CFNN Reporters AbbiKate Daughtry and Rachel Leonard

No tricks, all treats. The Cape Fear Colts travelled to Scotland High School to kick off “Halloweekend” with a Conference Championship matchup on October 31st. Despite a curveball that the Colts faced earlier in the week, Cape Fear still prevailed and came out on top, 12-7. 

The Colts had some new leadership on the field during this game. Senior Quarterback Geronimo Sanchez had a 1 game suspension following their win over Terry Sanford, causing Sophomore Quarterback Tres Daughtry to have to lead as QB against Scotland. Senior Defensive End Darren Logan was also serving a suspension, and Senior Defensive Tackle Venson Council was out with an injury. With three key senior players out, the pressure was on the underclassmen to step up to the plate and carry their weight. 

It’s safe to say that the Colts did what had to be done, with everyone playing their part. It turned out to be a low scoring game on both sides, proving that defense was the name of this game. Without a valuable performance from defense, the Colts stood no shot at winning. It took blocking, coordination, and hustle from the Colts D-line and linebackers to hold the Scots to a single score on the night. Cape Fear’s offensive production was a bit less than usual, but it turned out to be enough to prevail and take home the 12-7 Win. 

“As a player, I think I performed pretty well. I think I had the best game I had all season. Especially stopping the UNC offered running back, it made me feel a lot better. As an overall team I think that defensively speaking we definitely held it together and figured out a way to stop them- only holding them to seven points. Coming together even without our starters really showed how much we’ve come together as a team, and how much we have come up throughout the season. Winning the Conference Championship showed our focus to come together to beat Terry Sandford and Scotland- the next 2 best teams in the conference,” said Senior Linebacker Aydin Leonard. 

Without Sanchez, it was hard to run typical offensive plays and routes with the new lineup. The Sophomore QB Daughtry had less than a week to prepare himself to take over Sanchez’s role for this time, so the tactic of what his role was in the game was different than what Sanchez’s role would have been. 

“I felt like I was the next man up. My coach says, “Next Man Up Mentality”, which means when somebody falls, the backup has to come in and do his job. I gave my team confidence. I told my team that if y’all have faith in me, I’ll drop it down the field, and score. We are going to win this game- defense does their job, we are going to win,” said Daughtry.  

The Colts touchdown came from Junior Running Back Tai Phillips. He was stopped at the one yard line on the first down, but sealed the deal on the next play, getting to the endzone to give the Colts their only touchdown of the night. 

“After being the only one to score this game, I felt like we should have been in the end zone more, my teammates and myself. Next game I’m gonna make sure everyone gets their share in the endzone and that I make it as well to get more touchdowns, so we can continue to win,” said Phillips.

This was the first time in nine years, as well as the second time in school history, that the Cape Fear Colts would be named the Conference Champions. This accomplishment would be impossible without the dedication, sacrifice, and passion from the coaches, players, and all who support the boys in Blue and Gold. 

The next time the Colts will play will be in the Second Round of the State Playoffs, as they had a first round bye. Come out to the Stable this Friday to support Cape Fear Football as they make their first state playoff appearance for the season and start their stride to the State title.