Terry Sanford Bulldogs fixated on 'playing to the standard' in 2024 football season

With August on the cusp, high school football is coming into focus.

Summer workouts are in full swing prior to the first day of official practice on July 31, and The Fayetteville Observer is checking in with each of Cumberland County’s 10 public schools to see how their football teams are coming together ahead of the season.

The Cumberland County Football Jamboree is scheduled for Aug. 16 at Gray's Creek and Pine Forest with the regular season set to kick off on Aug. 23.

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While searching for it's first All American conference title since 2019, here's how Terry Sanford's football program is prepping for their season with fresh faces after losing 14 seniors during the offseason.

Offseason Theme

The Bruce McClelland-led Bulldogs theme hasn't changed in his eight seasons as head coach on Fort Bragg road, which is playing to the teams' standard.

"Here at Terry Sanford, we play to the standard, ― and that's what we live on every year," McClelland said.

And the Bulldog standard is playing physical, and staying physical all throughout the season.

"Our veteran guys set the standard each year, but when seniors leave, we become a new team, and every team has to live up to that standard that was previously set."

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Summer Standouts

Terry Sanford lost 14 seniors to graduation last season, including departures from anchors, starting quarterback Jaylen Wright, all-around athlete Kamal Thames, running back Kenyon Slaughter-Keen, and receiver Johnathan Higgins-Simmons.

But this summer, some familiar Bulldog faces have stepped into new leadership roles as they become the veterans of the squad.

For Terry Sanford, Delsin Barrett is a major key to the Bulldogs offensive and defensive line.

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"Delsin has really stepped up as a leader on the line incoming his senior year," McClelland said. "I've been really pleased with what he's shown so far this summer."

Senior defensive back, Asa Robinson is has worked extremely hard this summer and his maturity has grown on the defensive side of the ball.

And as juniors, vital defenders, Izaiah Williams, Christian Carter, and Gaven Kraut will be returning for the Bulldogs that are two-year starters to be significant leaders this season. "Zay (Izaiah) is our defensive player of the year and he brings more than leadership to us — he leads by example in the classroom with a 3.8 GPA, and he takes accountability."

"We have a saying that being a senior doesn't make you a leader. It doesn't matter if you're a sophomore, junior, or senior — you have to have the qualities."

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Goals before August

For Terry Sanford, the goals before the kickoff of the season comes down to three simple things — winning conference championships, securing home-field playoff advantage, and reaching a state championship.

"We have the same three goals every year," McClelland said. "In order to compete for those goals, we have to master the playbook, and get settled in and learn who our most physical guys are on the roster to handle that type of intensity late in the season."

"Our main goal is to be ready earlier this season, because last year we got healthy near the end of the year, and that made us a better team," he said. "During the summer, you see guys run around with just a t-shirt on, but until pads are included and the physical nature of football is added into it, you never really know what you have in a player."

Terry Sanford will begin their season at the Cumberland County jamboree at Gray's Creek High School versus South View at 8 p.m. Their regular season will begin on the road at Topsail on Aug. 23 with a 7 p.m. kickoff time.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Terry Sanford Bulldogs fixated on 'playing to the standard' in 2024 football season