LAURINBURG — Now there are only two remaining.
After Week 2 of the regular season Hoke County and Richmond Senior are the only undefeated teams in the Southeastern Conference. The Bucks edged South View 28-21, while the Raiders stormed past Lee County 55-28.
Lumberton was blanked by Jack Britt to drop its first game of the season, while Scotland watched its 16-game winning streak come to a halt, as New Hanover posted a 21-16 victory at Pate Stadium.
While the Fighting Scots and Pirates were tasting defeat, Pinecrest and Purnell Swett were on the right side of the scoreboard for the first time. The Patriots got past Overhills 21-7 and the Rams knocked off Western Harnett by the same score.
Marlboro County (S.C.) at Scotland
Coaches: Dean Boyd, Marlboro County. Richard Bailey, Scotland.
Records: Marlboro County 2-0. Scotland 1-1.
Last game: Marlboro County posted its second straight shutout to open the season. The Bulldogs blanked Chesterfield 39-0 before shutting down Cheraw 46-0 last week. Scotland was unable to slow down the New Hanover running attack as the Wildcats rushed for 295 yards. Despite the troubles on defense, the Fighting Scots still had an opportunity to tie the game in the final minutes but Tralon McNeil-Jones fumbled after making a catch deep in New Hanover territory.
Key matchup: Marlboro County’s defense vs. Scotland’s offense. Marlboro County has yet to surrender a point this year but its defense hasn’t faced in opponent like Scotland. The Fighting Scots are capable of lighting up a scoreboard in a hurry. Scotland coach Richard Bailey knows with sophomore quarterback Jaylend Ratliffe leading the offense, there will be good and bad games and the loss to New Hanover was a bad day.
Hoke at Seventy-First
Coaches: Milton Butts, Hoke County. Bob Paroli, Seventy-First.
Records: Hoke County 2-0. Seventy-First 0-2.
Last game: Hoke County used a Michael Locklear to Cory Cannon 34-yard touchdown pass late in the contest to knock off South View 28-21. Running back Detrez Newsome continued to rack up eye-popping statistics. The senior ran for 183 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. Seventy-First has struggled to find a rhythm offensively this season, scoring one touchdown in each of its first two games. The Falcons didn’t register a first down until the 5:55 mark of the second quarter and didn’t cross midfield until the second half in a 38-6 loss at Hoggard.
Key matchup: Hoke County’s offense vs. Seventy-First defense. After relying on the legs of Detrez Newsome in a season-opening win over Ashley, Hoke County found a little balance against South View as Michael Locklear helped ease Newsome’s load by tossing two touchdowns. The Falcons are allowing an average of 36 points a game and allowed the Vikings to rack up nearly 300 yards of total offense at halftime.
Hoggard at Purnell Swett
Coaches: Scott Braswell, Hoggard. Mark Heil, Purnell Swett.
Records: Hoggard 2-0. Purnell Swett 1-1.
Last game: Hoggard zoomed past Seventy-First 38-6. The Vikings jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead by rolling up nearly 300 yards of offense in the opening 24 minutes, while limiting the Falcons to just 16. After struggling to find any offense in its season opener, Purnell Swett may have found the right combination. Running back Andrew Hill ran for 156 yards and a touchdown on 18 touches, while quarterback Jeremiah Swett tossed two touchdowns in his first game as a starter.
Key matchup: Hoggard’s defense vs. Purnell Swett’s offense. Following his team’s 38-6 victory over Seventy-First, Hoggard coach Scott Braswell said he thought he has a good defense, “If we stay healthy we’ve got a chance to be very good.” Purnell Swett coach Mark Heil has to hope inserting Andrew Hill and Jeremiah Swett into the offense means the Rams are on the right path and will not revert to its effort in a season-opening loss to Pine Forest, when it had seven turnovers.
Lumberton at South View
Coaches: Mike Brill, Lumberton. Randy Ledford, South View.
Records: Lumberton 1-1. South View 0-2.
Last game: For the first time in 51 games, Lumberton failed to score any points under coach Mike Brill in a 27-0 loss at Jack Britt. Pirate running back Daniel Robinson was held in check by the Buccaneers after rushing for 245 yards and four touchdowns against Cape Fear. Robinson managed to squeeze out 42 yards on 18 carries. South View surrendered a touchdown pass from Hoke County’s Michael Locklear to Cory Cannon in a 28-21 loss.
Key matchup: Lumberton’s running game vs. South View’s rush defense. Lumberton likes to do one thing out of its Wing-T offense, run the football. For the most part, the Pirates are successful at constantly pounding the ball for short gains before one of the running backs breaks loose for a long run. Against Jack Britt, Lumberton was unable to pick up timely first downs and wear down the opposition. South View allowed Douglas Byrd to run for 140 yards in a 41-14 loss before surrendering more than 200 yards to Hoke County last week.
Pinecrest at Cox Mill
Coaches: Chris Metzger, Pinecrest. Greg Neuendorf, Cox Mill.
Records: Pinecrest 1-1. Cox Mill 2-0.
Last game: Dwayne Simpson had 233 yards of total offense as Pinecrest captured its first victory of the season. Simpson scored all three touchdowns in the Patriots’ 21-7 win against Overhills. Simpson had touchdown runs of 1- and 3-yards and added a 65-yard scoring reception out of the backfield. Cox Mill recorded shutouts in its first two games, blanking Harding University 53-0 and rolling past Central Academy 35-0.
Key matchup: Pinecrest’s defense vs. Cox Mill offense. The Patriots allowed 34 points in a season-opening loss to Jack Britt before limiting Overhills to seven last week. Coach Chris Metzger hopes his defense has turned the corner and is more like the unit which showed up against the Jaguars rather than the Buccaneers. Cox Mill is averaging 457 yards of total offense. The Chargers are running for 285 yards a contest, while throwing for 172.
— Sports editor Shawn Stinson can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 14, or by email at sstinson@heartlandpublications.com
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