SAC champ Bulldogs lead All-County team, awards

ST. PAULS — While the 2024 high school football season in Robeson County resulted in disappointment in one way or another for all five programs — with four missing the playoffs and the fifth exiting the postseason earlier than they’d hoped — that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an abundance of strong individual performances.

Whether playing for the conference championship team at St. Pauls, a winless team at Fairmont or anywhere in between, each team had standout players who earned the right to be recognized at the season’s conclusion.

Below are the best of the best in Robeson County football, with The Robesonian’s postseason award winners followed by the All-County team.

Robeson County Heisman

St. Pauls senior Theophilus Setzer was the ultimate dual-threat quarterback for the Bulldogs, using big production in both the passing and running game to earn recognition as Robeson County Heisman.

Setzer passed for 1,344 yards and 15 touchdowns and run for 1,015 yards and 10 touchdowns as part of the Bulldogs’ Southeastern Athletic Conference championship campaign.

For more in Setzer’s award-winning season, see the related story here.

Offensive Player of the Year

Every time T.J. Ellerbe touched the football, he was a threat to put six points on the scoreboard for Red Springs. After a big season for the Red Devils’ junior wideout, he has been named Robeson County Offensive Player of the Year.

“I’m glad I have to prep with him and not against him,” Red Springs coach Tim Ray said. “I know other coaches that have to play against us, he’s one of them that will keep you up at night trying to figure out how to contain him. Because it doesn’t take much — if he gets five touches in a game, two or three might be touchdowns. It doesn’t take much for him to really make it happen.”

Ellerbe had 1,035 receiving yards on 51 receptions, scoring eight receiving touchdowns; he also ran for 170 yards with one score.

“Production, average wise, was about the same as his sophomore year, but we got him a few more touches which equated to more yards,” Ray said. “I love to see his growth, not even just on the field but his character and his leadership, and how he takes school and everything so serious.”

Ellerbe had over 100 receiving yards five times and 135 yards or more three times, with a 210-yard, two-touchdown night on Sept. 20 against Lakewood.

While he is being recognized for his offensive production, his defensive and special teams output is also worth noting: Ellerbe had 29 tackles with two interceptions as a defensive back, and returned three kickoffs for a touchdown, totaling 36.3 yards per return on 12 chances.

“He prides himself on the defensive side of the ball, in the return game. He knows he was a major threat, he knows his role in the return game,” Ray said. “Sometimes you see athletes rely a lot on talent and what they naturally have, but I feel like he’s really put in the work to not only get better but really enhance where he already was God-gifted.”

Ray is looking forward to one more season with Ellerbe in the Red Devils’ program. Before that, though, he’ll turn his focus to track and baseball in the spring.

Defensive Player of the Year

No defensive player in the area played with the explosiveness of St. Pauls defensive lineman De’Zhian Roberts. His impactful season earned him Robeson County Defensive Player of the Year laurels.

“De’Zhian is different,” St. Pauls coach Mike Setzer said. “I haven’t seen him get blocked all year. His motor is not comparable to anybody around, he’s just got a great motor. He’s got a beautiful smile, and he’s got manners, yes sir, no sir, that make him infectious to the people around him and makes you want to coach him.”

The Bulldogs’ junior had 89 tackles, including 29 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and 34 quarterback hurries, all while missing two games to an ankle injury. Roberts had 10 tackles or more five times, including 17 in the de facto conference championship game against Midway, and had two tackles for loss or more in eight of his nine games played.

“He’s got a first step that just makes it almost unfair for people to block him, and then he has a motor and he’s the type of kid that’s not going to get tired,” Mike Setzer said. “Another guy who stays in the weight room, who lives in the weight room. He’s not going home during the offseason, he’s wrestling, he’s doing track, he’s doing the things he needs to do to make himself the best De’Zhian Roberts he can possibly be.”

Mike Setzer credits defensive coordinator Dominique Bridges and particularly position coach Monteris Cromartie for helping develop Roberts, who has a year of high school football still to play.

Underclassman of the Year

After Malikah Locklear made a big impact on both sides of the ball for St. Pauls, the Bulldogs’ sophomore wide receiver and defensive back has earned Robeson County Underclassman of the Year honors.

“He’s one of the most dangerous athletes on the field on both sides of the ball,” Mike Setzer said. “I still feel like we can do a better job of getting the ball in his hands more. But he’s explosive, he knows he’s explosive. He’s truly a guy that doesn’t care if he’s on offense or defense, he just wants to play ball.”

Offensively, Locklear caught 13 passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, he made 45 tackles with four tackles for loss and intercepted three passes, bringing two back for touchdowns. He also returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown, totaling seven all-around touchdowns for the season.

