SOUTH JOHNSTON HOPES TO RELY ON EXPERIENCE, TOGETHERNESS IN 2023
NEW COACH HOPES TO CONTINUE UPWARD TREND AT SMITHFIELD-SELMA
By RANDY CAPPS
By RANDY CAPPS
2023 schedule ▸ South Johnston's Jaekob Robinson watches from the sidelines during a game last season. (Photo courtesy Kai Jones/We Journal Great Sports)
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ENSON — Lee Webb got his start in coaching as South Johnston’s defensive coordinator, so now that he’s about to start his third season as the Trojans’ head coach, he’s naturally excited about the prospect of having nine returning starters on that side of the ball. “These guys are just so competitive amongst each other,” he said. “They are hard on each other about doing the workout or practicing the right way. They really have come together as a family that plays for each other. That is what us coaches are most excited about.” South finished at 5-6 overall in 2022, reaching the postseason before bowing out to Fayetteville Seventy First — and Webb is hoping that this team can achieve even more. “I think our strength is our togetherness,” he said. “As competitive as they are amongst each other during practice or workouts, as soon as it is over they are joking and going to hang out with one another once we are done.” With that sort of experience on hand, the defense should be a strength for the Trojans. Junior linebacker Kaleb Williams (83 tackles, six tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries) senior end Jaekob Robinson (46 tackles, nine TFL, 5 sacks); defensive back Ryan Blackmon (42 tackles, four INT) and linebacker Ty Strickland (26 tackles) will be counted on to provide leadership for the unit.
10 • [ JOHNSTON NOW ]
Aug. 18.........Princeton Aug. 25........at Triton Aug. 31.........at Corinth Holders Sept. 8 ........BYE Sept. 15........at Smithfield-Selma* Sept. 21........Fike* Sept. 29.......at C.B. Aycock* Oct. 6...........Southern Wayne* Oct. 13..........at Hunt* Oct. 20.........East Wake* Oct. 27.........West Johnston* * - conference game
“(Williams) is our most competitive,” Webb said. “If he beats you, he will let you know about it. (Robinson) is loud. He is very loud in anything he does, but he also has the biggest heart. He says he loves his teammates at least 10 times a day and that's just what I hear. (Blackmon,) we call him Mighty Mouse. He’s small in stature, but he plays like he is the biggest on the field. (And Strickland) is like the bionic man. As much as this guy has been through in his playing career from middle school to high school — many guys would have quit. He was out for four months and, since coming back in March, he has been a machine. He has lived in the gym ever since and gained 15 pounds of muscle.” The offense will be bolstered by senior quarterback Riley Adams, who threw for more than 1,700 yards and 13 scores last fall. The team’s leading rusher, Aiden Williams (1,317 yards, 11 TD) and two leading receivers — Kalib Brown (47 rec., 739 yards, 7 TD) and Conner Lee (25 rec., 315 yards, 3 TD) are also back for the Trojans. With senior Tyler Beasley anchoring the offensive line, South Johnston will be looking to take a step forward in the competitive Quad County 3A conference this fall.
▸ Smithfield-Selma athletic director Lori Rose poses with new football coach Hancel Phipps, center, and principal David Allen at Phipps' introductory press conference. (Photo courtesy Smithfield-Selma High School)
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MITHFIELD — SmithfieldSelma was one of the major stories in North Carolina high school football last season, winning its first conference championship in 25 years en route to a 9-2 record. The winds of change blew through the program in the offseason, shifting its head coach (Deron Donald) to Garner, an assistant (Keionte Gainey) to the head coaching job at Oxford Webb and a bevy of talented players to the college ranks. The same breeze has brought Hancel Phipps back into the coaching ranks after a one-year retirement. He was the offensive coordinator at Wake Forest, where his modified pistol Wing-T helped produce three state and five regional crowns in 10 seasons. “Once you’ve done it for a long period of time, it’s hard to get it out of your blood,” he said. “I did 33 years of coaching, got out and couldn’t get rid of the itch. I started looking, and being retired, I could be a little more picky about jobs. I wanted to find a community that might be one of those places that nobody’s looking at, but has the potential to be on the rise. The Smithfield and Selma area checked a lot of those boxes.” In addition to installing a new offense, Phipps is also still working on filling out his coaching staff at press time. “We’ve been lucky enough to have some time in the spring, and we’ve just finished up our 10 days here in the summer,” he said. “We’re getting it put in. The good thing is that a lot of these kids …
2023 schedule
Aug. 18.........at South Garner Aug. 25........at Westover Sept. 1..........BYE Sept. 8 ........Jordan Sept. 15........South Johnston* Sept. 22.......Hunt* Sept. 29.......at Fike* Oct. 6...........West Johnston* Oct. 13..........at Southern Wayne* Oct. 20.........C.B. Aycock* Oct. 27.........at East Wake* * - denotes conference game
didn’t play much last year. We were a very senior-laden team with Coach Donald. “Having new kids coming in, they’re more receptive to try something different. It’s not like taking a senior who’s been running a system for three years and trying to change it on them. We’re definitely moving in the right direction.” There will be plenty of opportunities for new faces for the Spartans this year, thanks to the roster turnover. Seniors Jayden Brinkley and Jaelyn Groves, according to Phipps, have stepped into leadership roles for the otherwise young squad. “The great thing about this offense, at least my philosophy is, it adapts to the kids,” he said. “They don’t have to adapt to it. If we’ve got kids that are small, quick and fast, we’ll run a lot of jets and rockets and all that stuff. If we’ve got a big, bruising fullback, we can run more off tackle and power. We’re going to adapt the offense to fit our kids and do what it takes for them to be successful.” The new-look Spartans will kick off the 2023 campaign at South Garner on Aug. 18.