How many of you thought Scotland’s football players would be turning in their equipment after Friday’s second-round game at Cardinal Gibbons?
And while preparing some sort of casserole out of Thanksgiving leftovers on Saturday morning, how many of you had to do a double-take to make sure you read the final score of that game correctly?
The No. 10 Fighting Scots proved that they are serious about making a title run by defeating the Crusaders 7-6 on Friday.
Cardinal Gibbons had an overall record of 10-1 heading into the game. Led by senior quarterback Nick Frey, they had put together a solid season that included four shutout victories. Before Friday’s game, the Crusaders had outscored their last five opponents 226-31.
But Frey was held in check by Scotland. After averaging 265 passing yards per game during the regular season, Frey logged 152 yards while finishing 16-for-35 through the air.
Frey threw three interceptions against the Scots. He was picked off a combined five times over the Crusaders’ previous 11 games.
And as usual, Syheam McQueen was the facilitator of Scotland’s offense. He carried the ball a career-high 41 times for 185 yards. That effort helped McQueen and the rest of Scotland’s nine active seniors extend their high school careers by at least one more week.
If those seniors have it their way, they’ll be playing for three more weeks.
“We’re just trying to make it to the ‘ship,’” senior defensive back Tyshuon Thomas said. “Everybody’s doubting us, and we’re just trying to prove our doubters wrong.”
Scotland is two wins away from an appearance in the Class 4A championship game. They’ll be on the road at No. 3 Pine Forest this week.
The winner of that game will face the winner of No. 8 South View vs. No. 5 Seventy-First. South View defeated No. 1 South Central 33-32 in the second round, and Seventy-First defeated Scotland 21-6 in regular-season Sandhills Athletic Conference action.
Both Scotland and Pine Forest prefer to run the football. The Trojans average 245 rushing yards and just 65 passing yards per game.
It is reasonable to assume McQueen will take on a heavy workload again on Friday night, but backup Darrius Dockery might see more action in order to help preserve McQueen’s health as the postseason progresses.
Joseph McKoy, who had an interception against Cardinal Gibbons, could also get some carries if needed. But he’s taken on an increasingly significant role in the secondary late in the season, and that’s where his senior leadership is needed.
Leadership has been at a premium for a team that lost 32 seniors from last year’s squad, but head coach Richard Bailey believes the Scots have what it takes to move forward in the playoffs.
The process might be a little more stressful than he imagined.
“The last two weeks have taken a lot off my life, they really have,” Bailey said with a smile.
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