LAURINBURG — Don’t confuse this year’s Hoke football team with the groups that struggled to win over the past six seasons.
The Bucks haven’t had a winning season since 2012, and they won a total of nine games between 2013 and 2018. The Bucks finally flipped a switch this year; they are 5-1 after a 21-14 victory against Seventy-First last week.
“They’re a much-improved football team,” Scotland coach Richard Bailey said. “They’re playing very sound football. They’ve got a running back that’s really making a difference for them. He’s the best running back we’ve seen this year.”
Senior running back Keonte’ Shaw and the Bucks (2-0 SAC) will visit Scotland (6-0, 2-0 SAC) on Friday night. Shaw has tallied just under 700 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season. He averages 116.5 rushing yards per game.
The matchup comes one year after Scotland spoiled Hoke’s homecoming in Raeford. Scotland won 28-27 in overtime, as Syheam McQueen powered the Scots to victory with 4-yard touchdown run and a successful 2-point conversion attempt in the extra period.
“They pushed us to the brink,” Bailey said. “The’re always tough at their place. They always historically play us tough, especially there.
“Hopefully that got our guys’ attention,” he added. “They only won one game last year, but they took us to overtime, and we went to the state championship game. Any time you’ve got athletes, and they do, you’ve got a chance against anybody.”
Scotland’s defense has proven that it can keep quarterbacks consistently under pressure, led by defensive end Zymere Reddick’s 10 sacks. Hoke can do the same thing. Hoke’s Marquize Woodson, a senior defensive back, has 6 1/2 sacks this season. Dashaun Morrison-Smith and Keyonte Bronson both have three sacks. Woodson also has recorded nine tackles for loss, three more than junior Josh Harrelson.
Hoke’s ability to get to the quarterback reinforces the idea that Scotland needs to do a better job with pass protection.
“(Quarterback Tyler Barfield), when he has time, throws the ball pretty effectively,” Bailey said. “He hasn’t had a lot of time.
“We’ve also got to catch the ball better,” he noted. “Those are things we work on all the time.”
Previous matchups
Scotland has a nine-game winning streak in its all-time series with the Bucks. Hoke’s most recent victory over the Scots happened in 2009.
A little banged up
Last week, for the second time this season, Scotland played two games within a five-day stretch. Both were wins, but the tight schedule left some of the Scots recovering from minor injuries. One of those players was standout linebacker Nick Callahan, who sat out Friday’s game at Purnell Swett with a neck injury. He’ll be back in action against Hoke.
When and where
Friday’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Pate Stadium. The Scots are playing at home for the first time in more than a month.
