Seniors’ final Friday Night Lights at Doug Price Field

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Kris White remembers when some of Friday night's seniors were middle school boys who could test a coach's patience on a good day.

They've grown up since then. And somewhere along the way, those boys became young men White and his staff have come to admire.

Friday, Oct. 23, Moore County will honor its seniors at 6:30 p.m. before welcoming unbeaten Cornersville for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Doug Price Field. The Bulldogs bring an 8-0 record into Lynchburg. The Raiders are 1-7, having dropped seven straight.

But before anybody worries about blocking assignments or the scoreboard, there's a senior class to recognize.

"Most of them have been in our program for seven years," White said. "We've all been together. So, I mean, seven years out of 18, that's a long time." White has watched the transformation firsthand. Some of these seniors were middle schoolers who didn't take much seriously. Others needed time to understand what the work was supposed to accomplish.

Now, they're nearing the end of their high school football careers, and White hopes they've learned something they'll carry long after they hang up their shoulder pads. "You just watch them mature into men and become good kids," he said. "You see it in them that they know how hard work pays off."

Wins matter to White. He'd be the first to tell you that. But he also figures a coach ought to be judged by the kind of young men who leave his program. "If these guys can make it out of here and be, you know, great in the community, good husbands, good dads, I mean, that's what it's about."

For senior Ike Holt, the night will carry an extra measure of disappointment. Holt suffered a season-ending injury against Fayetteville last Friday, cutting short a year in which he'd become one of Moore County's most dependable players. He had five tackles against the Tigers and finishes with 34 on the season. His 13 receptions for 180 yards also lead the Raiders in receiving yardage.

White said Holt was playing some of his best football before the injury. "He was having a heck of a first half on defense," White said.

It isn't the way anybody wanted Holt's senior season to end. Friday, he'll be among the seniors recognized, even though he won't be able to help his teammates on the field.

Bulldogs bring size, unbeaten record

Then comes the matter of trying to knock off an unbeaten football team. Cornersville enters the game 8-0 overall and 3-0 in Region 5-1A, averaging better than 45 points per outing. The Bulldogs have already beaten Fayetteville 35-29 and Eagleville 48-27, two teams that handed Moore County losses earlier this season.

The Bulldogs scored 50 points in their most recent outing against Wayne County on Oct. 9.

White expects Cornersville's offense to look a little different on Friday, largely due to an injury to running back Easton Lombardi. The Bulldogs' No. 7 has been a big part of their success. He scored four touchdowns and rushed for 98 yards on eight carries against Wayne County. But White said Lombardi recently underwent surgery, and he anticipates Cornersville leaning more heavily on senior quarterback Jackson Smith in the running game.

"They're still going to do what they do, but I think they'll probably turn it more over to the quarterback offensively because he's a really good player, too," White said.

Cornersville presents a different kind of problem up front. White expects the Bulldogs to have the biggest defensive line Moore County has faced in region play, but that size could actually make for a better matchup than the smaller, quicker defenders who have given the Raiders fits.

Against Fayetteville, the Tigers used quick defensive linemen who slanted into gaps and disrupted Moore County's blocking schemes before plays had time to develop.

Cornersville relies more on size and strength. "They're more mauler types, and that's what we're built for," White said.

The Raiders might find the going a little better against Cornersville's bigger linemen than they did against Fayetteville's quick defenders. That doesn't mean the Bulldogs will be easy to move. ... You don't get to 8-0 by getting pushed around.

Raiders still looking to finish drives

Moore County has some problems of its own to straighten out. Last Friday's 34-7 loss to Fayetteville was another game that got away from the Raiders in a hurry.

Moore County carried a 7-6 lead into halftime after freshman quarterback Austin Scherff found Jose Garcia for a 15-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

For the better part of a half, the Raiders had done what they needed to do.

Then came the third quarter. Fayetteville scored two touchdowns just 16 seconds apart, recovering an onside kick between them. A one-point Moore County lead became a 13-point deficit before the Raiders could get their feet back under them.

White pointed to missed defensive assignments on a quarterback keeper and a reverse. Both plays exposed defenders who reacted to the football rather than staying with their responsibilities.

White said the Raiders have worked on those mistakes all season. They can watch the film and go over their assignments until everybody knows where they're supposed to be. Come Friday night, though, they've got to recognize what they're seeing and make the play.

Offensively, the Raiders had their chances. Moore County moved the ball into Fayetteville territory several times. Two fourth-quarter possessions reached the Tigers' 5- and 4-yard lines, but neither produced points.

"We got inside the 40 multiple times," White said. "We just have to be able to finish drives. Because like we've said all year, you've got to put up points, because eventually something's going to break on defense."

The Raiders managed 209 yards of total offense against Fayetteville, including 125 through the air. Scherff completed 14 of 28 passes with a touchdown. Through eight games, the 15-year-old freshman has thrown for 881 yards while learning the varsity game against players who can be three years older.

White knows Scherff has plenty to learn. He's also convinced the youngster will get there. After the Fayetteville loss, he reminded his young quarterback that the game will eventually slow down for him. "When it does, you're going to be the dude," White told Scherff.

Senior Tucker Smith continues to carry much of the offensive load. He leads the Raiders with 453 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 88 carries. Junior Drew Hardison has added 191 yards on the ground while leading Moore County's defense with 57 tackles.

The Raiders will need both against Cornersville, particularly with Holt unavailable.

Seven years together

Friday won't be the Raiders' final regular-season game. Moore County travels to Richland on Thursday, Oct. 29, to close out the schedule. But for the seniors, this will be their last scheduled game at Doug Price Field.

Some have spent seven years in the Moore County football program. White knew them when they were middle school boys who didn't take much seriously. Now, he's getting ready to send them out into the world.

He's watched them grow into young men he enjoys coaching, even in a season when victories have been hard to come by. He hopes the lessons they've learned will serve them long after football is no longer part of their lives.

Winning beats losing every day of the week. White has said as much, and he'd dearly love to send his seniors out with a victory over an unbeaten opponent. But he's also spent seven years watching these boys grow up, and he figures that ought to count for something.

Friday night, they get one more game at Doug Price Field.