LAURINBURG — Scotland’s agile, hard-hitting defensive front seven will be in the spotlight as the Scots try to stop quarterback Caleb Hood and the rest of Richmond’s offense on Friday night.
The Scots’ senior-laden defensive line and linebacker corps have shown that they can keep quarterbacks under pressure and and keep running backs in check.
“It’s just staying together as a team, really,” senior defensive lineman Dashay Singletary said. “Building a brotherhood.”
This year’s rivalry matchup between the Scots and Raiders has championship implications. If Scotland wins, they’ll split the Sandhills Athletic Conference title with Richmond — and Pinecrest, if the Patriots also win Friday.
If Richmond wins, the Raiders will finish the regular season with an undefeated record and sole possession of the conference championship.
But defeating the Raiders is a tall order. Richmond beat Scotland 23-8 last season. Both teams have plenty of returners from last year, so the Scots are somewhat familiar with what they should expect.
“Everybody’s got to play their part right,” Singletary said. “If everybody does their job, we should come out pretty successful.”
Seniors take up almost half of Scotland’s roster. Last year’s loss to Richmond was the first time those upperclassmen fell to the Raiders in their high school careers, and it was the first time the Scots lost the rivalry game in the Richard Bailey era.
The Scots want to take advantage of their shot to avenge that loss, win a share of the conference title and defend their home field on senior night.
“It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be tough,” senior linebacker Jamari Wall said. “We aren’t trying to go out with a loss. We’re going to compete and play as a team.”
Scotland’s roster includes five senior defensive linemen and four senior linebackers.
“We really want to leave everything on the field,” Singletary said.
Tickets for Friday’s game are on sale for $7 at Scotland Bling, Shirt Tales and both high schools. There are also a few reserved seats on sale for $10.
