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Paxton, Ragin' Bulls head into third season with high expectations

Photo by Jonathan Coleman

Hickory Ridge High School head football coach Marty Paxton breaks down plays for Ragin' Bulls players during a break in practice on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009.

By Jonathan Coleman | Independent Tribune

Published: August 21, 2009

HARRISBURG - For the past two years, Hickory Ridge High School football coach Marty Paxton has walked the sidelines with a keen eye looking out for the identity of his young football team.

With the addition of Cox Mill High School to the county's roster of teams, the Ragin' Bulls are no longer the new kids in town, and expectations for success are higher than ever. While Hickory Ridge is far from the established veteran teams like Concord and A.L. Brown, the spirit of tradition is growing on the players, coaches and fans.

So too is the excitement around the school and the community.

"We've found some new talent in the school," Paxton said. "The excitement around football here in the community, the kids want to be a part of it."

The school's inaugural season was centered around the theme of "The Tradition Begins." Last year, the Ragin' Bulls built on early lessons and finished with a 5-6 record.

"The first season was clearing the rough, if you want to say that," Paxton said. "Last year, the foundation was laid. Now it's time to build — on top of that foundation — a championship program here."

With that in mind, the team has adopted "Under Construction" as this season's theme.

Part of building a championship program, Paxton said, is finding a balance between the offense and defense.

"The past two seasons, our defense has really carried us," he said. "Now our offense is strong because we got so many of (the players) back.

"Not to slight our defense, because they're going to be good, but I feel confident in our offense because we got so many of our skills kids back."

One of those skills players is Brian Baltimore, the Ragin' Bulls 5-foot-7-inch, 195-pound running back that Paxton called an elusive player with a great vision of the field.

"He's not real quick, but you put him in this room right here and you and I would have trouble tackling him," Paxton said.

Baltimore is sure to be a potent part of the Ragin' Bulls' option offense, which will see senior quarterback Nick Moelle starting the season under center.

Moelle, Paxton said, has earned his place on the starting roster after working alongside quarterback Bretty Lilly, who graduated last year, for the past two seasons.

While he expressed confidence in Moelle, the head coach didn't rule out the possibility of several other players taking snaps, depending on various "wrinkles" the team has added to its option package since last season.

On the opposite side of the ball, Paxton said he has a range of talent returning, including three defensive linemen who have started all three years at the school.

Among them, senior Cole Lilly promises to be a threat to opposing teams. The 5-foot-10-inch younger brother of former quarterback Brett Lilly, tips the scales at 225 pounds, and offers the line a threat with his quickness and knowledge of the game.

"I hate to talk about one lineman and leave any of them out," Paxton admitted. "They're all strong."

Loaded with that kind of talent, Paxton said it's easy to get excited about the season ahead, but it's also important to set realistic expectations of his still-young program.

"Our first goal is to win more than we lose, then to make the playoffs," he said. "Then we'll talk about a conference championship and going as far as we can in the playoffs. That's four good goals."

As for the realigned South Piedmont 3A conference that pits eight Cabarrus County teams against each other, Paxton said it will add a great deal of extra importance to games with local appeal.

"Now the games have a little different pressure," he admitted. "Those games last season — Mount Pleasant, Robinson and Central — those were all non-conference. Now it's a little different feeling.

"Before, you didn't want to lose because you see them all the time. Now, it's two-fold. You see them all the time and it has playoff implications."

Despite all the buzz about the added importance of games against cross-county schools, Paxton said the most important game at this point in the season isn't against any of those teams.

"It's Carson," he said. "It's our first game. That's what matters most right now. If we beat them, things will be upbeat, and that's contageous. To be honest, I haven't really looked at any other game."