Leesville Road football
Ryan Mangum (from left), Nate Whittington and Thurston Cox are three players to keep an eye on Friday if Leesville Road wants to knock off Fayetteville Jack Britt and advance to the third round of the 4-AA state playoffs.
Pride preps for Jack Britt
A November trip to Cumberland County has become so routine for the Leesville Road football team, three-year varsity player Carson Moss doesn't know what it's like without one.
"We have done it three years in a row now. Every year I have been on varsity we have gone down to Fayetteville," explained the senior lineman prior to Wednesday's practice. "But it's always fun to travel, and I'm actually looking forward to going down there."
While the 9-3 Pride faces the daunting task of taking down 11-1 Fayetteville Jack Britt Friday, Moss and Company aren't intimidated by traveling down to the East Regionals' No. 3 seed — which plays its home games in the aptly-named "the Boneyard."
Why the reason for optimism?
First, Moss explained, it's refreshing just to see a new face across the line of scrimmage.
After squaring off against Cap-7 Conference rival Broughton in last week's first-round playoff match-up, and pulling out a hard-fought 20-13 win, the Pride are glad not to face another familiar foe.
"We have been rivals with Broughton since God knows when, and it's always a huge game," Moss said. "But playing Jack Britt, we don't know a lot about them. It's someone brand new, that we haven't played before. I'm really pumped about facing them. It will be a new experience."
The senior said he could sense a lot of excitement among his teammates heading into its match-up with the Buccaneers.
"Everyone's pumped up to play, and I think getting that good win against a rival gave us some motivation," he added.
While the Buccaneers present a slew of new challenges — including a fierce running attack which amassed 530 yards in a 63-34 win over Panther Creek last week — the Pride have another positive in its favor: the return of starting quarterback Josh Stanley.
The junior signal caller has missed Leesville's last four games after injuring his leg in a 35-32 defeat at Wakefield Oct. 9.
In his absence, the Pride played to mixed results, dominating Sanderson 59-14 and knocking off Broughton in the playoffs, but also dropping its final two regular-season games to Millbrook and Wake Forest-Rolesville.
While back-up QB Austin Berrios played exceptionally against the Capitals, accounting for 170 yards on the ground, the Pride's offense will be more balanced with Stanley leading the offense.
Moss said having Stanley back — as well as the return of a handful of other players from injuries — has been a "morale booster" for the squad.
"When they weren't playing, it sort of sucked seeing them on the sidelines," he shrugged. "There was this long line of people who were out. But every week we get more and more people back, and it's exciting to see. They just bring so much excitement because they have been out and they've wanted to play so badly."
The return of Stanley — as well as junior Ryan Mangum last week — has provided an unquestionable "lift," head coach David Green said.
"They are both going to be contribute, though they aren't 100 percent," the coach said. "But we'll take just having them in uniform. They are both leaders on this team."
That was evident during recent weeks as Stanley routinely talked with back-ups Berrios and Logan Bible on the sidelines in between offensive possessions while he was out.
Staying healthy has been one of the Pride's biggest obstacles this season, though Green believes his squad is "in better shape now than we probably have been in a month."
Ironically, Jack Britt also played its first-round playoff game with its back-up quarterback Russell Collins taking the snaps against Panther Creek, replacing starter Greg Bryant Jr. Bryant sat out to rest an injured ankle, but he could play this week.
Green pointed out both are quality players, and Collins shouldn't be viewed as a back-up because he played well in place of last year's starter Everett Proctor — who's now at N.C. State.
"Jack Britt is as good as advertised," Green said. "They have a lot of good athletes, couple good running backs, their line is huge and their defensive line is big and quick."
Green and Moss both agreed the Pride's offensive line play is a key match-up in the postseason showdown.
"That's going to be crucial for us. If we don't do a good job there, we'll be in trouble," the coach said.
Added Moss, "We've got to make holes, and we have to be able to run. We'll probably pass more this week than we have in recent games, but we just have to make sure to make holes between the tackles. As long as we can do that, we should have success on offense."
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Winner of Friday's contest faces the winner of the Lumberton/Wilmington Hoggard game.
Game notes
— Jack Britt and Leesville shared three common opponents this season: Broughton and East Wake. The Buccaneers defeated the Capitals 56-7 Sept. 18, the Warriors 30-0 Aug. 21 and Panther Creek last week.
— The Buccaneers average more than 44 points per game. Their worst offense game was against Cape Fear, scoring 24 points in a win.
— Jack Britt's lone loss came against Terry Sanford 48-42, but the Bulldogs recently made news for playing with an ineligible player and were removed from the 4-A playoffs.
— In Leesville's two previous trips to Fayetteville in the last three years, the Pride is 1-1, defeating South View in 2007 and losing to a rematch to the Tigers in 2008.
