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Pungo Christian Academy football coach Alex Sefton had a big weekend recently. The Raiders won their 8-man contest to remain undefeated, he turned 29 years old and he was part of a four person class inducted into the Clarke Co. (Va.) High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Sefton, an Assistant District Attorney for Beaufort and surrounding counties, was a football, basketball and soccer standout for the Eagles and went on to play defensive end and tight end at Division III Hampden-Sydney College before earning his law degree from Campbell University.

The 2012 graduate grew up in Berryville, Va. a little over an hour northwest of Washington D.C. and was captain of his football, basketball and soccer teams his senior year, while earning numerous All-District and All-State recognitions.

“I knew it was a great honor, but it didn’t really hit me until I walked out on the field while the P.A. guy called my name and read my bio,” Sefton said. “It was great to see my coaches, some of my teachers and other folks who were there. They’ve been doing this for over 30 years and only take four or five a year, so it’s a huge honor to be part of that group.”

Sefton came home from work a couple of weeks ago to find a letter announcing his selection, then received a phone call from a committee member.

“I couldn’t stop smiling,” Sefton said. “I called my parents and some other friends and starting making plans.”

A slight hitch developed when he realized the Raiders had a game scheduled for that Friday night.

“My first thought was to stay and coach my team, but several people talked me out of that,” Sefton said. “We had a good game plan and I decided to let my assistants handle it. It definitely was the right call to go.”

The Eagles won the Hall of Fame Game, 42-7 and the Raiders rolled over Mattamuskeet, 48-0, to raise their record to 2-0 after winning three games all last season.

Sefton had no high school coaching experience when he took the reins at PCA last fall, but says he’s in a comfortable routine this time around.

“It took some time to develop a routine last year, but we much further along now and our record reflects it. We opened a new weight room over the summer and that’s been a big help. Things are running smoother on game days and our practice plan is better. We have a great group of sophomores and our older guys are more comfortable with how I do things. We laid the foundation last year and will build on it every year.”