FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Gators hope to knock off Rebels

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on November 4, 2016 9:57 AM

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The short rows.

Suggestive of a task nearing maturity, the phrase is a well-worn bit of southern-fried shop talk. For Wayne County varsity football programs, it's a fully formed bit of reality.

Such is the case this evening in Calypso, where Spring Creek and North Duplin will lock horns in a penultimate show of Carolina 1-A class warfare at venerable H.E. Grubbs Field.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

And at this point -- with two games left and postseason ambition riding on each snap -- there's little likelihood either team will attempt to develop new on-field wrinkles this week.

"When you're talking about week 10, neither team is going to throw anything out there the other hasn't seen," SC head coach Aaron Sanders said. "It will come down to which team can execute the best."

Which, for the Gators, means heavy doses of quarterback Landon Smothers. SC (3-6 overall, 2-2 CC) has blossomed under the sophomore's leadership this fall, utilizing a balanced attack that can strike quickly or play with patience between the tackles.

Blessed with a receiving corp that stretches nine deep, Smothers has completed 53 percent of his passes for 1,396 yards and 18 touchdowns -- statistics that place him among the elite signal-callers in the area.

But there's more.

Spring Creek also chews up yardage on the ground, as evidenced by its collection of 1,250 hashmarks this season. Although primarily committed to the duo Jessie Casper and Javon Newsome, the Gators have spread the carries among 11 different ball carriers this season.

That diversity, seldom seen in Carolina 1-A tilts, is of significant concern to North Duplin head coach Hugh Martin.

"They're very skilled at what they do," the Rebels' head coach noted. "It's a huge challenge for our kids, because we haven't played this kind of offense in a while."

In order to control the Gator talent pool, assignment football will be the priority of a sure-tackling Rebel defensive unit paced by Shmid Romeus and Cody Craig. Together, the duo leads the green-and-gold with a combined 120 tackles this season.

Offensively, the Rebels (5-4, 3-1) will stick to the familiar patterns within Martin's clock-churning ground scheme, helmed this season by Will Archer, Kenny Sheppard and Colby Bass. The trio of junior classmates have combined to rush for 2,075 yards and 23 touchdowns.

All things considered, it's a classic tale of good on good.

"Even though they are a ball-control offense, they're a well-rounded offense," Sanders noted. "We have to stay engaged."