LAURINBURG — Two years ago, Scotland quarterback Warren Bell ran through South Central’s defense in the third round of the high school football state playoffs. Bell broke Scotland’s single-game quarterback rushing record with 380 yards on the ground, including six touchdowns.
Scotland won that game 75-34, and the Scots got one step closer to their eventual runner-up finish against Harding in the state championship game. Scotland and South Central are set to have another playoff matchup this week, when the 11th-seeded Eagles (5-6) travel to Pate Stadium to face the sixth-seeded Fighting Scots (9-2).
“They’ve got some good skill guys on offense, a couple wideouts that can go up and get the ball,” Scotland coach Richard Bailey said. “They’re not a big, big team, but they’ve got a defensive lineman that’s a 300-pound guy. They’re more predicated on speed, kind of a 4-2-5 team.
“They’re not as good as they were a couple years ago, but a couple years ago they were undefeated conference champions,” he added. “They were very good. They’re not as good as that team, but they’re athletic, and they play good competition (in the Eastern Carolina 3A/4A Conference).”
Third-seeded Jordan awaits the winner of Friday’s game. Jordan had a bye this week, and they are guaranteed a home game next week.
South Central will have a 2 1/2-hour bus ride from Winterville to Laurinburg. The Falcons ended the regular season on a three-game skid, the most recent setback being a 41-6 loss to D.H. Conley. Scotland defeated Conley 35-8 earlier this season.
Bailey said the Scots might benefit from their familiarity with Pate Stadium, but home field advantage isn’t necessarily a big factor in a playoff environment. Plus, Scotland’s only two losses this season were at home.
“I really do feel like home field advantage is overrated in the playoffs,” Bailey said. “Just look at the MLB World Series. It’s all about what happens in that game. It doesn’t matter what field. The fields are all 100 yards long. But it’s good to have a crowd.”
Seniors Justin Humphries and Xavier Meachem have both seen significant playing time at quarterback for the Falcons. Humphries averaged 111 yards passing through eight games, and Meachem averaged 70 yards through nine games. On the ground, senior running back Kevone Harris averages about 100 yards rushing per game.
Scotland is coming off of a 48-13 loss to Richmond in the regular-season finale. Scotland was within a touchdown of the Raiders at halftime, but Richmond’s second-half surge was too much for the Scots.
“Things got away from us, but a lot of that can be attributed to mistakes we made, turnovers and penalties that costed us at times,” Bailey said. “Defensive lapses that we need to clean up.”
Friday’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Pate Stadium. The admission price is $8.
