Cavaliers return to action on Friday
Sep. 23—An unwanted two-week layoff for Southern Lee football comes to an end on Friday, with the Cavaliers returning to the field after missing two games due to being stuck in the COVID-19 protocol.
Southern returns to action against Scotland, the third-ranked team in the 3A East, on what will be Senior Night for 15 Cavalier football players, along with 11 band members and six cheerleaders. Senior recognition will begin a half-hour before the game starts.
Meanwhile, a Lee County team coming off its third shutout win of the 2021 fall season will be celebrating Homecoming as a heavy favorite against a slumping Hoke team.
Both games will be kicking off at 7:30 p.m.
SCOTLAND AT SOUTHERN LEE
The Cavaliers will be on a 22-day layoff when they take the field against MaxPreps' third-ranked team in the 3A East on Friday night. The Fighting Scots (4-1) have lived up to their press clippings this fall, with their only setback coming on the road to a strong 4A Hoggard team. Scotland drilled Hoke County 52-6 in their conference opener last week and has won three in a row since losing to Hoggard.
The Scots are a balanced offensive team that is equally effective running or throwing the ball. Sophomore quarterback Carl Revelle triggers an offense that is averaging well over 30 points per game even with the likes of Hoggard and a strong South Carolina program, Marlboro County, on the slate. Revelle has impressed many observers and is already considered a college prospect.
The Scots, like a lot of programs, try to spread out the field but will attack a defense both vertically down the field and on the perimeters. Southern has performed well defensively in two of their three games to day, but faded late in those contests. Scotland will present the same challenges, and it is important that the Cavalier offense performs and keeps the defense from being on the field too much.
The leading rusher for the Scots is senior RJ Nicholson, who averages almost nine yards per carry. Senior Javavious McKayhan and junior Patrick Primus, who had a breakout game against Hoke last week, are also dangerous with the ball in their hands. Revelle has targeted eight different receivers this season, with junior Izeem Graham as the leader of the pass-catching corps.
HOKE COUNTY AT LEE COUNTY
It is looking more and more like Lee's showdown with Scotland on Oct. 22 will decide who the top 3A team in the Sandhills is. While neither team is looking ahead to that game, with so many quality opponents for both between then and now, playing Hoke will provide a measuring stick on where the Yellow Jackets stand.
Scotland routed Hoke 52-6 last week, jumping out to a 21-0 lead and then continuing to dominate even after the Bucks got on the board. This week, the Jackets have their turn against Hoke.
The Bucks started their 2021 fall season off impressively, crushing Gray's Creek 40-0 and then stomping Lumberton 44-0. However, when the competition stepped up, the Bucks weren't able to keep pace. Back-to-back shutout losses to Fayetteville powers South View (20-0) and Seventy-First (36-0) were followed by an even worse loss to Scotland in the conference opener.
This is a third consecutive game for Lee in which their opponent heavily favors the running game over the pass. The Bucks will throw the football, and have 65 times in their five games, but are not particularly efficient in so doing. Three different Hoke quarterbacks have thrown the ball this fall, and collectively, they have completed just 49% of their passes with an average yards per attempt of less than four yards. The Bucks have thrown just three touchdown passes against four interceptions. Junior Warren Avery is the leading passer, with 18 completions in 35 attempts for 188 yards.
Senior Kamonte Williams, with 14 catches for 228 yards and two scores, does most of the pass-catching for the team from Raeford.
However, Hoke makes its living on the ground. Avery is the team's leading rusher, with 287 yards on 48 carries. He is followed by Devontre Daniels (33-214) and Ethan Wallace (49-208). Avery owns six of the team's eight rushing touchdowns. As a team, Hoke has run for 721 yards and an average of 4.8 per attempt.
Just like against Fuquay-Varina and Union Pines, Lee will want to shut off the running game and make the Bucks try their luck in the air. However, it will again be a different look, and one that Lee's defense is more accustomed to seeing. Hoke spreads out the field and uses one-back sets, unlike Fuquay with its double wing and the Vikings and their power-I.
Senior Matthew Leach, a 6'3", 200-pound linebacker and safety, is the one to watch on the Bucks' defense. He leads Hoke with 26 tackles, including six for losses, and also has three quarterback sacks, two hurries, and has blocked a field goal. Leach had an outstanding spring season and is following up on it this fall.
