Hodge: Who's the toughest opponent for St. Andrews football in 2023?
Aug. 2—Editor's note: Current rosters and last season's stats were unavailable for some teams.
There are a lot of different things that the fall season is known for. The cooling temperatures, holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, visiting pumpkin patches and roaming through corn mazes — and football.
While the autumn season still has over a month to go before it begins, the North Carolina high school football season is set to start in just over two weeks and college football in Scotland County won't be far behind. The St. Andrews Knights will open their 2023 season with a Week 0 game against Webber International (Fl.) in Laurinburg on August 26.
But looking at the Knights' other 10 opponents this year, who are the toughest opponents that St. Andrews will play this year? I decided to rank them in ascending order of difficulty based on where and when the game is played and how the Knights match up with the opponent. These rankings are also based on my personal opinion, respectively, and are not indicative of an official rating scale.
11) Union Bulldogs
The Union Bulldogs finished 0-10 overall in 2022, which includes a 27-26 loss to St. Andrews.
The Bulldogs' starting quarterback from last season Jake Medders transferred to Campbellsville University and backup Myron Norfleet, who started and played against St. Andrews last season, had four touchdowns but six interceptions and a 47% completion percentage last year, which leaves that position as a question mark heading into the 2023 campaign.
The team also only produced 892 rushing yards and 1,507 receiving yards last year but will feature lots of underclassmen that could improve the offense.
Defensively, Union allowed 36 points and 386 yards per game last season; they did accumulate 670 total tackles and 10 interceptions as a unit, however.
10) Kentucky Christian Knights
Kentucky Christian put up a 3-8 record a season ago and was 2-3 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
Starting quarterback Maxwell Ward and running back Josh Traylor join a plethora of Kentucky Christian players who transferred to Campbellsville University this offseason which leaves blanks all across the offense and defense. It's hard to believe the team can be much better than it was last year due to having to replace so many impact guys.
Although it is a rivalry game between Kentucky Christian and St. Andrews in the "Battle of the Knights," St. Andrews could have a good shot of breaking the tie in the series between the two schools this season, which currently sits at 2-2.
Kentucky Christian defeated St. Andrews 51-28 in Grayson, Ky. in last year's edition of the rivalry contest.
9) Point Skyhawks
The Skyhawks concluded the 2022 season with a 4-7 record and were 3-2 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
Point defeated St. Andrews 48-6 in the first game between the schools last year but the Knights nearly won the second meeting as they fell 27-16.
The Skyhawks will return junior starting quarterback Mitchell Gossett, who passed for 1,007 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions last season but also had six lost fumbles, sophomore running back Nadir Mitchell, the team's leading rusher in 2022 with 374 yards, and receiver and returner Emery Bryant, who led the team last season with 709 yards. Running back Shiloh Addo-Nobles, a 368-yard rusher last year, is not a Skyhawk this year though which means another player will need to step up to fill his spot.
The Skyhawks lost some big pieces on defense with linebacker Aaron Anderson and defensive back Quan Neal both graduating. Anderson led Point with 90 total tackles (57 solo) and 12 tackles for loss last year while Neal had 65 total tackles (40 solo), four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. The team will get back several big pieces this year though with linebackers Kemorian Larkin and San Juan Warner, sophomore defensive lineman Gavin Graham, and senior defensive back Dayvon Dukes all returning this season.
The Knights will play at Point on Nov. 11 in the final game of the regular season.
8) Cumberland (Tenn.) Phoenix
The Phoenix was 3-7 overall last year with a 1-7 mark in the Mid-South Conference.
Starting quarterback Luke Holloway, who's listed as a redshirt sophomore on the team's website, will be under center for Cumberland again this year after passing for 1,800 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, and rushing for 321 yards and four scores last season. Senior running back Treylon Sheppard will also return after leading the Phoenix in rushing yards with 577 last season but the offense will need to replace Jaylen Taylor and Joe Johnson, the team's top two receivers in 2022. They do get a boost with redshirt sophomore receiver Elijah Gaskin returning to the team. Gaskin had 24 catches for 295 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.
Defensively, the team will look to replace twin brothers Travis and Tanner Woodall after they both graduated but do get last year's sacks leader Jalen Brown and interceptions leader Trevor Griffin back; Brown had 4 1/2 sacks while Griffin had four interceptions.
