A trio of Cumberland County schools head into the second round of the state football playoffs Friday night.
Here’s a quick look at each matchup.
Terry Sanford at Harnett Central
This will be a rematch for the Bulldogs, who lost to the Trojans 45-28 on Oct. 6.
Terry Sanford head coach Bruce McClelland was not on the sidelines for that contest, serving a one-game suspension after being ejected the week before in a 41-38 loss to Pine Forest.
“I feel like that loss is on me,” McClelland said, referring to the Harnett Central game that he wasn’t able to coach. “We plan on fixing all the things that went wrong that last game, riding up to Harnett Central and giving them our best shot.”
A key player in Terry Sanford’s hopes for victory will be the versatile Jonathan Higgins-Simmons, who plays both running back and slot receiver for the Bulldogs.
“He played quarterback in middle school and can do it all,” McClelland said. “Last year, he played outside linebacker. He’s just a throwback football player.”
Higgins-Simmons said the Bulldogs are a different team now than in their first meeting with Harnett Central, adding that everyone is locked in and playing as one.
“Going into this game, we’re trying to limit mistakes and execute on every play,” he said.
Both McClelland and Higgins-Simmons stressed the importance of physical play for the Bulldogs.
“We’re a changed team,” Higgins-Simmons said. “I’m loving the results that I see.”
Burlington Williams at Seventy-First
The 11-0 Falcons find themselves facing a second-round opponent that has as rich a tradition as Seventy-First.
Williams, like Seventy-First, has multiple state titles to its credit and is no stranger to deep runs in the state playoffs.
Just two years ago, the teams met in the second round with Seventy-First escaping with a 29-28 win in overtime.
“We are definitely not looking past them,” Falcon head coach Duran McLaurin said, adding that the team is preparing for the game like it’s the Super Bowl.
Williams brings a diverse running and passing attack to the game, which is going to put more pressure on players like Seventy-First linebacker Melik Thomas.
Thomas leads the squad in tackles for loss with 28 this season.
“I do a lot of blitzing,” Thomas said. “When I set the edge, I read them right and tackle them in the backfield.”
Thomas said he gets lots of help from the rest of the defense.
“We have good communication with each other,” he said.
If there is a bright spot for McLaurin in coping with Williams, it’s that the team’s defense has been somewhat porous, allowing 20 or more points in six of 11 games this season.
“We want to keep their offense off the field,” he said. “We want to limit their opportunities. We want to make sure our offense is productive, not sending the defense back on the field without us scoring points.”
Cape Fear at Havelock
Cape Fear likely faces the toughest test of the three county teams in action Friday night, traveling to face top-seeded and unbeaten Havelock, a traditional Eastern power.
The three-hour drive is only part of the challenge for the Colts.
“They’ve got a lot of team speed,” Colt coach Jake Thomas said.
On top of that, Havelock has a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, quarterback Jonathan Williams with 1,125 yards and running back Lebron Sharpe with 1,273.
“Offensively, we’ve got to limit or avoid some of those three-and-out series,” Thomas said. “We’ve got to keep their offense off the field by sustaining some long drives.”
He said it’s also important that Cape Fear convert more drives for touchdowns and not have to rely on points from its outstanding placekicker, Francisco Garcia-Rodriguez, who just last week kicked a 47-yard field goal for the Colts.
Defense will obviously be crucial for the Colts, who will need players like free safety Damien Gary to step up.
In last week’s playoff win over Western Alamance, Gary caused three fumbles, recovered one and had two interceptions.
“I think we’re doing a good job stopping the run, especially the defensive line,” Gary said. “The offense is definitely getting better as the season goes on. I trust those guys 100%.”
With Havelock putting emphasis on the run, Gary expects to have a different focus this week.
“Just changing my keys and being there on run support more instead of farther back in the backfield,” he said.
“I know me and my guys are going to execute. I think we’ll be fine.”
Follow Earl Vaughan Jr. on X (Twitter) @EarlVaughanJr.
