in the

hands of sophomore quarterback

Blake Greene, who Coltharp said is

going to be “the man, the myth, the

legend” by the time he’s a senior.

Greene started seven games as a

freshman last year.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t think

we’re going to have a much better

year than last year,” Coltharp said.

“Obviously it’s a long season and

you don’t know what’s going to hap-

pen. But we want to be a team that’s

competitive in that third season (the

playoffs).”

Red Springs’ Drayvon Fairley will anchor the Red Devils defense this season.

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RED

DEVILS

CoACh: GeoRGe CoLThARP (1st year)

Last season: 3-8, 3-2; lost in first round of playoffs

Key returners: Drayvon Fairley (sr. De), Xavier Mceachern (sr. RB), Robert overton(sr. oL), Blake Greene (so. QB)

Strengths: offensive line, team speed | Weaknesses: experience, consistency

outlook: Adjusting to a new coach (again) and playing with low numbers, the RedDevils will likely feel the sting of growing pains. Being competitive in the top-heavyThree Rivers Conference should be Red Springs’ priority.

Coach Coltharp says: “our goal is to come out and be 1-0. We’re going all in and trying to win the championship every week, that’s how we are.”

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KaleB roedel

Sports editor

ST. PaUlS —Antonio Henderson

gave defenses fits last year as St. Pauls

High School’s top wideout, grabbing 16

balls for 375 yards and seven touch-

downs.

This season, however, Henderson

won’t be receiving passes for the Bull-

dogs — he’ll be delivering them.

Opposing defenses may scratch their

heads when they see Robeson County’s

deep threat receiver under center, but ac-

cording to St. Pauls coach Trey Sasser,

Henderson fits the bill as St. Pauls’ play-

caller this fall. He replaces Kalem Hunt

who went 66-for-181 last season with

1,140 yards and 17 touchdowns.

“We just thought in the offseason he

was our best playmaker,” Sasser said of

Henderson. “We’re looking to get more

run production out of the Pistol offense.

He throws the ball well and he moves

well. He’s our No. 1 guy.”

The decision to pull his top wideout

from the receiving corps, however,

wasn’t an easy one for Sasser. A year ago,

with Henderson making big plays on the

outside — he averaged 23.5 yards a catch

— the Bulldogs finished runner up in the

Three Rivers Conference to Fairmont.

“When I was getting ready to make the

decision,” said Sasser, “My dad (Glenn)

who is a long-time coach, he said, ‘Son, if

you don’t have a quarterback, I might as

well be playing wideout for you’.”

Good point, pops.

And lucky for Sasser, Henderson had

no qualms about making the move to

quarterback.

“It was pretty easy to make that call,”

Henderson said. “My coaches helped me

get ready and I’m doing pretty good.”

Aiding the transition, Henderson will

have the luxury of feeding the ball to fea-

tured tailback Shawn Williams, who chalked up

140 carries for 534 yards and three touchdowns

a year ago.

“With Antonio and Shawn in the backfield,

the run has to be respected, which is what

we’re looking for,” Sasser said.

Henderson said that developing proper foot-

work — for drop-backs, sprint-outs and roll-

outs — has been the biggest detail to hammer

down.

“I trust my line,” he said. “The wide re-

ceivers are looking good running things and

everything. We’re looking real good.”

Now, if only Henderson can find a way to

throw passes to himself.

“I’ve thought about that a couple of times,”

he said.

The Bulldogs’ quarterback experiment will

get its initial test Friday when they travel to

Hope Mills to face Gray’s Creek.

St. Pauls coach Trey Sasser talks with his receiver-turned-quarterback Antonio henderson at an afternoon practice.

St. Pauls Bulldogs pg 7

CoACh: TReY SASSeR (4th year)

Last season: 5-7, 4-1; lost in the first round of playoffs

Key returners: Antonio henderson (sr. QB), Ladarius McQueen (sr. LB),Shawn Williams (jr. RB), Jhamel Leonard (jr. DB).

