Sanderson football
Matt James and the Sanderson football team look to build on last week's solid second half against Athens Drive. The Spartans travel to Southeast Raleigh Friday, battling an athletic Bulldog squad.
Bulldogs, Spartans square off Friday
Dangerous.
Of all the adjectives Sanderson head football coach Tony Lewis used to describe Friday night's opponent, Southeast Raleigh, it's the one which catches the most attention.
The first-year coach also used "athletic", "elusive" and "hard-running," but dangerous just sounds — well – dangerous.
Check the Bulldog's stat line from last week's 41-17 win over Holly Springs, and you start to figure out why.
Here is a glance inside each team's huddle heading into Friday's contest.
An inside look at the Bulldogs
When people say quarterbacks can do it all, they are talking about players like Southeast senior Gabe Henderson.
In last week's opener, the QB racked up 198 passing yards as well as 103 on the ground.
But he wasn't the only Bulldog making big plays.
At least six Southeast running backs carried the ball four times.
And senior receiver Jamar Satterwhite torched the Golden Hawks' secondary for 136 yards, including a 86-yard TD bomb.
The Bulldogs, coming off their first-ever conference championship last year, return a bevy of playmakers, and a physically-imposing offensive line.
And Southeast head coach Daniel Finn acknowledged expectations are high coming off last year's 11-3 season.
"We have a lot of guys back, and I think they want a little bit more this year," he said. "And we have talked a lot about taking the next step. Not only winning a conference championship, but getting to a state championship level."
Beyond his physical attributes, Henderson is an effective leader for the Bulldogs, the coach explained.
"He allows us to do a lot of different things with our team and our play calling," Finn said. "He's a good leader who puts people in the right position. We do a lot more checking at the line, and allow him to put us in some good situations."
The prototypical dual-threat QB, Henderson keeps defense's guessing.
"We want to spread people out with our passing game, but at the same time, Gabe can use his legs to make plays, too," Finn said. "Teams can't key in on one part of our offense because of him."
With sprinter speed — he competes in the 200- and 400-meter dashes in track — Satterwhite can stretch the field. And because Henderson, Satterwhite and the rest of the receiving corps have played extensively together, there's a close bond there, the coach said.
"They know what to expect from each other, and are on the same page most of the time," he added.
Besides just the sheer number of running backs, the Bulldogs have a great mixture of burners and bruisers.
"We can pound the ball if we want to, but we also have a couple of guys, all they need is a crease, and there the next thing you know they are 15 yards down the field," Finn said.
While Southeast Raleigh returns just one starting offensive lineman from 2008, the Bulldogs have plenty of size to compensate for lack of experience. The squad's right and left tackles go, 400 and 300 pounds, respectively.
Defensively, the Bulldogs look to control the line of scrimmage with 6-foot-6, 370-pound DT Danny McCullers.
"He is our anchor," Finn said. "We watched the film of last week's game, and that poor center from Holly Springs was taking a beating from Danny."
Defensive end Damian McBride and linebackers Kendall Moore, Chison Anen and Alex Pearce are among the standouts on defense.
An inside look at the Spartans
While the task might seem daunting — Southeast is considered one of the best teams in the Triangle — Lewis and the Spartans plan to remain level-headed entering Friday night.
And while Sanderson is coming off an opening-night loss, the team's second-half performance against Athens Drive was definitely a step in the right direction.
"At the end of the night, we had a chance to win it," Lewis said. "We didn't play well early, but we got to the fourth quarter, and a chance to win the game. That's all you can ask. We did not come through, but I thought we played with tremendous effort."
Lewis said QB Sam Bauckham settled in as the game progressed, and after halftime, the Spartans made smarter decisions.
"One of our biggest things is how do we get the ball in the hands of our big-play guys? Guys like Matt James, Kevin Ott, Chris Lampkins, Derrick Powell," Lewis said. "But that's what's exciting. We have several threats. Once we settle down and get the ball to them, we will be able to move the ball and put up some points."
Entering the season, the Spartans' offensive line was a concern, but the group has shown improvement in recent weeks, led by senior left tackle Austin Hailey.
Lewis commended Hailey's play, explaining the senior underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason.
"He really has been a leader for us upfront," Lewis said.
Defensively, the Spartans' Wilson William put together an outstanding game against Athens Drive, recording a couple sacks last week.
"He's an undersized defensive lineman, but he has just a tremendous motor," the coach said.
Montez Hedgepath and Idrian Evans look to build on solid first weeks as well.
"There is a lot to build on there," Lewis said of their opening game. "But we have to figure out how to take that momentum from the second half of that ballgame and bring it into this week's game. We can't afford to have a bad half against a team like Southeast Raleigh because it might not be just 14 points that we are down.
"What we want to do is keep it close, and give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter. Then we'll see what happens."
Kickoff at Southeast Raleigh is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday.