“Everything from special teams to defense to offense, he’s made big plays in all three facets of the game,” Mike Setzer said. “He’s a guy you love to have in your program, because he’s a hold your breath kind of guy. If he touches the ball, something good’s going to happen out of it. He does not need a lot of room, he can get open in a phone booth. He’s got the potential of being just an explosion all over the field.”

With two more years left in Locklear’s prep career, Setzer says the Bulldogs program continues to “set different bars for him” to help with continued development.

Coach of the Year

St. Pauls’ strong season, with a conference championship and three postseason award winners, came under the leadership of coaching veteran Mike Setzer. After that strong season, Setzer has been named as Robeson County Coach of the Year.

In winning the award for the fourth time in the last five seasons, Setzer said he’s always felt that it is an award for the entire staff. The Bulldogs staff also includes assistants Bridges, Hunter Lowry, Cromartie, Jeremey Kassoumis, Eric Murphy, Chansey Cannady, Kevin Inman and Tyler Campbell.

“My coaching staff worked hard,” Mike Setzer said. “We may not be the kind of staff that sings ‘Kum Ba Yah’ every day, but we are the kind of staff that falls in one philosophy, and that’s the Bulldog way. … I want to thank God for being able to coach these kids.”

St. Pauls has consistently been the best program in Robeson County at developing talent and producing results in recent years. This season, Setzer coached three county postseason award winners and 11 additional All-County selections; the Robeson County Heisman has come from the Bulldogs program in each of the last six seasons.

“One of the reasons why we’re able to do that is — the real secret is our standard, and when I hire coaches, if they’re not about the standard and they don’t keep the standard, they don’t need to be in our sandbox,” Mike Setzer said. “St. Pauls is a different place, we’ve got a certain type of sandbox, and everybody’s sandbox is not for everybody. I think the coaches there really buy into what the philosophy is there, and that starts with the administration, and we all kind of come together on this thing and what’s best for the kids.”

Pushing every kid in the program to eventually play college football is a big part of that, the coach said, as even those who don’t have the physical talent to play at the next level will benefit from other preparatory activities, in the classroom and beyond.

All-County Team

Offense

Quarterback

Chase Boone, Jr., Red Springs

Jamarion Brown, So., Fairmont

Lonnie Porter, Fr., Lumberton

Running back

*^Yoshua McBryde, Jr., St. Pauls

*Jakeslin Mack, Sr., Red Springs

Wide receiver

Jamir Jones, Sr., Fairmont

Jakhi Purcell, Jr., St. Pauls

Elan Locklear, Sr., Purnell Swett

Athlete

*Reggie Bush, Jr., Lumberton

Offensive line

*Jasiah Bryant, Jr., St. Pauls

Braylen Maynor, So., St. Pauls

*Christopher Britt, Sr., Lumberton

Hunter Clark, Jr., Purnell Swett

^Tanner McGirt, Sr., Purnell Swett

Tae Brown, Jr., Red Springs

*Gavin Mayers, Jr., Fairmont

Defense

Defensive line

Antwan McCoy, So., St. Pauls

Dontez Leach, So., St. Pauls

Nate Norton, So., Red Springs

Damiren Cooper, So., Red Springs

*Kamerion McBryde, Jr., Red Springs

Linebacker

*^Charles Wilkes, Sr., Purnell Swett

Brandon Regan, So., Lumberton

Desean Williams, Sr., St. Pauls

Antonio Arnold., Jr., St. Pauls

Nasir Blackmon, So., Red Springs

Austin Hall, So., Fairmont

James Swewtt, Jr., Purnell Swett

Defensive back

Jayvon Brown, Jr., Fairmont

Jakhi Purcell, Jr., St. Pauls

Quintell McNeill, Sr., St. Pauls

Disirio McLean, So., Lumberton

*Reggie Bush, Jr., Lumberton

Tariq Leggett, So., Fairmont

Special Teams

Kicker

*Omar Canuto, Jr., St. Pauls

John Dineant, So., Lumberton

Kick/punt returner

Jakhi Purcell, Jr., St. Pauls

* — denotes 2023 All-County selection

^ — denotes 2022 All-County selection

Honorable Mentions

Honorable mention selections include St. Pauls WR Jaden Bethea and OL David Britt; Lumberton ATH Camren Flemister, OL Jacobe Locklear, OL Taylor Morton, DL Wyatt Bullard, DL Destin Locklear, DL Isreal Perkins and DB Chance Smith; Purnell Swett ATH Raymond Cummings, QB Aidyn Locklear, DL Ethan Sampson, DL Bryton Deese and DB James D. Locklear; Red Springs WR Jordan Norton, OL/DL Derwin Blevins and; LB Raymond Blue; and Fairmont WR Trandone Campbell, OL Jordan Collins, LB Tristen Longchallen and DB Omarion Carmichael.