St. Andrews returns to Knights Field to take on No. 23 Reinhardt

LAURINBURG — It’s been nearly six weeks since the St. Andrews football team has played a game in front of their fans at Knights Field in Laurinburg.

They’ll finally do so this weekend, but it won’t come against simple competition.

The Knights will host the No. 23 Reinhardt Eagles on Saturday with a noon kickoff.

“I think it’s important that we’re back home,” St. Andrews head coach Bob Curtin said. “Guys can sleep in their own beds. Guys will be well rested. And it’s always nice to be in front of the local crowd. Parents don’t have to travel as far. It should help get us straight with regard to being prepared. When you have to travel a couple of hours, six to 12 hours, there’s a lack of preparation time because it’s just hard to prepare on a bus.”

Reinhardt (3-2, 1-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hasn’t had an issue with traveling much this season, with four of their five games already played being at home, including this past Saturday’s AAC contest against Pikeville, where the Eagles eked out a 41-35 victory in double overtime.

For the Knights (0-6, 0-2 AAC), they suffered a 33-6 defeat at Union last weekend. Although the scoreboard indicated a not-so-close game, Curtin said his team was competitive for most of it.

“We played tough for three quarters, but we let up 17 (points) in the third quarter. And so, that was the difference in the game, which we cannot afford this week,” Curtin said. “I really think after that first quarter, we had Union right where we wanted them, but we let it slide; we let it slide on defense. We went offsides three or four times on one drive and let them recover, and they put it in for a touchdown.

“On offense, I think we were only (6-for-24) passing, and many of those passes were either dropped by our receivers or the quarterback was (escaping) a rush, but the pass wasn’t where it needed to be. That first drive took nine minutes and 40 seconds off the clock, and then, we scored the first touchdown. We shanked the extra point, which you can’t do, and then we moved the ball quite well in our run game. We got inside the red zone two or three times, and we just didn’t seal the deal.”

Against a Reinhardt offense averaging 28.8 points per game, the Knights will have to do a better job of containing big plays while finding ways to generate more points.

“For what we have and what we’re scheming against, and the personnel that we have, I think we can certainly compete with that offense,” Curtin said. “The question will be, how long can we compete, and will we adjust when they adjust off of us? So, if we’re holding the offense and they adjust to what our defense is doing, then do we quickly readjust and reestablish defensive positions? The good news is that we traditionally play them tough.”

The Eagles’ offense is led by quarterback Taylor Jackson, who’s passed for 746 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions; Jackson has also accounted for 82 rushing yards with three TDs.

Some of Jackson’s favorite targets include wide receivers David Friedberg, Tyshun Jordan, Jakari Clark, and Collin Fletcher. Friedberg has caught 15 passes for 330 yards and two TDs; Jordan has 10 receptions for 120 yards; and Clark and Fletcher each have seven catches, with Clark garnering 189 yards and Fletcher producing 101 yards.

But the player who could possibly give the St. Andrews defense the biggest challenge is Reinhardt running back Jerdavian Colbert, who has rushed for 595 yards on 110 carries and two TDs.

“It’s going to be interesting because he is a very dynamic running back,” Curtin said. “We just have to play him tough. We’re going to have to gang tackle him; don’t let him take us for a ride. We’ve got to drop our hips, hit, shoot, rip right through him, and drive our feet, just like you’re taught all the way back in Pop Warner football.”

On defense, linebacker Kendrick Hawkins leads Reinhardt with 31 tackles (18 solo) and also has three interceptions on the year; defensive lineman Vertez Shorter has a team-high 6 1/2 tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks; and defensive back Keon McGhee is the team’s interception leader with four.

As the Knights continue to try and get their first win, frustration is an emotion that most teams would be going through. But Curtin is assured that his team knows they are still rebuilding, and the talent in the current freshman class keeps them hopeful.

“The kids are working really hard,” Curtin said. “The 55 players we’ve got, those are the warriors we’re going to battle with for the rest of the season. As we tell them, we’re going to put another phenomenal freshman class behind you guys. So next year, we’re going to be ten times better. And I think the guys understand that. But it’s hard to tell an 18-year-old, who’s playing his heart out, that this 23-year-old guy is equal when they’ve got so many reps and so many years of experience at the college level. But the kids are motivated. I think we’re going to be all right.”

Reinhardt leads the all-time series with St. Andrews 7-0. Last year, the two teams competed against each other twice, with the first meeting being a nonconference game. The Eagles defeated the Knights 35-9 on Sep. 24, 2022, in Laurinburg and won 43-14 on Sep. 29, 2022, in Waleska, Ga.