This year will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
7) Webber International (Fl.) Warriors
The Warriors rebounded from back-to-back losing seasons with a 6-4 record last year and a 3-3 Sun Conference mark.
Last year, the offense was a big reason for Webber International's success, averaging 29 points per game; however, their defense allowed 26 points per game. For the Warriors to continue that success, they'd need to show improvement on that side of the ball.
And with this year's game being the season opener for both squads, it'll be interesting to see which team can make fewer mistakes and is more disciplined.
This will be the first time the two teams have met against one another on the gridiron.
The Bears concluded the 2022 season with a 6-4 record and were 5-3 in the Mid-South Conference.
Pikeville will join the Appalachian Athletic Conference this season and bring in a ton of returning talent from last season.
Senior quarterback Lee Kirkland and junior signal caller Xavier Malone are back with the Bears after they both saw time on the field last year; Kirkland had 1,670 yards through the air with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions while Malone passed for 1,565 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Running back Alex Sanders, who's listed as a graduate student on the team's website, will look to top an impressive 2022 season this year after he ran for 757 yards and four touchdowns while catching 63 passes for 641 yards and five touchdowns. Receiver Derrick Griffith, another graduate student, had 45 catches for a team-high 803 yards and seven scores last year and returns to the offense, as well.
For the Bears defense, graduate student Myson Livingston, a defensive lineman, is back after leading the team with five sacks last year, and junior defensive back Obie Wilson returns to Pikeville after intercepting a team-high four passes in 2022. They will need to replace linebacker Jonathan Morton and defensive lineman Josh Ervin, however; Morton transferred to Lindsey Wilson in December 2022 and led the Bears with 86 total tackles (60 solo) last season while Ervin was a graduate student who had 3 1/2 sacks and a team-leading six tackles for loss in 2022.
This year will be the first time that Pikeville and St. Andrews have ever played each other.
5) Bluefield (Va.) Rams
The Rams closed the 2022 season with an 8-3 record and were 4-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
Bluefield is ranked as the No. 25 team in the country according to College Football Network's NAIA preseason rankings on Twitter and could be even better than that if turnovers aren't an issue like they were last year.
On offense, the Rams' starting quarterback Nathan Hertisch is listed as a redshirt junior this season which would leave a big hole to fill there this season. Hertisch passed for 3,183 yards and 33 touchdowns last season but also threw 22 interceptions, nine more than he had in his freshman year; he also ran for 339 yards and three scores last year. The Rams have an experienced backup in senior Mason Adams though which could help keep the offense at a high level. Running backs Cortarius Gilmore, who's listed as a redshirt sophomore this year, and James Thomas, who's not listed on the 2023 team roster, will also need to be replaced after they combined for over 700 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in 2022.
Replacing receiver JaQuan Ebron will also be difficult to do after he topped the team with 1,022 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns and graduated earlier this year. Having receivers Jewels Gray and Thomas Lee back will be big, however; the duo had 1,336 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season.
The Rams defense lost linebackers Sam Kirtley and Tavarius Corbitt, the team's top two leading tacklers last year, during the offseason but does return graduate defensive back Tyrese Wolf, who led the Rams with four interceptions in 2022, and senior defensive lineman Quincy Robinson, the team's sack leader last season with 5 1/2.
Bluefield will get the advantage of hosting St. Andrews on Sep. 30 this year. The Knights lost 50-12 against the Rams last season in Laurinburg.
The Eagles tallied an 8-2 season last season and were a perfect 5-0 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. They lost 23-22 in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series against Lindsey Wilson.
Reinhardt comes in at No. 8 in College Football Network's NAIA preseason rankings but will need to replace some production on both sides of the ball.
Last year's starting quarterback Hunter Arters graduated after accumulating 1,807 passing yards and 18 touchdowns last season, and star running back Devyn Collins also graduated after rushing for 1,017 yards and 17 scores in 2022. Notable players returning on offense for the Eagles are sophomore running back Tyress McKey, junior receiver David Friedberg, and senior receivers Louis Morris and Navarie Solomon; Solomon led Reinhardt last year with 425 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
The Eagles will get their interceptions leader from last season back in senior defensive back Keyovione Whitlock after he picked off three balls a year ago. The losses of linebacker Kenneth Lowery and defensive back Jalen Everett will cause the team to find other players to step up in their positions, though.
