LUMBERTON — Moving into rivalry week in Robeson County, the stage is set for a pair of interesting matchups.
In the Three Rivers Conference, Red Springs and St. Pauls face off. The game won’t have quite the spice it would have if St. Pauls had beaten Whiteville last week, as it would have been for the TRC title, but nonetheless pits two of the league’s best three teams against each other.
The county’s two Sandhills Athletic Conference teams are on the opposite end of their league’s spectrum, as Lumberton and Purnell Swett both come into their meeting winless in conference play and are playing for seventh place. While the game is between teams with losing streaks of six and 13 games, it should nonetheless be a competitive game.
Not to be forgotten, Fairmont hosts Douglas Byrd in non-conference play.
The games mark the end of the regular season and serve as the gateway to next week’s opening round in the state playoffs. Here’s how the county teams stack up:
1. Red Springs
The Red Devils (8-1, 7-0 TRC) needed a win Friday to clinch no worse than a share of the TRC title, and the league’s top playoff seed by virtue of their head-to-head win over Whiteville; the team left no doubt, topping West Columbus 55-0.
While the team will be the highest-seeded TRC team in the playoffs no matter what, Friday’s game against St. Pauls could still affect the Red Devils’ seeding. The team enters Week 12 ranked 20th in the 2A Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings.
Beyond the playoff implications and the want to be an undefeated conference champion, the Red Devils also want to win Friday’s game at St. Pauls just because it’s a rivalry game.
2. St. Pauls
The Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2 TRC) no longer have any chance at a conference championship after losing 28-6 to Whiteville on Friday, and the team will be the league’s third-highest-seeded team in the playoffs regardless, but exactly where that seed will be could improve with a win over Red Springs. The Bulldogs are currently 28th in the 2A Adjusted MaxPreps Rankings.
After a scoreless first half, the second half was the Bulldogs’ undoing against the Wolfpack on Friday night, as the team did not get a defensive stop over four second-half drives. Now they’ll face an equally strong power-run game in the Red Devils.
3. Fairmont
The Golden Tornadoes (6-4, 5-3 TRC) rebounded from their Red Springs loss with a 30-0 win over East Columbus Friday, finishing out their TRC slate before a unique non-conference game in their regular-season finale against Douglas Byrd. The game was added to the schedule after Fairmont lost its game against South Robeson when the latter closed over the summer.
Fairmont is projected as a No. 15 seed in the 2A East Region, so there’s a potentially small margin for error against the 1-9 Eagles. But a win by the Golden Tornadoes on senior night should solidify their spot in the state tournament.
4. Purnell Swett
The Rams (0-10, 0-6 SAC) lost 43-0 at Hoke on Friday, but will have their best chance all season to earn a victory when they host Lumberton on Friday.
Before the Hoke game, the previous two weeks the Rams played Jack Britt and Seventy-First closer than Lumberton had earlier in the season.
Quarterback Micah Carter was injured in Friday’s game, but has been practicing this week and is expected to play Friday in his final high school game.
5. Lumberton
Lumberton’s (2-8, 0-6 SAC) game against Scotland Friday was what would be expected in a game between a Pirates team that’s been blown out in all six conference games and a Scots team that is ranked fourth in the state; Scotland won 48-0.
Now, like their opponents this week at Purnell Swett, they are looking to avoid a winless conference schedule. It’s been a long and difficult season for the Pirates, enduring a coaching change in addition to their on-field struggles, but they have a chance to lessen the sour taste in their mouth if they can end with a victory Friday in Pembroke.
