While most high school football teams lean on upperclassmen to lead the way, Mount Olive—with its current varsity roster of 21 players—has had to utilize every able body they can find.
In doing so, Dante Durr’s Pirates discovered a player they hope will lead the program to greener pastures the next few years. Freshman Quandarius Hubbard starts at running back and linebacker for Mount Olive, and he’s been nothing short of sensational through five games in 2018.
“We knew he [Hubbard] was going to be something special, but we didn’t know it would be this quick in his career,” said Durr. “He has shocked us a little bit. His work ethic throughout the summer has carried over onto the field on Friday nights.
“You wouldn’t know he’s a freshman on the field.”
Hubbard leads the team in rushing with 404 yards and four touchdowns. His 83 carries are triple what their second-leading rusher has. On defense, Hubbard is their leading tackler at 49 takedowns, which averages out to about 10 tackles a game. He’s even made an impact on special teams, returning two kicks for touchdowns.
Durr says after Mount Olive’s third game, though, teams finally stopped kicking to him. “That helps out. We get pretty good field position with it because they try to dodge him.”’
Still, Hubbard and the Pirates (0-5) are searching for their first win of the season. To this point, they’ve been outscored 193-72, but they’ve yet to play a team in their classification, 1A. That changes this week with the start of district play. The Pirates will play seven Region 4-1A games from now to early November with hopes of picking up several wins or even going a step further.
“We’re not just eyeing a win, we’re actually trying to eye the playoffs this year because the last two years we’ve been one win away from it,” said Durr. “We’re hoping we can get over the hump this year.”
The third-year coach added that his players have remained optimistic, too.
“You wouldn’t think we’re an 0-5 team with the way we’ve been practicing. They’re upbeat. Like I told them, we just divide the season in half. The first half of the season is gone, and now it’s time for the second half. This is the half that really counts for us.”
Mount Olive will be back in action on Friday, as the Pirates play host to 4-0 Lumberton.
