PREVIEW: Golden Falcons have to keep eye on No. 8

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on September 30, 2016 10:13 AM

• Print
• Email

DUDLEY -- Tonight's game between C.B. Aycock and Southern Wayne will serve as the Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference football opener for the Golden Falcons.

It's the Saints' second league game.

As the two teams enter the latter half of the season, it appears they're headed in opposite directions.

The Saints have lost three consecutive games after a 71-24 victory over county rival Goldsboro. Southern Wayne fell in a tightly contested 63-57 shootout against North Lenoir, but has been outscored 98-12 by Kinston and New Bern, respectively, the past two weeks.

Now they will have to deal with the Golden Falcons, a team they haven't beaten since 2011. To make matters more complicated, CBA enters the Doyle Whitfield Complex boasting a 4-1 record, which is its best start in seven years.

In the face of adversity, first-year head coach Ronnie McClary Jr. has tried to keep his team focused on its strengths.

"Well basically, just letting them see themselves on film," he said. "We've just kept staying the course as far as what we feel like is good for us. The things offensively and defensively, what we think we're good at -- we've just been trying to stay the course with those things."

CBA is coming off a bye week.

Golden Falcons head coach Steve Brooks said they used the break to get healthy, watch film and focus on scouting reports. Everything centers on one important objective -- find a way to maintain all-purpose player Manny Walker. The senior is three weeks removed from a record-setting 436-yard, seven touchdown performance.

It's to the point where Brooks jokingly hopes the referees will allow him to have 14 to 15 guys on defense to stop him.

"The kid just has no quit to him," Brooks said. "He keeps his legs moving, and he's very hard to bring down. He doesn't accept the play being over. There'll be four or five guys that have him wrapped up, and next thing you know, he's running down the sideline."

However, McClary's defense may have the more difficult task.

CBA is averaging 44 points per game, with an extremely balanced attack from the air and the ground. Quarterback Jake Flowers has thrown for 902 yards, 15 TDs and no interceptions. Running back Caleb Gough has rushed for 737 yards and six TDs.

"We just need to get better at what we're doing," said McClary Jr. of his defense. "We're in good position, but we're not finishing. We just have to play more aggressive and more physical. And with the athletes that we have, we feel like we can."

On paper, the Golden Falcons are the better team.

But Brooks and his players aren't in the habit of taking any opponent lightly. That's far from what he demands from his team and what the players demand from each other.

"We're in our conference now, so there should be no games that are taken for granted," Brook said. "We're playing a team that potentially stands in our way of being county champions and stands in the way of us being 3-A champions."