The Knights lost 43-14 against the Eagles last year in Waleska, Ga.
3) Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders
The Blue Raiders were 10-2 overall and 7-1 in the Mid-South Conference last season with a 10-7 quarterfinals loss to Grand View in the NAIA National Football Championship Series.
Lindsey Wilson is College Football Network's No. 4 ranked team in their NAIA preseason rankings and will look to replicate last season with a lot of returning talent.
The Blue Raiders averaged 340 yards of offense and 29 points per game in 2022 and allowed only 31 rushing yards and 10 points per game.
Lindsey Wilson defeated St. Andrews 57-6 in the Knights' season opener last year.
2) Bethel (Tenn.) Wildcats
Bethel is coming off a year in which they went 11-0 in the regular season and 8-0 in Mid-South Conference play but suffered a 27-17 loss to No. 12 Keiser in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series playoffs. Keiser ended up making the NAIA championship game but would fall to No. 3 Northwestern 35-25.
The Wildcats are listed at No. 6 in College Football Network's NAIA preseason rankings and have several notable players returning from last year and transferring into the program.
Senior star quarterback Joaquin Collazo III will be back for the Wildcats after a season in which he passed for 3,331 yards and 29 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. Collazo III was voted the Craig Mullins MSC Offensive Player of the Year and also received Associated Press All-American Second Team honors last year. Junior running back Terrance Roberts, who rushed for 796 yards and five touchdowns in 2022, junior receivers J.D. Dixon and Avont Burns, who combined for over 1,600 yards and 15 total touchdowns last season, and offensive lineman Jackson Sarratt, a first-team all-conference selection last season, also return on offense for Bethel this year.
Notable transfers on offense for Bethel include running back Martize Smith (University of the Cumberlands), receiver Jaylen Taylor (Cumberland University), receiver/kick returner Tyler Ball (Iowa Wesleyan), and offensive lineman Tyree Winn (William Jewel). On defense, defensive backs Jaren Rainey (East Carolina), Brian Hughes (Kentucky Christian), Jaylon Beasley (Marshall), and Cortez Eatmon (West Florida), along with defensive linemen Anthony Shipton (Texas State) and Deris Jackson (Arkansas State), all join the Wildcats for the 2023 season.
The transfers on defense will replace a bunch of players on that side of the ball, which include defensive lineman Jaylon Sanders and linebacker Jakobe Griffin. Sanders accumulated a team-leading 5 1/2 sacks last year for Bethel and Griffin led the team in total tackles with 106 (34 solo).
The Knights last played the Wildcats in 2021 when they lost 42-22 at home.
1) Davidson Wildcats
The Wildcats are coming off of an 8-4 overall season and a perfect 6-0 record at home where they lost 41-0 against Richmond in the first round of the 2022 NCAA FCS Playoffs.
With Davidson being a school in the NCAA and St. Andrews in the NAIA, the talent gap is already substantial. Factor in that the Wildcats made the FCS playoffs last season for the third-straight year and that the Knights finished with a 1-10 record, and that difference becomes even more significant.
The good news for St. Andrews though is that Davidson graduated starting quarterback Jayden Waddell, who passed for 889 yards and ran for 494 yards last year, and running backs Dylan Sparks and Coy Williams, a duo that combined for 1,614 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground in 2022. They will, however, return junior backup quarterback Luke Durdin, who passed for 440 yards and six touchdowns last year, and junior receiver Maxwell Weaver, who led Davidson last year with 15 catches for 313 yards.
On defense, the Wildcats graduated three of their top four leading tacklers from last year's team but bring back their second leading tackler from last season, junior defensive back Daniel Carter, and senior defensive linemen Jonathan Hammond and Aaron Warren, who together had 15 1/2 tackles for loss and 7 1/2 sacks a season ago.
St. Andrews lost 56-6 at Davidson last season. This year's game will be on Sep. 23 in Davidson once again.
Reach Brandon Hodge at bhodge@laurinburgexchange.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BrandonHSports.
