RED SPRINGS — After a conference-winning season in 2019, a lot of new faces will be behind the facemasks of the Red Springs football team this season.

That youth, along with the uncertainty of a season both delayed and shortened by the pandemic and the lack of a scrimmage due to weather, leaves more questions than answers for the Red Devils entering play.

“Just a ton of question marks — I’m sure everyone feels the same way,” Red Springs coach Lawrence Ches said. “We haven’t had the preparation time that we’re used to. A lot of us missed our scrimmage, even, because of weather. A lot of things are affecting us in February football. Everything’s a big huge question mark. We’ll find out a lot of answers Friday and probably get a lot more questions.”

A lot of the key pieces from last year’s team, which went 9-3, won the Three Rivers Conference and reached the second round of the state playoffs, graduated. Ches says he will play more freshman and sophomores this year than he ever has.

“It’s going to take a lot of things coming together, just by fate less than by will, because we haven’t had a ton of time to work with these guys,” Ches said. “If anything, the teams have done the best with COVID will probably do the best.”

The Red Devils do return breakout candidate Angel Washington at tailback. Tony Locklear will also move from fullback to tailback, and Jahlil Brunson returns as a big, bruising fullback.

“(Washington’s) the only tailback we have on the roster currently that took a varsity snap at running back,” Ches said. “(Locklear) does a lot of things, so he’s going to have limited reps.”

Defensively, linebackers Washington and Hunter Bryant and lineman Dorian Bryant are the only returners from a unit that was the Red Devils’ strength last season.

On a young team, though, comes opportunity for up-and-coming players to rise to the challenge, and Ches has several he thinks may do so.

“We’ve got two fairly good offensive lineman in Jeremiah Rodgers and Dixon McClain,” Ches said. “We expect Tyler McMillan to step up at fullback some; he’s a rising junior. We have a rising quarterback in Colton Locklear. And then we have a tailback that’s a junior, his name is Eddrick James. All these kids are question marks, but they’re all risers.”

The Red Devils open the season by hosting Fairmont Friday.