FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Saints still control own destiny

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on October 21, 2016 9:57 AM

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DUDLEY -- At long last, Friday night lights.

Their collective flash will be a welcome sight throughout Wayne County tonight, and especially along the spine of Walter Fulcher Road, where Southern Wayne returns to the gridiron as the host of Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A foe South Central.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

And the Saints, whose immediate area was crippled in large part two weeks ago by the might of Hurricane Matthew, are very much looking forward to the matchup.

"We're still in the playoff picture," head coach Ronnie McClary said. "We're not just playing for nothing... but we have to make some noise these last three games."

In order to pull focus, however, Southern must sharpen its prime lens.

The chores start in the South Central backfield, where the Saints face the balanced nuance of tailback Nazir Monroe-Smith and quarterback Robert Rapp. Just a sophomore, the shifty Monroe-Smith is a one-cut-to-the-house threat anytime he touches the luggage.

When not deploying the ground force, South Central can be found dealing seeds through the air. In eight games this season, Rapp has tossed for 741 yards and six touchdowns, most of them to speed merchants Tre'Quan Smith and Jeremy Lewis -- a volume-producing duo of which McClary and Co. are keenly aware.

"We'll really try to contain their speed," McClary said. "We've got to stay in the right position, put our hands on them... and make a few good hits."

Southern will counter the Falcon offensive effort with playmakers of its own, beginning with Manny Walker. The all-everything senior has been a human Swiss knife this fall, torching opposing defensive coordinators for a staggering 1,307 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns.

But that's not all.

The Saints will also rely on quarterback Quentin Carlton, versatile wideout Jack Casbarro and the unsung DeAndre Wright, who is quietly averaging 6.7 yards per carry this season.

"We want to use their speed against them," said McClary. "And go pound-for-pound... with the guys we have up front, it gives us an advantage on pushing those guys (SC's defensive line) back."

It will be a significant test for the Saints, however, as have been recent days. Over the last two weeks, many in the Dudley community -- players, coaches, enthusiasts alike and volunteers alike -- have spent the majority of their waking hours helping each other recover from the area's second encounter with storm conditions many meteorologists have referred to as "unprecedented."

"Hopefully, (the game) it will be something that can bring us together," the coach noted, "a lot of people lost homes, lost lives... everything they had. We'll just try to use sports as a place to have some kind of solace."