FOOTBALL TAB: Ayden-Grifton favored to defend ECC 2A title

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 22, 2014 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Bennett Johnson has always been a fan of high school football in eastern North Carolina -- long before he donned a Wilson Beddingfield uniform and turned in a record-setting prep career.

He knows the traditions.

He remembers the ups and downs of each program.

And he understands that survival in a growing league like the Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference is paramount on Friday nights this fall.

"I've always kept up with high school football in the eastern part of the state since I was born," said Johnson, who is the fifth head coach in Goldsboro High history since 1960.

"I'm very familiar with all the schools in our conference, the successes they've had, the failures they've had, the good eras and the bad eras (in their programs). I think week in, week out you're going to have to bring your best game, your hard hat to really pull out a 'W.'"

Goldsboro posted a 4-7 record in 2013 -- its first losing campaign since going winless in 2006. The Cougars also had their string of seven consecutive postseason appearances snapped.

Eight starters return.

"Our players are trying to learn our coaches," Johnson said. "We're trying to take care of us first, make sure we have everything in-house settled. The things we can control are playing hard, playing physical and playing smart.

"I told the players if you don't do your work Monday through Thursday, you will get exposed on Friday nights with the coaches in this league who put in the work like they do and with these teams having the athletes like they do."

Team: Ayden-Grifton

Head coach: Paul Cornwell

2013 record: 7-7

Last playoff appearance: 2013, lost to EC Northeastern in 3rd round of 2-A playoffs

Offensive starters back: 5

Defensive starters back: 4

Players to watch: Justin Brown (OT/DT, Senior) -- earned the ECC defensive player-of-the-year award in 2013, received all-state accolades from NCPreps.com and has verbally committed to ECU. Josh Walston (K/P, Senior) is a college prospect along with Hunter Cannon (QB, Senior) and Jake Wright (TE/LB, Senior).

Cornwell says: "I don't think we're going to as good, but I think we've got a chance to get better depending on how our young kids come along. We've got to stay healthy and I think we've got to develop some leadership.

"With a small group of seniors and a young football team, it's going to be more important to really have some true leaders to step forward and help us get where we want to get to."

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Team: Greene Central

Head coach: Allen Wooten

2013 record: 3-9

Last playoff appearance: 2013, lost to Bunn in 1st round of 2-AA playoffs

Offensive starters back: 2

Defensive starters back: 4

Players to watch: Laettner Fulford (OG/DE, Senior), Bailey Ormond (WR/CB, Senior), Josh Brown (FB/LB, Junior), Montavious Battle (FB/LB, Junior), Trey Wade (QB, Junior) and college prospect Brandon Hunt (WR/RB/CB, Junior).

Wooten says: "Wade is a dual-threat guy, going to be a nightmare for defenses to defend because of the versatility that he has. We kept them (undefeated JV team) all down together for a reason last season as sophomores.

"We were within four points of a conference championship last year after starting out 0-7. We believe in ourselves, we think we can get there. By no means is it going to be an easy road, but if we do things the right way, work hard at practice (and) listen to our coaches every day we've got as good a shot as anybody.

"We've been really working on getting back to the fundamentals, technique, know your job and hopefully these guys will believe in themselves."

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Team: Kinston

Head coach: Ryan Gieselman

2013 record: 7-6

Last playoff appearance: 2013, lost to Currituck in 2nd round of 2-AA playoffs

Offensive starters back: 5

Defensive starters back: 3

Players to watch: Daequan Carr (WR/DB, Senior) -- won the 550-meter indoor state championship in 2013. Dy'Quan Waters (OL/DL, Senior), Chris Williams (WR/DB, Senior) and Tavon Herns (RB/DB, Junior).

Gieselman says: "As coaches this year we're better prepared because our system has been in place for a year. We have pretty much the same staff coming back, so there's been consistency across the board through the winter and spring.

"We've got to be disciplined and play football like we're coached to do. A lot of our guys are athletic. When things don't go their way (on a play), they rely on their athleticism. (Now) they've got to be able to rely on what they're coached to do."

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Team: North Lenoir

Head coach: Calvin Sutton

2013 record: 2-9

Last playoff appearance: 2006, lost to Southern Vance in 1st round of 2-A playoffs

Offensive starters back: 5

Defensive starters back: 4

Players to watch: Donyae Hopkins (RB/DB, Senior) -- emerged as one of the ECC's top rushers last season with 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns, and was named the team MVP. Cooper Cramer (OL/DL, Sophomore).

Sutton says: "I know everybody (in the ECC) has lost some very important people that were big parts of what they did last year across the board. We've got some bread winners we were counting on that are not going to be part of the team.

"I don't know what we'll look like this year. I just don't think we have enough firepower at the end of the day with everything we've lost. We've got some sophomores and juniors who got a lot of experience last year because they had to be thrown into the fire."

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Team: South Lenoir

Head coach: Fred Kennedy

2013 record: 1-10

Last playoff appearance: 2010, lost to First Flight in 1st round of 2-A playoffs

Offensive starters back: 5

Defensive starters back: 4

Players to watch: Noah Stroud (RB, Senior), Tanner Dixon (OL, Senior) and David Morales (OL, Senior).

Kennedy says: "Noah is a very solid back, not big but is shifty and runs hard. On offense and defense we have a lot of kids playing different positions so we're really hoping they can step up and do the job we're asking them do.

"We're going to have to be more physical than anybody else. Our strength year in and out is predominantly our offensive and defensive lines. We're going to match (a team's) athleticism with our physicality, try to keep everything close and go from there."