By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
For football teams in Alamance County, some small gains this year could translate to big things.
Four teams are coming off winning seasons and another team won a game in the 2025 state playoffs.
They’re all in the Mid-Carolina Conference along with Roxboro Person.
There are six football-playing schools at the varsity level in the county after it was revealed last week that Graham would attempt to play only at the junior varsity level this year.
Here’s a look at the teams:
Cummings
First-year coach Darius Pinnix has the task of trying to make the Cavaliers competitive in the Mid-Carolina Conference. Their lone league victory last year came against Graham.
“Getting our numbers up, that’s the biggest thing,” Pinnix said. “Finding ways to get better.”
Last year’s 3-8 record marked the first losing season for the Cavaliers since 2019. In its six conference defeats, Cummings lost by an average margin of 33.3 points per game.
Senior Semajay Wright is expected to move to the quarterback role.
Pinnix, a former Western Alamance player, said that Wright, who was a receiver in past seasons, could also play at running back or at receiver if the Cavaliers alter some roles on offense. He’s a cornerback on defense.
Pinnix said the team held summer workouts for five days a week and he was encouraged by the turnouts.
“We’re ready to ball,” senior linebacker Jolton Smith said. “We’re (not) holding anything back.”
Eastern Alamance
The Eagles aim to get on track after consecutive losing seasons, including last year’s 5-7 record.
“We’re ready to win,” linebacker Rett Page said.
Coach John Kirby is in his second encore season following a return from retirement.
The Eagles have 19 seniors among their 65 players. The overall roster numbers have significantly declined for the Eagles since the addition of a new high school (Southeast Alamance) in the county in 2023.
“That’s a lot less than what we’re used to,” Kirby said. “We, as coaches, are having to adjust. . . We don’t have many, but I love the ones we’ve got. I think our mentality is going to be that we’re going to win.”
Kirby coached 32-plus years for the Eagles with only four losing seasons prior to his 2024 retirement, which lasted just one season before he was summoned back. His teams finished with winning records for 19 consecutive seasons through 2023.
Lineman Trint Totten, an Elon commitment, is a senior after being selected as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
Running backs Sammy Raphael and James Cochran give the offense some juice.
“We feel like we’ve got some good players,” Kirby said. “We’ve just got to put it all together.”
Southeast Alamance
This will be fourth year since the school opened, with a pair of eight-win seasons sandwiched around an 11-1 mark.
“This is our first true senior class,” said coach Tony Aguilar, who pointed out his program has grown to 80 players for this season.
Junior quarterback Tyler Jackson could command much of the attention as he’s a passing and running threat and he made a big impact in his first season with the Stallions a year ago when the team ended up 8-4.
He has a cast of receivers, including top-notch returnees Logan Luang-Sy and Jatayvion McMillian and speedster Joseph Gibbs.
Tight end Drew Easter, who has committed to Florida International, and offensive lineman Jabril Byrd-Marshall will be fourth-year starters. Running back D.J. Callis averaged 81.1 rushing yards per game last season.
“We’ve got pretty much everyone back,” Jackson said. “We have pretty high expectations.”
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Southern Alamance
The Patriots will look to build after their first season under coach Jonathan Hester resulted in an 8-4 record.
“Once we figured out our identity, we had a whole nother ball team,” said Hester, whose team had a five-game winning streak prior to falling in the third round of the state playoffs.
Running back Sincere Thompson should be capable of handling a load of the carries for the run-oriented Patriots. He’ll be running behind some experienced linemen such as Hasan Miller and Dennis James, so that could help.
They have other playmakers on the roster, with C.J. McAdoo an established player in the defensive backfield.
“Going to Southern, you’ve got to have the mentality that you want to come hit somebody every play,” McAdoo said.
Western Alamance
Drew Hambright takes the coaching position at his alma mater as a first-time head coach. A former member of the coaching staff, he had been away from the program before rejoining the Warriors following Jeff Snuffer stepping aside after 16 years in charge and 34 years overall with the team.
Western went 7-4 last year, though it lost its final three games.
“We came back in the spring and got ready to work,” defensive end Carson White said.
Hambright is Western’s third football head coach in a span of 3½ decades.
“Being a head coach is a whole lot different than being a (defensive) coordinator, so much more responsibility,” Hambright said.
There are 16 seniors, so the Warriors will be counting on underclassmen for key contributions.
Western lost two-year starting quarterback Ethan Oakley, a rising senior, because of a baseball injury, so there will be a new look in the offensive backfield.
Williams
The Bulldogs are the reigning conference champions after going 10-2 overall last year. They’ve had back-to-back seasons with the same record, with two league titles (albeit in different conferences).
After 26 seniors were on the 2025 roster, there are no more than 20 this year.
“We all do good at raising our teammates up,” senior linebacker Ivion Randolph said.
Coach Patrick Stokes said six or seven sophomores are likely to hold starting positions.
“We’re going to patch it one piece at a time as best we can,” Stokes said.
The Bulldogs have seasoned tight end Braeden Vetter, who’s committed to play collegiately for Dartmouth, and playmaker Christian Booth, who could have a heightened role.
Stokes is beginning his sixth season in charge of his alma mater. Among coaches, he has the longest active streak of consecutive seasons of any football head coach in Alamance County.
