Cleveland hopes to take final step in 2021

By RANDY CAPPS

CLAYTON — When you lose only one game in a high school football season, that’s almost always considered to be a success.

That’s where Cleveland finds itself after posting a 10-1 mark last spring. Of course, the lone loss for the Rams was a 24-16 decision against Mount Tabor in the State 3AA Championship game last spring, and that means that finding a No. 1 team goal for this season was easy for head coach Scott Riley.

“We have only one unaccomplished goal as a program remaining,” he said, “Win the last game!”

With seven starters returning from a stingy defense and six more back on campus from an offense that scored more than 43 points per night, the pieces are in place to make another run at the program’s first state title.

The path to the postseason will be a bit different for Riley’s team this year, however, as the Rams will move into a 4A conference with newly built Willow Spring, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, South Garner, Southeast Raleigh, Corinth Holders and Clayton. Willow Spring will not field a varsity team this season.

After a season played in springtime, the schedule will be a bit more standard this time around. Not that playing football in April was necessarily a bad thing.

“We’re excited for an opportunity for a ‘normal’ season,” Riley said. “I am also excited about seeing the potential of the team that is coming back from our Eastern Championship. ... But I can’t lie. The weather was nice in the spring once we got past the rain in February.”

No matter the weather, the biggest reason for optimism on Polenta Road is the return of Omarion Hampton. The highly touted running back went down with an ankle injury in the first Clayton game, missing the second half of that contest and the six games that followed. In just 4 1/2 games, he rushed for team-high 685 yards and tied for the team lead with 13 touchdowns.

“As one of the best football players in the nation, he is also one of the hardest workers,” Riley said. “Opponents will have difficultly containing him.”

As good as Hampton is, the Rams offense is far from a one-man show. Senior quarterback Skyler Locklear became the focal point of the attack last season, completing more than 65 percent of his passes for 2,275 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 411 yards and nine more scores on the ground.

His leading receiver, junior Jashawn Middleton (48 receptions, 685 yards, 5 TD) has grown a couple of inches to six feet tall and “added 10-15 pounds of muscle” in the offseason.

The offense gets plenty of attention, but the Cleveland defense should be formidable as well.

Safety Keyshawn Monk (67 tackles, 2 INT) and corner Leron Sparks (40 tackles, 2 INT) anchor a fast and athletic secondary while linebackers Dillon Pardue (46 tackles, 5 sacks) and Lenix Martinez (65 tackles, 5 sacks) offer “a dangerous edge presence” and versatility, respectively.

Throw in younger players like Cam Goins (349 all-purpose yards, 5 TD), Josiah Peters (31 tackles) and Isaac Piatek (285 all-purpose yards, 3 TD) and more experienced contributors like middle linebacker KD Harrison (60 tackles, 14 tackles for loss) and the stage could be set for a similar story to last season’s journey — perhaps with a happier ending.

Schedule

Aug. 20 Cary

Aug. 27 at Rose

Sept. 3 Conley

Sept. 10 South Central

Sept. 17 Corinth Holders

Sept. 23 (Thurs.) at South Garner

Oct. 1 Fuquay-Varina

Oct. 8 BYE

Oct. 15 at SE Raleigh

Oct. 22 Garner

Oct. 29 at Clayton