University of North Carolina Athletics
Down East Boys Make An Impact
August 20, 2009 | Football
Aug. 20, 2009
What's the first thing you think of when someone mentions eastern North Carolina? Probably barbecue. This season, a group of Tar Heels is hoping to put football in the conversation. The Tidewater area of Virginia has produced some notable Tar Heels (Lawrence Taylor, Ronald Curry, Deon Dyer, Bobby Rome), and some contributors have come out of the Charlotte area (Hakeem Nicks, Ryan Houston). But Kendric Burney and Deunta Williams say they've helped open the floodgates east of the I-95 corridor.
Both from Jacksonville, Burney and Williams have known each other for most of their lives. Each has gotten the better of the other at least once, dating back to the age of ten. "We played against each other in the rec league Super Bowl," Williams says. "The last play of the game, we were at our 30-yard line, and it was a quarterback sweep to me. I broke down the sideline, and Kendric was actually at the other safety. I gave him my move, and it didn't work. I tried to jump over him, but he clipped my ankle and I fell. I would have been gone."
Williams would get his revenge years later in high school. When Burney's Southwest Onslow squad faced Williams' White Oak Vikings, the cornerback allowed the only touchdown of his high school career. "Wet conditions, but he ran a fade route," Burney says. "We both jumped at the same time. I tell him to this day that he got me with a push-off that he learned at football camp the summer before. I should have known it was coming, but he got me."
urney and Williams planned to commit to the same school, and, along with Tarboro's Shaun Draughn, they became Tar Heels in 2006. All three redshirted as freshmen and begin their junior seasons as important pieces of the Carolina program. And all want to represent eastern North Carolina. In the years since coming to Chapel Hill, they've been joined by a number of `Down East Boys' making an impact on the field. "We always joke," Draughn says. "The VA boys say they have old-times like Lawrence Taylor. We say we've got guys, too. Everyone who is ballin' on the team is from eastern North Carolina."
He's not far off. Of the 36 home-state Tar Heels on the roster, 14 are from east of I-95. Many will see significant playing time in 2009. In addition to Draughn , Williams and Burney, Jonathan Cooper (Wilmington) will start at left guard, Bruce Carter (Havelock) at linebacker and Casey Barth (Wilmington) at kicker. New Bern's Kevin Reddick is in a battle to start at linebacker, as well, and Donte-Paige Moss (Jacksonville) and Quinton Coples (Kinston) will play important roles on the defensive line.
To build the roster to his liking, Butch Davis wants to win the in-state recruiting battles for playmakers. And they are emerging. "I don't know what's in the water (down east), but I'm happy it's growing," Burney says. "We're starting to make impacts on college football and the NFL, and that's a big deal for eastern North Carolina."
Williams says the hits will keep coming. "We've got a lot of good athletes down there, but they don't get a lot of recognition, or scouts don't come out that way. Since me and KB left, a few more people have gotten looked at, so I think it's a good thing."
There is a contrast in styles between the football played across the state, and thus different types of players emerge from their respective regions. "We love to hit," Burney says. "The west coast throws the ball, the east coast runs the ball. So if you play down there, you have to get used to the hitting."
No one style is best, but bringing the best players from across the state can only help the team as a whole. Players from eastern and western North Carolina, California to Florida to New York make up this roster. All want to represent their regions, and the friendly competition pushes the entire team. "We always rep the East Coast, and Ryan Houston's always talking about Charlotte, but it's a big rivalry. It's fun," Reddick says. "We're out there flying around together, and we've got a nice connection. It's like a family."
Turner Walston is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly. Follow the THM staff on Twitter.
Players Mentioned
