Eastern Wayne establishing its gridiron identity

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on September 3, 2017 5:12 PM

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Self aware.

That accurately describes the varsity football culture at Eastern Wayne this season, where the Warriors are using individual responsibility to handle assignments, control down and distance and win games.  

At 3-0, EW has established itself as the premier team in all of Wayne County -- and done so in a variety of ways.  

To begin, the Dubs are physical along the line of scrimmage, capable of winning trench battles and sustaining drives the old-fashioned way -- one yard at a time.  

But they also have playmakers.

In the backfield, the duo of Anthony McNair and junior Junious Tyson have worked in concert through the team's first three games, spelling each other with pop and sizzle and providing different looks to defensive coordinators.

Outside the numbers, receivers Marcus Rouse and Alex Sharpless provide size, speed and sure hands -- qualities that balance the EW attack and prevent it from becoming stagnant.

It all starts, however, with quarterback Zeke Best.

After guiding his troops to a season-opening win at Wilson Hunt, the senior directed the blue-and-old gold to four first-quarter scoring drives last week in a 34-6 demolition of county rival Goldsboro.

Six days later, it was his leadership on display during a rainy, grind-down victory over Aycock in Pikeville.

Whether it's from the pocket, where he thrives, or on the move, where he can make you look flat foolish, Best has answered every question asked of him on the field thus far this season.

And on defense, it's simple. These Warriors simply dare you.

Aggressive and shifty, EW closes quickly and tackles like clockwork out of containment. Along the boundary, they're smart and do not gamble with receivers that can get vertical.

It's just football, no frills, and smacks of the now-popular "do your job" sentiment -- a notion that seems to be ringing loud and clear at New Hope.

This isn't to suggest there isn't work to be done, and any coach on the Eastern Wayne staff will admit as much if asked.

But to date, the Dubs have impressed -- by first being aware of their strengths, and then by committing to them.