Saints' season not defined by wins, losses, but heart and effort

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 15, 2013 1:48 PM

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Fighting back tears, they huddled one last time and lifted their scarred helmets into the cool night sky.

"1-2-3, Saints!" they shouted.

The players broke and headed into different directions. Some trudged toward the locker room, uneager to remove a uniform they had graced for 12 Friday nights. Others sought out comfort from their parents who waited outside the football field.

A season of frustration had come to a close for the Southern Wayne football team. The group learned many lessons and never quit on a coaching staff that constantly moved players around in spots that would benefit the team after an injury-filled preseason. Coaches filled in on scout teams and live hitting still took place.

So what if the Saints finished 2-8. A team that played hard on every snap undoubtedly earned the respect from opposing players and coaches when it walked off the field.

"It's been a great group of kids," third-year SW head coach David Lee said. "Those kids have worked hard in practice and we haven't taken it easy on them, either. We told them we care too much about you to take it too easy on you. We're going to coach you the same way we've always coached you."

Southern Wayne anticipated a grinding season in the newly-realigned Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference. Lee's main goal was to stay healthy and play competitive against the 4-A teams, and the Saints did until either fatigue or turnovers factored into the final outcome.

The Saints won two of their first four games and had county rival Charles B. Aycock on the ropes for three-plus quarters. Lee didn't dwell on what his team didn't accomplish, but reveled in the fact that each week they met each challenge they faced head on and never looked back.

There wasn't one star player to stand out on either side of the ball.

It turned into a collective effort of a team that developed a brotherhood -- a bond that wouldn't be unbroken despite what the scoreboard said at the end of the game. Fifteen of those brothers were recognized on senior night against archrival Eastern Wayne this past Friday.

And Lee got the effort he expected from all 15 -- Marquis Baldwin, Tony Fields, Jartarvis Bradshaw, AJ Williams, Jalen Bennett, Rahleik Butler, Eric Howard, Jay-len Roberts, Chris Brinson, Mitchell Morrisey, Markim McNair, Seth Buff, Deonte Hayes, Aaron Ashford and Martel Lofton.

"They've just got to remember that brotherhood they've got going on right there," Lee said as he glanced toward the huddle of players. "That's what it's about. If you know you did everything possible, if you know you worked hard, if you know you laid it all on the line, when you walk off that field you're a winner.

"Yeah, we're going to go down with an 'L' in the record book. But as individuals, we're winners if we give everything we've got and in my mind, they're all winners."