PEMBROKE — As I interviewed The University of North Carolina at Pembroke head football coach Mark Hall for a preview story ahead of Saturday’s home game against Fairmont State, I asked him a question about facing a Falcons run defense that had been strong so far this season.

I said, word for word: “Their defense against the run has allowed 81 yards per game. How much are you guys looking to be the exception and be effective there?”

The second the question came out of my mouth — one which I’ve asked variations of to numerous coaches dozens of times over the years — one three-word phrase caught my attention, a combination of words I’m not sure I’d ever used before.

Be the exception.

Hall answered by saying running the football is part of the Braves’ identity and they’re looking to be successful with it no matter who they’re facing. The Braves were, in fact, hoping to be that exception — and you could certainly say they accomplished that objective, rushing for 470 yards to shatter the previous single-game school record and scoring six of their seven touchdowns on the ground, also matching a record mark in program history.

Those words clearly came to fruition on the field with a 49-7 triumph. But they had also immediately struck me as a potential mantra, for not only football but any challenge faced in the game of life.

Be the exception.

Sincere Baines rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns for the Braves, and Colin Johnson ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Both headliners embody the “be the exception” mindset.

It’s fun for Robeson County football fans to finally see Baines be on their side after a prolific high-school career at Jack Britt, frequently facing and having success against both Purnell Swett and Lumberton, making a dynamic impact out of the backfield as both a runner and receiver and adding additional explosiveness as a kick returner.

Baines didn’t get a carry in the Sept. 1 season opener against Fayetteville State, but has seen an increased role each week, with more carries each game than the last, earned by his strong production (428 rushing yards, 7.4 yards per carry, four touchdowns). Hall recently said in a postgame press conference that Baines could be a star in the Mountain East Conference; after Saturday, that star was born.

Johnson became the Braves’ starting quarterback after replacing Caleb Pierce midgame Sept. 16 against Charleston, finally reaching the top of the depth chart in his fourth year in the Braves program. He’s currently the team’s leading rusher (548 yards, five touchdowns), and his arm has been as impactful as his legs, including a six-touchdown passing performance against Wheeling — also matching a single-game school record.

All from a guy who compiled 39 tackles at the linebacker position last year while also serving as former quarterback Josh Jones’ primary backup — certainly an exceptional task.

Be the exception.

The greatest competitors, in football and more broadly in sports, are those who live out being the exception, and thrive on the thought of doing so. There are jaw-dropping statistical factoids about guys like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods or Michael Phelps that make them crazy outliers compared to even the other greats in their sport. Each of them certainly had no desire to simply be ordinary; whether they thought of it in these exact terms or not, they wanted to be the single best to play their sport.

This mantra can apply — perhaps even more so — when the odds are long and the climb is steep. The Lumberton football team had taken the field 19 consecutive times without a win entering its game Friday against Douglas Byrd, but believed the outcome could be different this time — and didn’t just win but dominated in a 41-18 streak-busting victory, becoming the exception to their own former selves.

This Friday, St. Pauls faces a stiff test as the Southeastern Athletic Conference lead is on the line against Clinton, which has defeated all eight of its opponents this season by 26 points or more. But even as a loaded Dark Horses team has blown out everyone it has faced, the Bulldogs will accept the challenge as they look for a different outcome.

Be the exception.

This can apply to anything, including life beyond sports. Especially life beyond sports.

As part of a flawed humanity, it’s not easy to be a good spouse or parent, coach or teammate, boss or co-worker, teacher or student — but effort makes it possible for anyone to be the best they can be for those around them.

Anything worth doing is worth doing well, but doing it well isn’t always easy — whether we’re talking physical fitness, academic responsibilities, artistic pursuits or a strenuous occupational task.

This very column, sparked from an idea surrounding a Saturday football game, wasn’t written until Monday because my Sundays are typically reserved for faith, family and rest. The break from the weekly rush results in a spiritual, relational and physical replenishing, and helps me to be at my best Monday through Saturday.

Be the exception.

UNCP currently sits at 4-3, and with three games left against the bottom three teams in the MEC, the Braves will have a good chance to finish 7-3; this would be UNCP’s best record since 2016, and comes in Hall’s first season as head coach.

Hall stated upon his hiring the desire to make the program immediately competitive in the MEC, and to bring championships to Pembroke. With the program trending in the right direction, the Braves will look to finish the season on a winning streak and provide the beginnings of a turnaround into that program that Hall envisions after years mired in mediocrity.

The coach wants his program to be the exception — and what happened Saturday is an exceptional start.