Published: 12:16 AM, Wed Jun 16, 2010
Cumberland County prep football schedule released
By Earl Vaughan Jr.
Scholastic sports editor
Cumberland County announced what could be the end of a scheduling era in high school football this week with the release of the composite schedule for the 2010 season.
Beginning in 2011, member schools of the N.C. High School Athletic Association will face a greater challenge putting football schedules together. In a bid to shorten the season, the association voted to change to scheduling 11 games in 11 weeks, instead of the traditional 12 games in 11 weeks.
The lack of flexibility could make it harder for schools to match up their open dates and find opponents to fill the schedule. This will be the last year of playing 11 games in 12 weeks.
Jack Britt football coach Richard Bailey doesn't think it will be that big a problem for the 10 Cumberland County senior high schools.
"We're surrounded by some seven-team leagues and a six-team league,'' Bailey said. "The Wilmington schools are in dire need of games and the Southeastern Conference is in dire need of games.''
Bailey said that doesn't mean the same situation will exist statewide, and there could be some areas where scheduling 11 games will be a challenge.
"It's not as bad as we first thought it would be," he said.
For a second straight year, Britt's nonconference schedule will include no games with Cumberland County teams. Bailey said he'd prefer to face schools like Douglas Byrd, Westover and Gray's Creek in the nonconference part of the season, and he expects a greater push will be made for that to happen next year when the new schedules are made.
"I like the rivalries and staying closer,'' Bailey said. At the same time, he added he doesn't mind leaving the Cape Fear region to take on teams like East Wake, Raleigh Broughton and Wilmington Hoggard.
"It gives you a better measuring stick when you get into the playoffs,'' said Bailey, who guided his team to the 4-AA Eastern Regional title last season. "But I do wish we played a couple of county teams.''
The local high school football schedule will kick off Friday, Aug. 20, with all 10 of the county's senior high teams in action.
Games scheduled in the county that night include East Wake at Jack Britt, South View at Douglas Byrd, Hoke at Cape Fear, Lumberton at Pine Forest and Terry Sanford at Westover. The rest of the first week's schedule has E.E. Smith at Purnell Swett, Seventy-First at Scotland and Gray's Creek at Fairmont.
Terry Sanford faces the longest trip of the regular season in a rematch with Hertford County on Sept. 17 - a 170-mile one-way trip to Ahoskie in the northeast part of the state.
2010 Cumberland County high school football schedule
** Non-conference Games
August 20
Hoke County at Cape Fear **
E.E. Smith at Purnell Swett **
Lumberton at Pine Forest **
Seventy First at Scotland County **
South View at Douglas Byrd **
East Wake at Jack Britt **
Terry Sanford at Westover **
Gray's Creek at Fairmont **
August 27
Cape Fear at Westover **
Southern Lee at E.E. Smith **
Pine Forest at Wilmington Laney **
Seventy First at Wilmington Hoggard **
Gray's Creek at South View **
Jack Britt at Hoke County **
Douglas Byrd at Terry Sanford **
September 3
Cape Fear at Douglas Byrd **
Westover at E.E. Smith **
Pine Forest at Smithfield Selma **
Hoke County at Seventy First **
Durham Hillside at South View **
Wilmington Hoggard at Jack Britt **
Terry Sanford at Gray's Creek **
September 10
Cape Fear at Gray's Creek **
E.E. Smith at Durham Hillside **
Pine Forest at Westover **
Seventy First at Southern Lee **
Hoke County at South View **
Scotland County at Jack Britt **
Raleigh Broughton at Terry Sanford **
Southern Durham at Douglas Byrd **
September 17
Lumberton at Cape Fear **
Douglas Byrd at E.E. Smith **
Purnell Swett at Pine Forest **
Wilmington Laney at Seventy First **
South View at Richmond Senior **
Jack Britt at Raleigh Broughton **
Terry Sanford at Hertford County **
Gray's Creek at St. Pauls **
Westover at Hoke County **
September 24
Cape Fear at Jack Britt
Seventy First at Pine Forest
Terry Sanford at South View
Gray's Creek at Douglas Byrd
Westover at Southern Lee
E.E. Smith (Open)
October 1
South View at Cape Fear
E.E. Smith at Seventy First
Pine Forest at Terry Sanford
Overhills at Douglas Byrd
Union Pines at Gray's Creek
Jack Britt (Open)
Westover (Open)
October 8
Cape Fear at Pine Forest
Terry Sanford at E.E. Smith
Jack Britt at South View
Douglas Byrd at Westover
Gray's Creek at Southern Lee
Seventy First (Open)
October 15
E.E. Smith at Cape Fear
Pine Forest at Jack Britt
Seventy First at Terry Sanford
Douglas Byrd at Western Harnett
Westover at Union Pines
South View (Open)
Gray's Creek (Open)
October 22
Cape Fear at Seventy First
Jack Britt at E.E. Smith
South View at Pine Forest
Western Harnett at Gray's Creek
Overhills at Westover
Terry Sanford (Open)
Douglas Byrd (Open)
October 29
Terry Sanford at Cape Fear
E.E. Smith at South View
Seventy First at Jack Britt
Southern Lee at Douglas Byrd
Westover at Gray's Creek
Pine Forest (Open)
November 5
Pine Forest at E.E. Smith
South View at Seventy First
Jack Britt at Terry Sanford
Douglas Byrd at Union Pines
Gray's Creek at Overhills
Western Harnett at Westover
Cape Fear (Open)
Scholastic sports editor Earl Vaughan Jr. can be reached at vaughane@fayobserver.com or 486-3519.