New year, same competition in Cap-8

The Cap-8 4-A Conference typically displays some of the best football talent in North Carolina, and with so many good players and coaches, the final conference standings are almost always unpredictable.

The Wake Forest Cougars made it all the way to the 4-AA state championship game last season before falling to Mallard Creek. Head Coach Reggie Lucas is known for coaching teams with great defense, and the 2014 Cougars should fall right into that category.

Among the top defensive players on the team are rising senior Antwain Terry, rising junior Dexter Lawrence and rising sophomore Xach Gill. The team also has running back Bryce Love: one of the top rushers in the state.

Love had 1,977 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior, and he has offers from many SEC and ACC schools, including Florida, Tennessee, N.C. State and UNC. Love is one of the fastest players in the area and an accomplished track star. Quarterback Mack Moore also returns. He threw for more than 1,000 yards in 2013.

The Cap-8 champs of 2013 were the Wakefield Wolverines, recovering from the loss of many key players to go undefeated in the league. The team will have to do the same again after losing quarterback Evan Braybrand, but now they’ll look to sophomore quarterback Matt McKay to step up.

Wakefield has tough linemen this year and skill players that include running back Kelton Whitehead and wide receiver Omari Williams.

The Millbrook Wildcats also promise to be full of talent in the upcoming season with many college prospects, including defensive end Kengera Daniel and running back Marcus Marshall, who ran for more than 1,000 yards last season.

Linebacker James Smith-Williams recently committed to N.C. State and will be one of the unit’s leaders, while the offense will be led by junior quarterback Reid Herring, who stepped in last season as a sophomore to throw 2,127 yards and 24 touchdowns. Millbrook looks to be a well-balanced team in 2014.

The Heritage Huskies and coach Jason McGeorge are in their fourth year as a varsity program, meaning they have many four-year starters. Matt Donovan has started every game of his career on the offensive line, and quarterback Blake Walters has always been the Huskies’ quarterback.

Gershom Ejoni, Matt Baker, Jeff Gemmell and Tyler Crowther are all senior college prospects on the Heritage defense that returns eight starters. The solid core of the Huskies should keep Heritage in the Cap-8 hunt.

Ben Kolstad begins his second year at Sanderson and returns five starters on each side of the ball from last season’s 6-6 team. The Spartans have key players on the offensive line and on defense, but must replace a quarterback and several skill players.

Leesville Road is in a similar position after losing Braxton Berrios, Malcolm Hitchcock and the rest of a talented senior class. They also have a new coach in Michael Hobgood from South Granville. Leesville’s success will depend on how quickly they can replace the players that made up their prolific scoring offense in 2013.

Broughton and head coach Billy Lane hope to improve on a one-win season, while Enloe was winless a year ago but hired state-championship coach Steve Johnson of Cummings to change the culture of the program.