LAURINBURG — The return of high school football saw the newly formed Sandhills Athletic Conference or SAC-8 split right down the middle in wins and losses.

Four teams — Pinecrest, Seventy-First, Richmond, and Purnell Swett — are 1-0 while the conferences other four teams — Scotland, Jack Britt, Hoke, and Lumberton — moved to 0-1 following their season openers.

• Pinecrest defeated E.A. Laney, 30-0

The Patriots defense was the star in their shutout forcing five turnovers, three interceptions and two fumbles. Pinecrest linebacker DQ Barrett recorded three quarterback sacks and Martra McManus went 90 yards on an interception for a touchdown.

• Seventy-First bested Westover, 21-0

The Falcons had a scoring trio in quarterback Kyler Davis, wide receiver Reggie Bryant and running back Fabian Jones. Jones led a 70-yard march down the field by Seventy-First, which resulted in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Bryant. The Falcons defense held Westover running back D’Marion Ford to just 64 total yards.

• Richmond trounced Ronald Reagan, 45-24

The Raiders relied on running backs Dante Miller and Jaheim Covington, who combined for five rushing touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Caleb Hood got the nod for Richmond in his first varsity game with 85 passing yards and one touchdown.

• Purnell Swett upended Pine Forest, 48-15

Rams quarterback Luke Oxendine paced his quad with 293 passing yards and five touchdowns. Purnell wide receiver Chandler Brayboy was on the receiving end of three of Oxendine’s touchdowns while Cyran Dial hauled in the other two. The Rams defense forced three turnovers, capped by a 46-yard fumble return by Blake Lowry.

The Sandhills Athletic Conference losses varied in their severity with Hoke only losing by two but Lumberton being steamrolled by 42 points.

• Scotland fell to Mallard Creek, 28-21

The most anticipated game of Week 1 saw the Fighting Scots offense, other than University of Georgia commit Zamir White, struggle to find its rhythm. White was responsible for all three of Scotland’s touchdowns — one on the ground and two through the air. Warren Bell made his start at quarterback as the Scots offense managed 490 yards of offense. Despite out gaining the Mavericks on the stat sheet, Mallard Creek’s offense was firing on all cylinders under junior quarterback Jadyn Washington.

• Hoke lost to Cary, 31-28

The Bucks had a seven-point lead at halftime, 14-7. Hoke’s offense continued to be productive in the second half scoring two more touchdowns to take a 28-19 lead into the final minutes of the game. Penalties kept a Cary drive alive near the end of the game to allow the Imps to secure the 31-28 victory over the Bucks.

• Jack Britt was conquered by South View, 25-6

The rushing attack of the Tigers was too much for the Buccaneers. Junior quarterback Brennan Shortridge only found the end zone once, on a 29-yard pass to Barry Elliott in the second quarter. In the run game, Jack Britt was led by Chancellor Johnson with six carries for 36 yards followed by Glenn Young with six carries for 29 yards.

• Lumberton was shut out by Dillon, 42-0

The Wildcats flexed their offensive and defense muscle on Friday, at the expense of the Pirates. Lumberton running back Braylan Grice only managed 27 yards rushing. De’onnta McCallum, Jaylen Whitted and Devonta McKoy led the Pirates defense with eight tackles each.

The SAC-8 teams continue non-conference play this Friday as Pinecrest hosts Gray’s Creek; Richmond hosts Wake Forest; and Hoke hosts South View. Scotland will head to Durham Hillside, Seventy-First will travel across town to Cape Fear, Purnell Swett heads to Wilmington Ashley, Jack Britt travels to Terry Sanford and Lumberton will be on the road against Westover.

Amber Hatten can be reached at 910-506-3170.

Amber Hatten | Laurinburg Exchange The Fighting Scots were one of four teams in the Sandhills Athletic conference to lose their season opener on Friday. The conference split right down the middle with four teams winning and four teams losing.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_IMG_0969.jpgAmber Hatten | Laurinburg Exchange The Fighting Scots were one of four teams in the Sandhills Athletic conference to lose their season opener on Friday. The conference split right down the middle with four teams winning and four teams losing.

https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Sandhills.jpg
Four wins, four losses to kick off season

By Amber Hatten

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