Strengths: Skill positions on offense.

Weaknesses:Young, inexperienced offensive line.

outlook:Led by all-county-receiver-turned-quarterback hender-son, the Bulldogs have their sights set on topping ThreeRivers champ Fairmont, which handed St. Pauls its onlyleague loss last season. Needless to say, Fairmont is cir-cled extra thick on St. Pauls’ calendar.

Coach Sasser says: “i think we’re a little bit better than last year … i thinkFairmont is too. i think we have enough to challenge forit (the conference title). That’s certainly one of our goalsevery year.”

BULLDOGS

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able, good kids.”

More comfortable as a slot re-

ceiver, McIntyre said he gladly gave

up his job as South Robeson’s signal

caller. Warwick isn’t planning on

using McIntyre in any gimmick for-

mations despite his speed and ath-

leticism. The Wild Mustang

direct-snap offense is a thing of the

past.

“We’re not trying to fool anyone

with smoke and mirrors,” Warwick

said. “There’s teams that have won

with the Veer, the Wing-T, the Spread

… all of it. All that matters is how

you run your offense. We need to

save Tezhawn for other plays.”

Warwick’s positive outlook on this

season despite 10 losses in his first

year should benefit the Mustangs,

who face a challenging schedule. In-

cluding the Robeson County Jam-

boree, South Robeson participated in

five scrimmages and are game-ready

according to Warwick.

All that’s left is building confi-

dence.

“These kids need someone who’s

behind them, knows they care,” War-

wick said. “We have a very disci-

plined group and that’s a positive. If

these guys believe in themselves, we

could have a pretty good football

team.

“If we finish with five or six wins,

that’ll give us a jolt of energy head-

ing into the future.”

Brad Crawford

Staff writer

PeMBroKe —Cautiously opti-

mistic.

Those are Garron Warwick’s

words, South Robeson’s head coach

who fielded a team last season that

included 17 total varsity players at

one point.

Add two transfers from Purnell

Swett High in the offseason and a

strengthened core at the line of

scrimmage and Warwick is confident

the Mustangs will surpass last sea-

son’s win total — one.

“We haven’t had a winning season

since Barry Leonard’s group in

2002,” Warwick said. “We hope this

year can be the start of the turn-

around here.”

Tezhawn McIntyre, South Robe-

son’s touchdown leader in 2010, is

moving to wide receiver this fall to

make room for junior quarterback

Jeremiah Swett. Swett started for the

Rams’ junior varsity squad last sea-

son and decided to join Warwick’s

program rather than back up Chase

Armstrong under center at Purnell

Swett.

Warwick handed play-calling du-

ties over to assistant coach Taurius

Baker who became the school’s of-

fensive coordinator this summer.

Swett, with quick feet and an accu-

rate arm, gives the Mustangs an op-

portunity to run the spread Warwick

learned while working as an assis-

tant at Raleigh Athens Drive.

“I’m still making the transition at

QB,” Swett said, who has only

played organized football for two

years. “It’s been fun and my team-

mates have helped me with the posi-

tion. I’m ready to try and help my

team win.”

Joining Swett in Rowland is his

brother Jordan, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound

freshman defensive end. A third

brother, Joseph, is Purnell Swett

High’s starting middle linebacker.

All three players are grandsons of

former Lumbee tribe chairman, Pur-

nell Swett.

“We’ve certainly got some addi-

tions that we feel can help us win,”

Warwick said. “Both of those guys

are baseball players too and I know

we have a great baseball program.

Jeremiah didn’t think he’d get any

playing time at Swett. Both are plan-

ning on playing for Bryan (McDon-

ald) in the spring.

“The best thing about these two is

their character. They’re very coach-

South Robeson Mustangspg 8

Jeremiah Swett and Tezhawn Mcintyre lead a revamped South Robeson offense that head coach Garron Warwick's expects to be explosive.

