Scotland captains RJ Nicholson (7), Hunter Callahan (42), Jahari Brown (6) and Ladarius McNeill (23) take to the field for the pregame coin toss against Cary on Sept. 2.
Neel Madhavan | Laurinburg Exchange File Photo
The Scotland High School varsity football team is set to faceoff this week in an interstate border showdown for the first time since the 2019 regular season.
On Friday, the Scots will venture across the NC-SC state line to renew their rivalry against Marlboro County.
“Because of the proximity — just 17 miles — between the two schools, it has a big-time rivalry feel to it,” said head coach Richard Bailey. “Many of the fans work together and go to church together. Bragging rights are on the line. Then, there’s the whole NC vs. SC thing.”
Bailey said there’s “not much difference” between playing a South Carolina school compared to a North Carolina school.
“Sometimes the games are officiated a little differently, depending on what SC is focusing or emphasizing with their officials this year,” Bailey added.
In practice this week, Bailey said the Scots have been trying to build off the momentum of last week’s win over Cary and continue to “fine tune the small things.”
“We have dealt with a few kids being sick this week, so we have had to get a few more backups ready to play,” Bailey said. He clarified that the players that have been sick are not COVID-related.
The game was originally scheduled for last week, but Marlboro County was forced to quarantine earlier this season due to COVID protocols. Because of the quarantine, the Bulldogs have only played one game so far — a 33-0 win over Latta High School in South Carolina.
The Bulldogs went 2-6 overall last year, as South Carolina played their 2020-2021 football season in the fall. Marlboro County returned just 10 starters (five offense, five defense) to a young squad this season.
Bailey said the Bulldogs are similar to Scotland offensively, in that they both run a spread offense, but are primarily a run-based team.
Quarterback Timoun Byrd is a threat with his legs and his arm, while receiver Quatrice Bostic and tight end Bennie Thomas are two of his primary passing targets downfield. Tyrell Bridges and Tavieon Dease will both get carries for the Bulldogs out of the backfield.
“Their offense is focused around their quarterback,” Bailey said. “They have very good running backs and also a couple of very quick wide receivers.”
On defense, the Bulldogs will alternate between a three-man and four-man front, and according to Bailey, like to play a lot of man-to-man coverage in the secondary.
The secondary is the most experienced unit defensively, based around defensive backs Jaylen Plato and Elijah Chambers.
In the front-seven, defensive linemen Brandon Terry and Trevon Drayton, along with linebackers Kenny Britt and Marte Simmions will try to get after Scotland quarterback sophomore Carter Revelle and slow down the Scots’ ground attack.
“Their defensive line has some strong kids on it and their entire defense flies around,” Bailey said.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday at McAlpine Stadium in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Tickets can be purchased at Scotland High School during school hours.
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Reach Neel Madhavan at 910-817-2671 ext. 2751 or nmadhavan@yourdailyjournal.com. Follow on Twitter at @NeelMadhavan.