ST. PAULS — The best St. Pauls football teams of head coach Mike Setzer’s tenure have been experienced groups that were aggressive defensively and could move the ball efficiently in numerous ways offensively.

That description might just fit the 2024 Bulldogs team, too.

An experienced group returns, seeking to return the Bulldogs to the top of the Southeastern Athletic Conference after a pair of six-win seasons the last two falls.

“We’re showing the experience that we were looking forward to seeing; we’ve got guys that stepped up, and we’ve seen some kids that have kind of taken up the challenge that we’ve been happy to see them kind of be a surprise,” Mike Setzer said.

The Bulldogs return 15 starters from last year’s Southeastern runners-up, including nine on the offensive side of the ball. Of the 13 All-County selections returning county-wide from last season, six belong to St. Pauls.

“I know what all my teammates can do, and just seeing them get better than what they were last year is exciting, because they did big things last year,” senior quarterback Theophilus Setzer said.

Theophilus Setzer, the 2023 Robeson County Offensive Player of the Year after passing for over 1,200 yards, may be the most conspicuous example of the Bulldogs’ experience, entering his third season as the starting quarterback; the team has had just two starting quarterbacks over the last six seasons, with Mikail Breeden holding the position the three seasons before Theophilus Setzer.

“Any time you’ve got your field general with that much experience, it’s a plus,” Mike Setzer said. “Our backfield is some of the more seasoned and experienced kids. We’ve got a bunch of field generals on the field, our receiving corps as well, we’ve got a lot of experience.”

Mike Setzer says that junior running back Yoshua McBryde will be a “Swiss Army knife” type of player offensively for the Bulldogs off of a 14-touchdown season in 2023, and sophomore Quintell McNeill will also be a key piece out of the backfield. Senior wideout Tykeem Oxendine and sophomore Malikah Locklear will be among the key receiving targets for Theophilus Setzer, while junior lineman Jasiah Bryant will lead the way up front.

“Offensively, we’re not going to be much different than we have in the past,” Mike Setzer said. “We always work on a wrinkle or two, but that’s going to be for you to spend some gas and come see it. But that’s one of the things about coming to see St. Pauls, that’s that stubbornness in us, we believe in what we believe in, so we don’t jump too far off what we believe works for us.”

Several key defensive players have graduated, including 2023 Robeson County Heisman Chris Bryant, but the Bulldogs still possess plenty of defensive talent and experience.

Junior De’Zhian Roberts will be a key returning player on the defensive line, with junior Antonio Arnold and junior newcomer Nore’Ay Jones leading the linebacking corps and senior Quintell McNeill and junior Jakhi Purcell highlight a deep and talented secondary.

“Our defensive backfield is very experienced and our D-line has a lot of experience,” Mike Setzer said. “Even though they may not be a lot of seniors, they’ve got a lot of experience. Our linebacker crew comes to us and is probably our youngest part of the team, but they have experience.”

“The defense, we’re going to do what we do, regardless,” Purcell said. “We’ve still got young talent on defense.”

After a run to the 2AA state championship game in the spring 2021 season and a fourth-round appearance that fall, St. Pauls has lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

“Going out in the first round puts a fire in me, and it seems like there’s a fire in a lot of my teammates too,” Theophilus Setzer said. “They remember that from last year and they don’t want to go out like that this year.”

For the Bulldogs players, especially the seniors entering their last season, getting past the first round is only the first step in where they see themselves at season’s end.

“(Going to state), that’s always our No. 1 (goal), that’s always what’s expected,” Theophilus Setzer said. “Last year we let ourselves down going 6-5; that’s not Bulldog expectations, that’s not our standard. We’ve picked up the standard a lot as we’re working out this summer, and I feel like we’re going to have a really different season and we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year.

But Mike Setzer stated the same goal that he gives every August — to simply take care of business in the first game, which is Aug. 23 against Purnell Swett, and to not focus on successive games until they arrive.

“We’ve got to win the first game, we’ve got to show that we’re confident and we believe in what we believe in, and that we can come out and execute the plan,” Mike Setzer said. “I think we’ve got a really good opponent for the first game, so we’ve got to come out and show everybody we’re playing well.”