While Wayne County bragging rights are always the focal point of the Little River Rivalry, Charles B. Aycock and Rosewood will also be in search of answers to early-season questions when they meet on Friday night at Branch Pope Field.
The 43rd edition of the Little River Rivalry kicks off at 7 p.m. and can be heard on FM 98.3 WGBR, and online at Goldsborodailynews.com. The UNC Health Wayne pre-game show begins at 6:30 p.m.
The Little River Rivalry began in 1975 with a 14-12 Golden Falcons victory. Aycock has won 14 of the last 15 meetings, including a 43-19 victory a year ago.
The Eagles’ last victory in the series was a 27-26 win in Pikeville in 2021.
Aycock returns key pieces in its offensive backfield and at the skill positions in senior tailbacks Ricky Elliot and Caleb Frederick, along with senior receivers Zimere McClarin and Kemauri Lewis.
Elliot led the Golden Falcons with 1,207 rushing yards (120 per game) and 11 touchdowns a year ago. McClarin, Aycock’s Swiss Army knife last season, contributed 457 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns while adding 275 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
The Golden Falcons rushed for over 200 yards with four touchdowns against Rosewood last season. Stopping the run on early downs will be pivotal for an Eagles’ defense that gave up 1,644 rushing yards (274 per game) and 24 touchdowns in their six losses in 2023.
“We have a really veteran group, really for the first time since I started back at Aycock the last four years,” Golden Falcons’ head coach Tom Zietlow said. “We have still Ricky (Elliot), Caleb (Frederick), and Zimere (McClarin), at our skill positions. Our running game is still pretty strong.”
For Aycock, the questions offensively hinge upon an offensive line tasked with replacing three starters, and junior quarterback Sid Lancaster, who will be making his first varsity start against a Rosewood defense littered with veterans along the defensive line and at linebacker.
Lancaster spent the past two seasons as the starting quarterback on the Golden Falcons’ junior varsity team.
“I think it’s been the development of the program,” Zietlow said. “Sid has been our JV quarterback the last two years, so he’s been developing to kind of take it over after the last couple of guys have graduated. That was the plan, and he’s done a great job doing that over the summer with our 7-on-7 stuff, and really being a part of that. I think he’s taken good steps to be ready to be the guy that takes it over for us this year.”
Senior linebackers Antwain Grantham and Jasaan Williams return as the cornerstones of an Aycock defense that returns nine starters and gave up 15 points or less five times in 2023. The Golden Falcons also forced 25 turnovers last season and recorded 17 sacks and 83 tackles for loss.
Grantham led Aycock with 80 tackles while Williams finished with 63 stops, and a team-high six fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
“Defensively, we’re going to hang our hat on that this year,” Zietlow said. “We know that’s our veteran group and that’s the one that’s going to set the tone for each week.”
Senior quarterback Gio Pineda and fellow senior receiver Talan Collins return to an Eagles’ offense that averaged 31 points a game last season. Rosewood must fill the void left by the graduation of workhorse running back David Lamm and receiver Micah Cox.
Lamm finished his career with 4,279 rushing yards, 61 touchdowns, and 22 games in which he rushed for over 100 yards.
Pineda threw for 1,249 yards in 2023 with 20 touchdowns. Collins is transitioning from playing in the slot to playing outside, a position Cox occupied a year ago.
Brysom Hobbs has earned the starting tailback job behind an offensive line that has grown from being a question mark last season to becoming a source of confidence a year later.
“I think the fact is we have key returners which means that they know the system,” Rosewood head coach Josh Smith said. “A lot of the questions about what to do, when to do it, why we do it are not in question as much. The guys feel comfortable. There’s a lot of continuity being displayed with our guys, and I just think that because of the success that we had last year offensively with everybody being new, that during the spring and during the summer we were just able to capitalize on that momentum to keep pushing forward.”
Senior defensive tackle Micah Bell, who already holds an offer from Navy, returns to anchor an Eagles’ defense that held five different opponents to 14 points or less a year ago. Collins will be counted on to keep Rosewood’s secondary on the same page from his safety position, while C.J. Lucas, Hunter Sasser, and Will Neal battle to solidify the two corner positions.
“The thing that is helping us out is out of our 3-3 stack we’re returning five of the six (players),” Smith said. “Again, just like with offense, guys know what’s expected in front of them. I think we’re a lot faster than we were last year, which I think will help out and be able to get to certain places and to be able to take away some of the strengths of the offensive line. Aycock is big up front, and I think some of the things we can do with those six guys and their speed will help out.”
The Golden Falcons forced the Eagles into five turnovers a year ago, including a pair of lost fumbles by Pineda.
Rosewood went on to lose five games a year ago by eight points or less and was plagued by critical mistakes at inopportune times against quality opponents in Carolina 1-A Conference play.
Avoiding costly turnovers and cashing in on opportunities to get off the field defensively on third down will both be paramount for the Eagles on Friday night.
“I think any time you give a team of Aycock’s caliber extra possessions it’s going to put a lot of strain on your defense,” Smith said. “For us, it’s about being able to take care of the ball, being able to keep their offense off the field. They’ve got two really good running backs. Turnovers are a key to the game, and if you give a team that can execute, and can score quickly extra possessions, it makes for a long night. We’re really stressing taking care of the ball, offensively being able to execute. Defensively, it’s about finding the ball, getting all 11 hats to the ball, and just making sure we’re giving ourselves a chance to get off the field on third down.”
