PINETOWN — Former Washington head coach Sport Sawyer returned to Beaufort County to direct a football team for the first time since he left the Pam Pack program in November 2016.

Sawyer, now the head coach at Manteo, brought the Redskins to Northside to line up against the Panther, Southside and a handful of other teams from the immediate area. His team boasted significant size upfront, and the way it ran the ball out of the wing-T looked quite familiar.

Here’s what the Belhaven native had to say about his return.

 

How it feels coaching football on a Beaufort County field again:

“A lot of good memories here in Beaufort County. A lot of memories, a lot of good friends, and a lot of good people. Football is great. The football at Manteo, the guys are working hard and doing some good things. It’s good playing football.”

What the adjustment has been like:

“It’s just learning things. The kids there have made it very easy for me, as far as them working hard. The Washington kids worked hard, as well. I do miss that part. The coaches have worked very hard, and the community is behind everything. It’s just learning from the past. I learned the things that I did that were right, and maybe wrong. I try to do the best I can.

“A lot of memories in Washington. Great people there, and great people here in Manteo.”

What he thought of Manteo’s performance:

“We’re learning. On offense, we’re changing formations. We’re running a little bit of slot, a little bit of trips, running a little bit of what we call gold, and wing-T stuff. We’re trying to find the personality of the offense.

“Then, on defense, we’re now a 4-2-5. I think Manteo had been a 3-5. It’s just seeing the right people in the right places. We’re going to make mistakes, but I want the guys never to hold their heads down. Northside has got a pretty good team this year. They won a lot of games last year. … Southside, coach (Jeff) Carrow and them, they’ve got a very good team and they’re doing a very good job. It’s good competition.”

How nice it was to see friends and family:

“Being from Belhaven, I see some of my family and some of my friends. It really was nice. This is home, and Manteo is home now, but Beaufort County will always be my home.”