ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – The 1st and 10 Camp Tour checked in on a perennial power private school program in North Cross. The Raiders are back on the field with their third head coach in three years.
But even with that, the program is coming off of back-to-back VISAA Division II state championships. In steps Dwayne Priest and his veteran laden staff to now lead the charge. They have been putting in the work--installing new play calls that fit this Raiders squad. North Cross is littered with talent in the skill positions, guys that know the long standing expectations of excellence.
“Making sure that everything is the same and if not the same it’s higher than it was last year,” said Raiders junior slot receiver and safety Jase Rhodes. “We’re making sure that everybody’s on the same page, we’re coming out, everybody’s at practice, everybody’s listening and dialed in to keep that same intensity because we know people are coming for us so we got to come for them as well.”
“I’ve been playing since a freshman, starting as freshman on both sides of the ball so it’s like I know what it takes and I feel like these guys do too,” said junior wide receiver and cornerback Jaziel Hart. “Me being a leader on the team and someone for them to look up to I feel like I can never show a sign of weakness.”
“Coming in as a new coach, we had to put our system in and get our kids to buy in, you know, and it wasn’t that hard,” said coach Priest. He was a standout during his playing time in the mid 2000s at William Fleming High School and later went on to Eastern Michigan University. “These kids took what we put to the table, they bought in, you know, we pushed them to the limit. Right now, you know, I think I feel comfortable, the coaches feel comfortable.”
North Cross knows all about perseverance with just over 20 guys on the roster. We can expect a few schematic tweaks as they work towards a “three peat”. The Raiders open their season at home against Nansemond-Suffolk on August 23.