The North Cross Raiders season began with a rather loud thud on August 28th, when the defending VISAA Division III state football champs were dominated in every facet of the game in a 48-7 loss to Ben L. Smith High School (Greensboro, NC).
The loss spelled instant adversity for a group that encountered little, if any, during an 11-1 campaign in 2008. After all, it’s the Raiders who are accustomed to beating up on opponents, not vice versa.
Not to worry, though. After the loss, North Cross has responded with four straight victories, averaging 43 points per game and allowing only 7 in victories over Massanutten Military (49-0), Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot (28-7), Virginia Episcopal (42-0) and Hargrave Military Academy (53-0).
“We responded really well to that game,” Raiders Head Coach Lee Johnson said. “We’re a better team for having gone down there. I honestly wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.”
One of the many bright spots during the team’s winning streak has been the running game. Senior Tyler Caveness currently leads the team in rushing, but perhaps more importantly, the Raiders have discovered some valuable depth in backup tailback Chad Migkens and fullback Antoine Martin.
“We definitely have some good complimentary backs who can come in and give us some quality carries when Tyler needs a break,” Johnson said. “It’s really valuable for us.”
Then there is the defense. A unit that held teams to under 10 points per game last season might be even better this year, as evidenced by its three shutouts already. The secondary has been particularly stellar – junior Brandon Trent has three interceptions on the season, two of which have been returned for scores.
“We’re definitely proud of our defense,” Johnson said. “We really pride ourselves on being solid and playing with a swagger. We have a saying, ‘11 white hats to the football,’ and we’ve definitely been playing well on that side of the football.”
Recent success aside, Johnson insists there is much room for improvement, particularly in the passing game. Quarterback Fuller Clark, in his first season at the position, is still in the process of learning the Raiders complex system.
“We have a timing passing game here,” Johnson said. “It’s not waiting for a receiver to get open. It’s more reading the defense and throwing to a spot. It’s gonna take time and repetition to get where we want to be, but the guys are getting better at it every day.”
North Cross will have to be firing on all cylinders in the coming weeks – a brutal stretch of the schedule that includes games against James Monroe, one of the top AA teams in West Virginia, Atlantic Shores Christian, last year’s VISFA Division II champion, and Charlotte Latin (N.C.), winners of four of the past five NCISAA titles.
“The next three games will tell us a lot about ourselves,” Johnson said. “We’re going up against some really good teams. That being said, we’re looking forward to it.”
By Matt Reeve [email protected]