It’s ‘anybody, anywhere, anytime’ for South Mecklenburg’s football road warriors

Quinn Rucker came to the Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference football media day last week wearing a black T-shirt under his South Mecklenburg jersey.

Emblazoned on the front of the shirt were the words “Road Warriors — Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere.”

“That’s how it will be this season,” Rucker said. “We”re embracing it.”

The Sabres’ football and boys’ soccer teams will take their shows on the road this season — all the time.

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools renovation project will make South Mecklenburg’s stadium unusable this season and force the Sabres’ to play all their games on the road. The Sabres will be designated as the home team in a few of those games — for example, the “home” opener at Charlotte Catholic. But they’ll have to board a bus and travel to every contest this fall.

“The good thing is, we’ll see the fruits of the bond money eventually, in the form of a new stadium,” Sabres’ head football coach Joe Evans said. “But it’s a stinker for these guys in their senior years.”

South Mecklenburg isn’t the only athletic program affected by stadium construction this fall. Butler High, for example, won’t play a home game until at least October, due to work on the playing surface at the Bulldogs’ stadium.. But the Sabres know there’s no chance they’ll play any games at home this fall.

Evans said road games at Charlotte Catholic (Aug. 22), Ballantyne Ridge (Sept. 5) and Ardrey Kell (Sept. 12) are only a few miles from South Mecklenburg and should draw big crowds of Sabres’ followers. And games against East Mecklenburg (Sept. 19, at Ardrey Kell) and West Mecklenburg (Oct. 3, at Ballantyne Ridge) will be played in nearby stadiums.

If all that isn’t enough, the football team can look at South Meck’s 2023 boys’ soccer squad, which won the 4A state championship as the No. 24 seed, playing all their postseason matches on the road.

“Look,” said Rucker, a senior running back for the Sabres. “We’re blessed that we will have a season. We’ll still get to play football. We’re just rolling with the punches.”

Quarterback Carter Gillis, also a senior, said his team is embracing the road-warrior mentality.

“We know it’s a challenge, but that challenge is fueling us,” Gillis said. “We’re in a different situation than most teams, but we plan to make the most of it.”

Perhaps senior leaders such as Rucker, Gillis and defensive back Callaway Williams are well-suited for this kind of season. Each has followed a route to this point in their athletic careers that is different from most high school football players.

Gillis, for example, started as a basketball player in his elementary school youths.

One day, during a game in the Park Sharon Athletic Association, Gillis fouled another player. It was a hard foul.

“It was a really, really hard foul,” Gillis corrected. “The coach told my parents that maybe I should switch to football..”

Williams played rugby as a youth in upstate New York.

“Let’s just say that my size was not optimal for a rugby,” he said with a smile. “I got used to the contact, but I needed to make a switch.” He chose football as a more peaceful alternative.

Then there’s Rucker, who grew up as a competitive skateboarder.

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I actually did pretty well at it too.”

But he also found enjoyment in football. Now he is under standing orders from Evans and the other South Meck coaches to stay off the skateboard before and during football season.

South Mecklenburg’s last winning season was in 2021, when the Sabres finished 9-3. Gillis, Rucker and Williams say they believe the Sabres are poised for a winning campaign this fall, in their new conference.

“We’re especially strong at the skilled positions,” Rucker said. “I think we’ll make a lot of big plays.”

“I think our work ethic is stronger this year,” Williams added. “Accountability is a big thing. We hold others up to our standards.”

Williams’ mother, Kimberly, said players’ parents will do their best to give the Sabres as much of a home-field experience as possible this fall.

“I think it will be hard, not playing on their home turf,” she said. “But these boys really want to play, whether it’s on their turf or someone else’s.”

“And we’re doing things to help,” she said of the parents. “Our last game will be at Memorial Stadium, and we plan to do it up right — and make the team feel as if they’re at home in a big game.”

Callaway Williams said players sense support from other students.

“I think a lot of people plan to show up (at road games),” he said. “Even though we’re not at home, I think we’ll get a lot of support.”