CoACh:GARRoN WARWiCK (2nd year)

Last season: 1-10, 0-5; did not make the playoffs

Key returners: Tezhawn Mcintyre (Sr., WR), Charles Gris-sett (Sr., LB), Frank Campbell (Sr., LB)

Strengths: Team speed, linebackers

Weaknesses:inexperience, size

outlook:South Robeson is still a year or two awayfrom being a contender in the ThreeRivers Conference, and Coach Warwick’smindset should be learn now and winlater.

Coach Warwick says: “We’re still trying to master the spreadoffense and we have a lot of new guys.our numbers have been good, so we’recautiously optimistic.”

MUSTANGS

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I’m speaking from experience.”

Richmond, the state’s preseason

No. 5 team, has won back-to-back

SEC championships and holds an 18-

game winning streak over the Scots.

The Raiders lost 37 seniors from

last season’s squad that won 12

games and were picked to finish sec-

ond in the league. Paul Hoggard says

he has to replace nearly every starter

at the skill positions.

“We have a lot of question marks,”

Hoggard said. “It’s just going to be a

matter of how long it takes the kids

with experience to get where they

need to be.”

Swett has been on the cusp of suc-

cess the last few years but hasn’t

found a way to beat the Raiders, the

team everyone is chasing. The Rams,

who went 8-5 last season and won a

playoff game, are hoping 27 return-

ing veterans can contend for an SEC

title.

Lumberton and Pinecrest are ex-

pected to take a hit after heavy grad-

uation losses depleted both teams.

The Pirates also had their projected

starting quarterback, Marquez

North, leave the school in January

after a move to Charlotte.

“Offensively, we’re going to strug-

gle,” Lumberton coach Mike Brill

said. “I don’t have but three guys

back (on offense) and we have three

brand new quarterbacks and nine

brand new running backs.”

4A Southeastern Conference pg 9

Contributed PhotoUntil a team knocks Richmond from its perch, the Raiders are still the team to beat in the 4A Southeastern Conference.

RAIDERS

Brad Crawford

Staff writer

PeMBroKe —Two football

teams are ranked in the state’s top

five.

Two others are prepared with tal-

ent, waiting to break out from the

middle of the pack.

The final squads, projected bot-

tom-dwellers, hold enough fire-

power and veteran coaching

experience to win any Friday night.

This is what makes the 4A South-

eastern Conference so difficult, la-

beled by its coaches as one of the

toughest six-team leagues in North

Carolina.

“In every conference, there’s a

couple teams that everybody usually

beats up on … not in this one,” Pur-

nell Swett coach Mark Heil said at

this season’s SEC Media Day in Rae-

ford. “It’s so tough. Top to bottom,

this is one of the best conferences in

the state. Hoke’s good. Pinecrest is

good.

“Of course Richmond is a power.

Scotland is loaded. Lumberton’s

good. Anybody can win in this con-

ference.”

Scotland, the preseason favorite

and fifth-ranked team in the state, re-

turns 10 all-conference starters from

last season, including the backfield

trio of quarterback Kwashaun Quick

and tailbacks Tony McRae and Cai-

son Murphy.

“I don’t think that there’s a

tougher football conference in North

Carolina,” Scotland coach Chip

Williams said. “I know there is a lot

of argument over that, but I’ve been

in a bunch of them (conferences) and

In P

rint... O

n L

ine... In

To

uch

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pg 10

Aug. 19 West Bladen

Sept. 2 Granville Central

Sept. 9 @ North Moore

Sept. 16 @ Sun Valley

Sept. 23 Goldsboro

Sept. 30 @ St. Pauls

Oct. 7 East Columbus

Oct. 14 @ Fairmont

Oct. 28 West Columbus

RED SPRINGS Fairmont SOUTH ROBESON

Aug. 19 @ Gray’s Creek

Aug. 26 Fayetteville Christian

Sept. 2 Southern Lee

Sept. 9 @ West Bladen

Sept. 16 Harrels Christian

Sept. 23 @ East Carteret

Sept. 30 Red Springs

Oct. 7 @ South Robeson

Oct. 14 East Columbus

Oct. 21 West Columbus

Oct. 28 @ Fairmont

Aug. 19 @ Green Sea Floyd, S.C.

