By Randy Capps
Moving up to the 8A ranks in the most recent North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment was always going to present challenges for Corinth Holders.
As Johnston County’s largest school, the Pirates were slotted in the CAP 8A with traditional powers Millbrook and Rolesville, along with Leesville Road, Enloe, Broughton, Wakefield and Athens Drive.
The Pirates held their own, finishing 4-6 in Carl Smith’s second season at the helm. Twelve teams made the 8A postseason field, and Corinth Holders finished as the first team out of that bracket.
“I feel like we left some meat on the bone,” Smith said. “I definitely think, all in all, we had a pretty good year. I wish we would have been able to make the playoffs. We barely ended up getting eked out. … We could have had some better performances against some quality opponents and put ourselves (needing to beat) Millbrook in the last game of the year. I thought we played well before the game got away from us a little bit. But we made too many mistakes. But all in all, it was a great experience for us.”
Experience is a luxury that won’t be present at the quarterback position, as David Jarman (1,253 yards, 8 TD) has moved on. Tanner Day, the team’s second-leading tackler last season, was the JV signal caller in 2024, and he’s going to get a chance to play under center as a senior.
“(He) has done a great job of understanding the terminology and the speed of varsity, and the expectation of what we need him to do to be successful,” Smith said.
There’s also going to be a different face at running back, with Blake Beckwith’s transfer to Clayton. Shamar Powell performed well on the junior varsity last season, and has thrown his hat in the ring for a starting spot this fall.
“He was one of our better backs (in JV). Did a really good job for us last year,” Smith said. “Really worked his tail off in the weight room. He’s got, I think, north of a 400-pound squat now as a sophomore. He’s been doing a really good job for us in the running back room.”
A talented offensive line, led by senior Ayden Jones, should provide support to the more inexperienced players.
“It’s probably our best unit,” Smith said. “Jones is a college prospect at 6-6, 350. Just a monster of a man. A human mountain, as we like to call him.”
Defensively, the Pirates will set sail without four of their top five returning tacklers, with the fifth penciled in as the starter at quarterback. Lamont Hunt (37 tackles, 1 sack) is an anchor on the front, but there is still plenty of minutes and reps for younger players looking to crack the lineup.
“I think we’ve gotten a whole lot better at defensive back,” Smith said. “Antonio Toomer has done a really good job at corner, and Karter Boyette has done a really good job of anchoring us at the safety level and being at that last line of defense.”
A notable addition is Joshua Price, a transfer from Roosevelt High in Greenbelt, Md., who had 37 tackles in eight games last fall, and should slot into the “Jack” position.
Corinth Holders entertains North Brunswick in the season opener on Aug. 21.
