It’s never too early to talk about high school football. And now that Scotland’s 2019 non-conference schedule has been released, fans can get a glimpse of the tough road that awaits the Fighting Scots this fall.
The non-conference slate includes four teams that posted a combined 45-10 record last season. Three of those games will be played at Pate Stadium.
The season starts with a matchup against Southeast Guilford, last season’s 3AA runner-up. The Falcons finished with a record of 14-2 after losing 27-14 to Weddington in the state championship game.
In week two, the Scots host Wilmington Hoggard. The Vikings (10-2) had their eight-game winning streak snapped with a loss to Sandhills Athletic Conference competitor Pinecrest in the 4AA playoffs last season.
Hoggard will have a chance to avenge a playoff loss from two years ago. In the 2017 4A East Regional, Scotland beat Hoggard 47-46 in overtime. Hoggard scored on its overtime possession to take a 46-39 lead, but Scotland quarterback Warren Bell ran the ball in for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to give the Scots the win.
Scotland will hit the road for the first time in week three. The Scots will try to defeat Marlboro County in Bennettsville, South Carolina, after losing to the Bulldogs at Pate Stadium last year.
Marlboro County (8-5) lost to Myrtle Beach 42-14 in the second round of South Carolina’s state playoffs.
After a bye week, Scotland will return home to face Hunter Huss (13-1). The Huskies made it to the third round of the 3A state playoffs last season. They were bounced from the playoffs by 3A state champion Charlotte Catholic.
The four-game stretch will be tough for the Scots, who finished as the runner-up in the 4A state championship game after ending the regular season with a 5-5 record. Scotland finished 1-2 in a similarly challenging non-conference stretch last season. The fourth game, a home matchup against West Mecklenburg, was canceled due to the effects of Hurricane Florence.
But a challenging start to the season is what Scotland needs in order to prepare for conference play. Half of the SAC’s eight teams made postseason runs last season. Pinecrest reached the 4AA East regional last season, and Richmond reached the third round in the same classification after having a bye in the first round. Seventy-First beat conference foe Jack Britt in the first round of the 4A playoffs and went on to the 4A East Regional, where the Falcons lost to Scotland.
The Scots are primed to be stronger than they were last year. The team is losing just 10 seniors after graduating 32 seniors prior to last season.
Quarterback Bruce Wall and Kendrell Sellers are set to return for their senior campaigns after having last season cut short by ACL tears. Other notable returners include linebacker Nick Callahan, receiver Trey Chavis, defensive lineman Jason Romero, linebacker Ladarrius McNeill and punter Matt Sellers.
There are plenty of spring and summer workouts to be held, so it’s impossible to say how Scotland will look when the Friday Night Lights return in the fall. But inexperience is less of an issue for the Scots this time around, and the first four games of the season will show us if Scotland is serious about competing for another state championship.
