Wildcats reach third round

RAMSEUR — It didn’t take long for Carter Revelle to fit in with the Eastern Randolph High School varsity football team.

The Scotland County High School transfer almost immediately felt comfortable with his new school, his new coaches and his new teammates.

And that comfort level is showing quite nicely every week on the football field.

ER’s starting quarterback is certainly a big reason the Wildcats have captured 11 straight wins and have earned a berth into the third round of the state 1-A playoffs. ER advanced with a 39-10 victory over Hayesville in second-round action last week, behind Revelle, a strong running attack and a defense that stymied yet another opponent.

Revelle was 8-for-11 for 118 yards and two scores and now has 2,305 yards and 28 touchdowns on the season. He threw one interception, but added a two-point conversion pass and a 12-yard rushing touchdown, his seventh on the ground this year. He has rushed for 637 yards on the season.

“We felt like he's a good athlete and his personality has fit right in,” veteran ER coach Burton Cates said. “He was accepted by the players and the coaches.”

After throwing for 3,619 yards and 37 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons at Scotland, Revelle came to ER, which has one of the top football programs in the state.

“I heard about Coach Cates and the program and I wanted to come here and it’s working,” said Revelle, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. “The coaches are down to earth people and I get along with everyone on the team. I love it. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Everyone accepted me. It's like a family here.”

Revelle and the Wildcats started the season with a 35-15 loss to Eastern Alamance, but since that opening setback, the Wildcats have been tested only once, that coming in a 22-21 win over Randleman, which clinched the Piedmont Athletic Conference championship.  With Revelle leading the offense, ER has outscored opponents 469-123, a scoring average of more than 42 points per game.

And it comes on the ground and through the air. Lucas Smith rushed for 139 yards and a TD last week in the win over the Yellow Jackets and Nicah Taylor hauled in a pair of scores from Revelle, who had a rushing touchdown as well.

“All week we talked about not turning the ball over and if we could do that, we’d have a chance to win the game,” Cates said. “Carter did a good job of that.”

Revelle is a definite running threat, but with solid runners like Smith and Kobe Walker, that part of his game hasn’t come to the forefront since a win over Asheboro in the third week of the season.

“I haven't run as much with Lucas and Kobe running as well as they do and I just have to throw it,” Revelle said. “Sometimes, like with the counter, I can take it.”

When he goes through the air, he has the luxury of some fine receivers in Taylor, Timmy Brower, Desean Shamburger and others.

“They are amazing,” Revelle said of his receiving corp. “I can trust everyone and every one of the backups.”

The next step is a third-round battle with Thomasville, which is coached by former Trinity and Asheboro coach Kevin Gillespie.

The last time Thomasville traveled to ERHS was in 1983 when the Wildcats recorded a state championship win over the Bulldogs.

“I try not to put pressure on myself,” Revelle said. “Everything on the field is in God’s hands and I am just here to have fun and hopefully win a state championship.”

Another strong performance from Revelle and the Wildcats take another step toward that goal.