LAURINBURG — Scotland’s football team played a challenging non-conference schedule, and faced one of the Sandhills Athletic Conference’s other top teams in its league opener.
So winless Purnell Swett (0-5) is Scotland’s least intimidating opponent to date — at least on paper. The Rams have struggled offensively this season, and they’ve already been shut out three times.
But the Fighting Scots (5-0), who are on short rest after playing on Monday at Jack Britt, remain vigilant as they prepare to travel to Pembroke on Friday night.
“The one thing we’re preaching to them is it’s always tough to go to Robeson County to play,” Scotland coach Richard Bailey said. “They’re going to play hard on their field. They’ve got some good players. Austin Chavis, their defensive end, might be the defensive player of the year in the conference.”
Chavis, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior, tallied 28 total tackles, including a team-high three tackles for loss, through the four games the Rams have posted statistics for this season.
The Rams boast a senior-laden roster this year. But the offense, which features senior quarterback Micah Carter, hasn’t been able to find its groove. The Rams did seem to gain some traction two weeks ago in a 15-10 loss at Hoggard. Purnell Swett also held its own for a good portion of its season opener against Pine Forest, but the Rams lost 19-9.
Meanwhile, the Scots are still feeling some of the effects from a remarkably physical football game at Jack Britt. That game was postponed from Friday to Monday due to inclement weather.
“We’ve got to warn our kids not to look ahead,” Bailey said. “Be 1-0 this week. It’s the most important game.
“But it is difficult, especially coming off of a Monday game,” he added. “We’re beat up. We’re not practicing (in full gear). … I was just talking to (linebacker) Nick Callahan, he feels like he’s been in a car wreck. We’ve got some guys that are like that, beat up.”
Aerial attack
Scotland had some success throwing the football in Monday’s win at Jack Britt. The highlight was a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Barfield to Trey Chavis. There were also some near-misses on Chavis’ other deep routes.
It was an improvement for a team that has sometimes struggled to make quality passes this season.
“I thought we did a better job,” Bailey said. “We protected a little better. I still didn’t totally love our protection, but we did good. We got the ball to Trey Chavis — we needed that. Bruce (Wall) made some important plays, too. We were also able to hit a couple of those (run-pass option) throws that we’ve been working really hard on. I was excited about that as much as anything.”
When and where
Friday night’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Purnell Swett High School in Pembroke. It will also be aired on WLNC 95,1FM starting with the “Countdown to Kickoff” at 6:30 p.m.