Aug. 26 Whiteville

Sept. 2 Hobbton

Sept. 16 Fayetteville Christian

Sept. 23 @ South Columbus

Sept. 30 @ East Columbus

Oct. 7 Fairmont

Oct. 14 South Robeson

Oct. 21 @ St. Pauls

Oct. 28 @ Red Springs

ST. PAULS EAST COLUMBUSAug. 19 South Columbus

Aug. 26 @ East Bladen

Sept. 2 @ North Brunswick

Sept. 9 @ Whiteville

Sept. 16 Southwest Onslow

Sept. 30 West columbus

Oct. 7 @ Red Springs

Oct. 14 @ St. Pauls

Oct. 21 Fairmont

Oct. 28 South Robeson

WEST COLUMBUS

Aug. 19 @ Union

Aug. 26 Hobbton

Sept. 2 @ West Bladen

Sept. 9 @ Lake View

Sept. 16 @ Ashley

Sept. 23 Jones

Sept. 30 South Robeson

Oct. 7 @ West Columbus

Oct. 14 Red Springs

Oct. 21 @ East Columbus

Oct. 28 St. Pauls

Aug. 19 @ Western Harnett

Aug. 26 West Bladen

Sept. 2 Trinity Christian

Sept. 9 @ Southern Lee

Sept. 16 Purnell Swett

Sept. 30 @ Fairmont

Oct. 7 St. Pauls

Oct. 14 @ West Columbus

Oct. 21 Red Springs

Oct. 28 @ East Columbus

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Aug. 19 Cape Fear

Aug. 26 Jack Britt

Sept. 2 South View

Sept. 9 @ Seventy-First

Sept. 16 @ Athens Drive

Sept. 30 Pinecrest

Oct. 7 @ Hoke

Oct. 14 @ Richmond

Oct. 21 Scotland

Oct. 28 @ Purnell Swett

Aug. 19 Pine Forest

Aug. 26 @ Western Harnett

Sept. 2 @ Hoggard

Sept. 9 New Hanover

Sept. 16 @ South Robeson

Sept. 30 Scotland

Oct. 7 @ Richmond

Oct. 14 @ Pinecrest

Oct. 21 Hoke

Oct. 28 Lumberton

LUMBERTON Purnell SwettAug. 19 @ Ashley

Aug. 26 South View

Sept. 2 Seventy-First

Sept. 9 @ Sanderson

Sept. 16 Cape Fear

Sept. 23 @ Westover

Sept. 30 Richmond

Oct. 7 Lumberton

Oct. 14 @ Scotland

Oct. 21 @ Purnell Swett

Oct. 28 Pinecrest

HOKE

Aug. 19 @ Seventy-First

Aug. 26 @ New Hanover

Sept. 2 @ Marlboro, S.C.

Sept. 9 Jack Britt

Sept. 16 Anson County

Sept. 30 @ Purnell Swett

Oct. 7 Pinecrest

Oct. 14 Hoke

Oct. 21 @ Lumberton

Oct. 28 Richmond

Aug. 19 Sun Valley

Aug. 26 Lee County

Sept. 2 @ Anson County

Sept. 9 @ South View

Sept. 16 West Forsyth

Sept. 30 @ Hoke

Oct. 7 Purnell Swett

Oct. 14 Lumberton

Oct. 21 @ Pinecrest

Oct. 28 @ Scotland

SCOTLAND RichmondAug. 19 Jack Britt

Aug. 26 @ Overhills

Sept. 2 Cox Mill

Sept. 9 Barron Collier, Fla.

Sept. 16 Western Harnett

Sept. 23 @ New Hanover

Sept. 30 @ Lumberton

Oct. 7 @ Scotland

Oct. 14 Purnell Swett

Oct. 21 Richmond

Oct. 28 @ Hoke

PINECREST

pg 11

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