RAEFORD — Sandhills Athletic Conference football coaches and players converged on Bayonet Golf Course at Puppy Creek on Sunday afternoon for the annual meeting with the media, and Scotland was picked to win the inaugural conference title by a nearly unanimous vote.
The Scots garnered all nine of the first-place votes submitted by the media, and four of the eight SAC-8 coaches selected Richard Bailey’s team as the preseason favorite.
Seventy-First, Pinecrest, Jack Britt and Lumberton each received one first-place vote in the coaches poll.
Scotland topped the media poll with nine points, while Richmond was the runner-up with 19. Seventy-First stood alone in third place with 21 points, followed by Pinecrest with 33. Jack Britt garnered fifth place with 43 points, Lumberton narrowly beat out Purnell Swett for sixth with 52 points. Purnell finished in seventh place with 54 points while Hoke rounded out the conference with 58.
In the coaches poll, Scotland earned four first-place votes to top the standings. Richmond was the runner-up, despite not receiving an first-place votes. Seventy-First garnered one first-place vote to secure third place. Pinecrest, Jack Britt and Lumberton also each receiving one first-place vote respectively as the Patriots took fourth while the Buccaneers and Pirates tied for fifth. Hoke and Purnell Swett rounded out the conference in seventh and eighth place in the coaches poll.
Being slated as the top school in the SAC-8 puts a target on the Scots back, but Bailey would much rather be aimed for than overlooked.
“We’re going to get everyone’s best game on Friday night,” he said. “It’s tough being the hunted team, but I would much rather be the one everyone is shooting for than the one at the bottom looking up. No one is going to expect more out of us than we do, our team understands that. We also understand that anything short of winning the last game of the year is probably going to be a disappointment, just like it’s been the past couple years for us.”
Scotland won its sixth straight Southeastern Conference title last season, defeating Richmond 21-0 in the winner-take-all regular season finale. The Scots finished 14-1 overall before losing to Cape Fear 27-7 in the Eastern Regional Finals of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.
Compared to previous years, the preseason polls saw Pinecrest on the outside looking in at the top three teams replaced by Seventy-First. Bitter rivals — Scotland and Richmond — could tussle for the conference crown again after being pegged No. 1 and No. 2 yet again. The addition of Seventy-First and Jack Britt only makes the conference stronger according to Bailey, which will make the chase for the title that much more challenging.
“It’s a juggernaut from top to bottom,” he said. “I think it’s a great conference. You add Jack Britt and Seventy-First, which are historically great programs. to an already tough conference it’s going to be a highly competitive conference and I look forward to having those teams in it.”
Richmond was one game away from winning the SEC in 2016, recording a 4-1 conference mark with an 9-4 overall record. The Raiders fell in the second round of the playoffs of the 4AA bracket, losing to Garner Magnet, 54-37. Richmond welcomed new head coach Bryan Till in the off season after the resignation of Mike Castellano.
Led by coach Chris Metzger, Pinecrest finished third in the SEC last year at 3-2 and finished 10-3 overall. The Patriots two conference losses were to Scotland and Richmond. Pinecrest did advance to the second round of the NCHSAA playoffs before being eliminated by Heritage, 25-21.
For the second consecutive season, Lumberton finished fourth in the conference at 1-4 with a 2-9 overall record. The Pirates were almost unable to complete their season following the devastation of Hurricane Matthew.
For the first time in several years Hoke County didn’t finish last in the conference. First-year head coach David Jorgensen helped the Bucks win one conference game and ended the season with a 2-9 overall record. Purnell finished sixth in the conference at 0-5 with a 3-8 overall record under coach Jon Sherman.
Seventy-First finished second in the Mid-South Athletic Conference behind undefeated Cape Fear. The Falcons finished with a 5-1 conference record and 9-3 overall. Jack Britt wrapped their season with a 1-5 conference and 3-8 overall record for fifth place.
The Scots will open their 2017 season against Mallard Creek on Aug. 17.
Amber Hatten can be reached at 910-506-3170.
