Scotland’s Jahari Brown looks toward the captains for Fike with Amari Chance (57) in the background before a first round playoff match-up against Fike on Nov. 4.
File photo
LAURINBURG – The Fighting Scots love winning in the postseason.
After last week’s 42-35 first round victory over No. 23 Fike, Scotland has now advanced to the second round of the NCHSAA playoffs in 11 of the last 12 seasons (lost to New Bern in the first round during the 2021 spring season), and has made it to the fourth round in five of the last six seasons.
But, even with three state championship game appearances during that span, the Scots haven’t been able to win the big one, since 2011.
To continue their quest for a second title, the No. 10 Scots will head to Fayetteville Thursday night, and go up against the No. 7 Terry Sanford Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs (9-2, 6-1 All-American Athletic Conference) are 9-8 all-time against the Scots, and have won three of the previous four times both have met. The last time the two teams faced off was in 2000, when the Scots defeated the Bulldogs 35-0 in a regular season match-up. But, neither team has seen each other in postseason battle, since the 1986 playoffs, when the Bulldogs defeated the Scots 40-18 in the first round.
With injuries becoming a major issue for the Scots in the last four weeks, multiple JV players will see playing time against Terry Sanford. Scots head coach Richard Bailey said getting those players reps in practice throughout the week will be important.
“There is a lot of similarities in what we do, all the terminology is the same,” Bailey said, describing the Scots’ JV and varsity football programs. “But, there’s a reason Fridays and Thursdays are different animals. A lot of times right now in practice, they’re not getting nearly as many reps as the permanent varsity guys. They’ll have a little more reps. So, hopefully we’ll get them up to speed.”
And, with those injuries, Bailey knows it won’t be easy leaving Fayetteville with a win, especially against a fiery Bulldogs offense.
“It’s a tough task, man,” Bailey said. “They’re a good football team. They’ve got a very explosive offense. They’re averaging 45 points a game. That’s gotta be one of the tops in 3A in the state. It’s going to be a big challenge for us”
Terry Sanford quarterback Dante Garcia will almost undoubtedly be the best quarterback the Scots have faced all season. Garcia has thrown for 2,477 yards and 24 touchdowns this year, and is ranked 15th in passing yards in the state of North Carolina, according to MaxPreps.
“We’re going to have to find a way to turn him over, hopefully,” Bailey said, when asked how his defense will try to contain Garcia. “Not many (teams) have had luck doing that.”
Turnovers haven’t been an issue for Garcia this season. Through 11 games, he has just two interceptions, with both of those coming in a game against Pine Forest earlier this year.
But, the Bulldogs offense is more than just the passing game. The run game has also been a problem for opposing defenses.
Terry Sanford running back Jonathan Higgins-Simmons leads a trio of running backs that have seen meaningful snaps this year. Higgins-Simmons has totaled 765 yards rushing on 101 attempts, as well as, 10 touchdowns. He also has been a factor in the receiving game, with 13 catches for 111 yards and two scores.
“We’re going to have to try to keep him (Higgins-Simmons) in front of us,” Bailey said. “Don’t give up the big play.”
Higgins-Simmons did not play in the Bulldogs’ previous game against South Brunswick in the first round of the playoffs, which lead to running backs Jre Jackson and Kenyon Slaughter-Keen seeing an increase in carries.
Jackson has ran for 609 yards and five touchdowns this season. In the game against South Brunswick, Jackson ran 21 times for 137 yards and a touchdown.
Slaughter-Keen has 244 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the year. He ran for 45 yards on 10 carries, and a touchdown against South Brunswick.
The Bulldogs have three wide receivers in Patrick Shook, Rashid Jones, and Kamal Thames that will have to be accounted for by the Scots defense. Shook, Jones, and Thames have combined for 1,626 yards receiving and 16 receiving touchdowns this season.
On defense, Terry Sanford has been excellent in forcing turnovers as a unit. The Bulldogs have 14 interceptions and six forced fumbles on the year.
Defensive lineman Brenden Jackson has been a force this season. Brenden Jackson has 64 tackles (41 solo), 18 tackles-for-loss, and 12 sacks for the Bulldogs.
Linebacker Jesus Hernandez has almost seemingly matched the production of Brenden Jackson. Hernandez has 62 tackles (42 solo), 16 sacks, and 14 tackles-for-loss this year. Hernandez also leads the team in quarterback hurries with 16.
The special teams unit of the Bulldogs is also an integral part of the Bulldogs’ success this season. Kicker Adam Wright ranks fifth in the state of North Carolina with 58 made PATs, and 12th in total kicking points with 61. And, Thames, who is the Bulldogs’ punt returner, is fifth in the state with a return average of 43.47 yards.
To keep up with the firepower of the Bulldogs’ offense, and make the Bulldogs’ defense uncomfortable, Bailey knows his offense will have to get off to a great start, something they’ve struggled with recently, and score often
“We’ve got to quit wasting the first series,” Bailey said. “Usually, we’ve been historically really good on our opening drives. And, we have not the last couple games. Their mostly just self-inflicted. (Last) Friday night, we dropped a snap, then we ran an outside zone play and missed a guy. Then, we miss a wide open receiver on third down. Next thing you know, we’re punting. And, it was nothing that Fike did, it was just all self-inflicted. So, we need to be ready from the beginning. It’s important that we score, basically on every possession, at least that’s the mentality we’re going to take.”
Kickoff between the Scots and the Bulldogs will be Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Fayetteville, as of Tuesday evening. The game was originally scheduled for Nov. 11, but was moved up a day, due to the potential impacts of Tropical Storm Nicole. Any further updates will be provided on the Laurinburg Exchange website.
Additional reporting from Deon Cranford
Reach Brandon Hodge at bhodge@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com