The first moderately chilly Friday night of the 2019 high school football season still provided a warm feeling inside for three of Robeson County’s teams, as each of the county’s Three Rivers Conference teams earned victories.
Red Springs took over sole possession of first place in the league with a 28-13 win at Whiteville, St. Pauls captured a back-and-forth affair with East Bladen in a 34-28 triumph and Fairmont recovered after consecutive losses to top South Columbus 42-28.
The cool air better matched the fortunes of the county’s two Sandhills Athletic Conference teams, as Lumberton dropped a 51-14 decision at Pinecrest and Purnell Swett lost 28-8 to Jack Britt.
Before moving on to a Week 10 that includes an intriguing in-county matchup of Red Springs at Fairmont, as well as Purnell Swett at Seventy-First, Lumberton at Richmond and West Bladen at St. Pauls, here is a final look at Week 9:
Team of the Week
Red Springs — In possibly the easiest Team of the Week pick all season, Red Springs earns the honor. Not only did the Red Devils become the last team to remain perfect in TRC play with a win at Whiteville, but did so by beating a Wolfpack team they had never beaten in 15 previous tries dating back to 1973.
The Red Devils did so through a balanced effort, with multiple players on both sides of the ball making key contributions to the win. The defense forced five turnovers, including three in the last 15 minutes, including a two-interception night by Tae Graham, who also had a rushing touchdown.
The offense rushed for 230 yards, led by Lee McLean with 116 yards on 34 carries with a touchdown. Each of the Red Devils’ four touchdowns was scored by a different player.
Red Springs now controls its own destiny in the TRC with three weeks to go, but that finishing stretch includes two tough in-county games against Fairmont on Friday and St. Pauls in the season finale.
Headlining Performance
Cameron Harrington, RB/LB, Fairmont — The Golden Tornadoes’ senior made his presence known on both sides of the ball in the team’s win over South Columbus.
He scored two rushing touchdowns while rushing for 34 yards on five attempts. He also scored on the defensive side, returning an interception 50 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play from scrimmage.
His three touchdowns were particularly key considering that they made a difference in the outcome — Fairmont won by two touchdowns.
Other Top Performances
Denym McKeithan, QB, Red Springs — Rushed 10 times for 83 yards and completed six of 10 passes for 76 yards with a touchdown.
Traveze Billinger, WR, Red Springs — Caught a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Angel Washington, RB, Red Springs — Ran for a 9-yard touchdown.
Hunter Bryant, LB, Red Springs — Recovered a fumble.
Tony Locklear, LB, Red Springs — Recovered a fumble.
John Chavis, LB, Red Springs — Recovered a fumble.
Corey Newton, LB, Red Springs — Blocked a field goal and an extra-point attempt.
Derrick Baker, RB, Fairmont — Rushed for 117 yards on 27 carries with three touchdowns.
Tyler Locklear, QB, Fairmont — Completed nine of 13 passes for 122 yards with one touchdown.
Kadeem Leonard, WR, Fairmont — Caught two passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Jordan McNeill, WR, Lumberton — Caught five passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Jadarion Chatman, QB, Lumberton — Completed six passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
Taft Powers, RB, Lumberton — Rushed 18 times for 85 yards.
Mikail Breeden, QB, St. Pauls — Rushed for 95 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries and completed six of seven passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Marqueise Coleman, RB, St. Pauls — Rushed eight times for 109 yards.
Devonta Williams, RB, St. Pauls — Rushed 12 times for 73 yards.
Waltay Jackson, WR, St. Pauls — Caught three passes for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Taurienne Freeman, LB, St. Pauls — Recovered a fumble.
Garyen Maynor, WR, Purnell Swett — Caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Micah Carter, QB, Purnell Swett — Completed six passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Zeke Snell, RB, Purnell Swett — Rushed for 47 yards on 16 carries.
Silas Easter, LB, Purnell Swett — Recovered a fumble.
Brandon Locklear, LB, Purnell Swett — Recovered a fumble.
