Last season

Record: 7-5 overall, 5-0 in Tobacco Road 6A/7A conference (first)
Playoffs: Lost to D.H. Conley in 7A second round

2026 preview

There’s no doubt Southern Durham has what it takes to be a state title contender in 2026.

The Spartans boast a talented roster. They have a coaching staff that has sustained success over the years, and a program that carries a championship pedigree.

In fact, the same could have been said about Southern Durham last year. And the year before that. And so on. Shortcomings and misfortunes kept the Spartans from where they wanted to be in recent seasons, but this fall, they’re looking to get more from their arsenal for a different result.

Southern Durham coach Darius Robinson feels that responsibility weighs on him and his coaching staff.

“We’ve got to set the tone,” Robinson said. “We are the standard. We’ve got to make sure that we continue to show up, be on time, make sure we’re prepared for our guys.”

Said Robinson, “I’ve got this term that we adopted in our program, ‘pushing the envelope.’ If we keep pushing the envelope, we’re getting the best out of them, and they’re going to see that.”

Robinson’s stacked senior class will be the ones conveying that message through the locker room. The Spartans will return with Duke commit Jonathan Dillon at quarterback and another Duke commit in Lance Henderson at safety and receiver. Future ECU running back Kamari Holloway will lead the rushing attack alongside Damien Hayes, who transferred in from Jordan after rushing for over 1,400 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior. Senior Tyler McClain will return from injury and rejoin the receiving corps. On the defensive side, senior defensive end Kye Johnson, who holds multiple Division I offers and corner Kobe Whimper (NC Central commit) will help lead the unit.

“They’ve been here, and they’ve been part of some great runs, great opportunities but big disappointments,” Robinson said about his seniors. “When I say the disappointments, it’s been like losing in the playoffs to, no disrespect to the teams, but to teams we shouldn’t have lost to. But it was because of some adversity, injuries and just bad plays, bad luck.”

Said Robinson, “But every championship team goes through those phases, and when they make that breakthrough, they end up winning big games that they’re supposed to win and not losing. And that’s what this group is. They’re seasoned. They’re veterans. And then the thing that I see now is that they’re bonding and they’re taking the leadership. They are on point when it comes to being extensions of the coaching staff on the field.”

Robinson also expects major contributions from junior edge Ja’Quez Johnson, who holds multiple D-I offers (including Miami and NC Central), junior corner and receiver Jayden Bowman, sophomore defensive back and receiver Jace Harris, sophomore defensive back Jastin Ikard (holds an offer from Duke), junior defensive lineman Malachi Hardy and junior receiver and defensive back Demetrice Williams.

“In practice everyday, it is a hard, tough practice because we’ve got iron sharpening iron,” Robinson said.

For the leap Southern Durham want to take this season, it’ll require complete “buy in” to the standard of emphasizing discipline, accountability and responsibility. With the stars and offers that the Spartans carry, they look to prioritize the team over the individual and make sure they don’t become their own enemy. That includes reducing penalties and enduring a mentally and physically taxing camp to ensure proper conditioning.

Even though the Spartans have goals to accomplish in the postseason, part of the journey is not looking ahead.

“For us, it’s one week at a time, one day at a time and one second at a time,” Robinson said. “We don’t try to put the cart before the horse, so to speak, because we have to take care of what we can control. We can’t control what isn’t here yet. We can control what’s in front of us.”