It’s no secret that cross-county rivals Pungo and Terra Ceia do not like each other. This season, despite the baseball teams’ tight positioning in the Tarheel Conference rankings, the two squads couldn’t be more contradictory.

The Raiders vaunt a veteran lineup consisting of three senior leaders, Thomas Mann, Marcus Williams and Cole Austin Woolard, who get the job done seemingly every outing, while the Knights, despite being one of the younger teams in the conference, draw most of their production from underclassmen on the hardwood and the baseball field.

“We are a very young team that has proved our worth going up against more experienced programs,” said Terra Ceia principal and head baseball coach Jason Wynne.

Year’s ago, Wynne’s statement might have been considered overzealous and excessively bias, but after February’s memorable TIC Basketball Tournament run and the team’s surprising effort on the diamond this season, this program has earned and deserves respect.

This winter, the Knights’ basketball team consisted of just three seniors, Washington Daily News All-County selection Kyle Hendrix, and Aaron Williams and Gabe Jackson, players who received limited playing time, contributing a combined 2.5 points per game.

The starting lineup and primary producers comprised of Hendrix, sophomore Chase Furlough and three freshman: guard Quentin Van Essendelft, forward Austin Roscoe and forward Tyler Hendrix. Like most successful high school teams without a true superstar, the scoring was distributed evenly, with four of the five starters averaging double figures.

Next season, Terra Ceia returns four of its five starters, two more than Pungo and Hobgood, the top-two teams in the conference during the regular season.

It’s a similar story on the diamond.

The Knights top-three hitters, Austin Wynne, Roscoe and Van Essendelft, are all freshman. Roscoe, who has been one of the hottest players on the mound and at the plate in the conference this season, leads his team with a .387 average, while Wynne is hitting .346 and Van Essendelft .333. Sophomore Chase Furlough, initially one of the Knights’ back-of-the-rotation starters, has stepped up, winning four of six decisions.

Terra Ceia will face Pungo at Washington’s McConnell Sports Complex Monday beginning at 4 p.m. With a 5-4 conference record heading into the TIC Tournament, the Knights are undoubtedly the underdog with Pungo and Lawrence in the mix. But with a win against their rival on Monday, the Knights have a chance to secure a No. 2 seed, earn a bye in the first round and turn some heads in Merry Hill next weekend.