RED SPRINGS — Over the last couple of years, the Red Springs football team has had to play its young players often.

A lot of those players are still young — or at least not seniors — but now have experience to fall back on as they prepare for the new season.

After improving from a 1-9 record in 2022 to a 5-6 mark and a first-round state playoff appearance in 2023, the Red Devils are looking to take another step forward in 2024.

“We kind of threw them in the fire early, but at the end of the day, it’s going to pay off now, because they’re more comfortable in positions, they can react a little faster, the game slows down a little bit for them because they’ve done it,” Red Springs coach Tim Ray said. “I think a lot of that experience we kind of withered early on in their high school career is going to start benefiting now.”

The chance to play a lot of snaps in recent years has led to not just a lot of experience, but a lot of experience playing together, and a resulting camaraderie among the Red Devils.

“A lot of the boys have got really good chemistry, so we can talk to each other and let each other know what’s going on,” junior athlete T.J. Ellerbe said. “A lot of us boys played in middle school, played with each other, so growing up and playing with each other on varsity, it’s just bigger standards, higher standards now, more to be focused on.”

“This team, they don’t have any egos; these guys just want to play together, have fun together and win together,” Ray said.

Senior Jakelsin Mack, a 1,293-yard, eight-touchdown rusher last season, and Ellerbe, the 2023 Robeson County Underclassman of the Year after a 12-touchdown season who is listed at wide receiver but will be used all over the field, are the two most prominent headliners on the offensive side for the Red Devils.

“When we get downfield, we’ve got Big Mack to punch it in for us, and hopefully everybody will be disciplined and play their assignment,” Ellerbe said. “Out here (in practice), everybody’s looking good, and it looks like everything is going to translate onto the field.”

Ray said that, while those two are a known commodity for the Red Devils offense, the team will also get needed contributions from those in other roles, likening the unit to the roles on a baseball team.

“We don’t need star pitchers, we don’t need great shortstops, we need some solid second basemen and some solid right fielders, some solid No. 6 hitters and No. 7 hitters,” Ray said. “Guys that get in there and do their job when it’s called, and when they get an opportunity, capitalize off of it.”

Junior transfer Chase Boone will start at quarterback, with sophomores Jordan Norton and Nate Norton and juniors Elijah Lowry and Ernest Bratcher each key targets in the passing game. Ray expects the offensive line, led by Tae Brown, Za’dyan Cummings and James Smith, to be a strength.

Defensively, Ray said he expects his team to play a more disciplined style.

“”Last year they were just running around trying to hit the man, now I really think they understand the system of what defense looks like, they understand the gaps and where the holes are in coverages and stuff like that, so now they can play a little bit faster,” Ray said.

While Mack’s running game gets a lot of attention, he’s also the team’s defensive captain at linebacker; he, along with Ellerbe and Bratcher at defensive back and Jordan Norton and Nate Norton on the defensive line, should each be key on both sides of the ball. Sophomore Demiren Cooper and junior Kamerion McBryde should also be key up front, along with junior Raymond Blue and sophomore Nasir Blackmon at linebacker and senior Jaylon Owens in the secondary.

“We’ve got stops on defense,” Mack said. “We’ve got leadership. We’ve got more than two people talking, we’ve got more than three people talking. Everybody’s yelling, calling out plays on defense, so it’s going to be really good on defense. Defense is our bread and butter.”

While there are only three seniors on the Red Devils’ roster, the underclassmen still feel an urgency to win now while those players, including Mack, are still around.

“While we’ve got Mack, my goal is to make it to the playoffs and do everything while I’ve got Mack still,” Ellerbe said. “I want to make it to states and win it, while I’ve got Mack. Mack’s a senior, this is my last year with him.”

Red Springs hosts Douglas Byrd to open the season Aug. 23.