The history of South View football is a true Rags to Riches story.  

Once upon a time the Tigers had one of the worst football programs in North Carolina .  In the school’s first 13 seasons, its football teams won only 15 games. During one span, the Tigers lost 32 straight games, one of the longest losing streaks in the state.

From 1973 to 1988, South View played 170 games and won only 28 for a .165 winning percentage.  Then a strange thing happened.  South View started to win.

In the past 20 years, the Tigers have played 256 games, winning 194 times for a .758 winning percentage.  Included during that span are three Eastern Regional 4-A or 4-AA Championships (1991, 2000, 2004) and a State 4-A Title (1991). The Tigers advanced to the 3^rd Round of the NCHSAA Championship playoffs seven years in row from 1998-2004, the only team in the state to do this during this time period.

After completing its 37th year in 2008, South View has had over 60 players to go on and play at the collegiate level.  Two former Tigers earned All-American honors in college.  Randy Shumaker was a Junior College All-American at Chowan College and Wayne Inman captured NCAA Division I All-American honors at East Carolina and is in the East Carolina Hall of Fame.  Four former South View players have played professionally.  Marcus Wall played in the Canadian Football League, while Charles Kirby and Tony Dingle have played in the National Football League and Chris Roncketti in the Arena Football League

Head Coach Randy Ledford completed his 16th season as head coach of the Tigers in 2008.  No one has coached longer or won more games than Coach Ledford, who has a 151-53 record which includes a 23 -11 record in the NCHSAA Championship State Playoffs.  South View has played for the state championship twice under Coach Ledford’s leadership.  Coach Ledford, an assistant coach for the Tigers for nine seasons before becoming head coach, has been a part of every winning season in South View history.

Year-by-Year Notes

1972 – Hope Mills, Massey Hill and Grays Creek High Schools all closed their doors as the new consolidated South View High School opened.  The first football team won only one game, a narrow 12-10 decision over Cape Fear .  Woody Hammond was the first standout for the Tigers as he rushed for 660 tough yards in 157 carries.  Hammond also caught 21 passes for 350 yards and led the team in scoring with five touchdowns.  Doug Watts was the Tigers first head coach.

1973 – The Tigers won three times in its second year with wins over Cape Fear , Pine Forest , and Scotland County .  Randy Johnson rushed for 827 yards, a record that would stand for many years, and scored five touchdowns.

1974 – Quarterback Randy Shumaker completed 75 passes as the Tigers won twice beating Cape Fear and Pine Forest .  Shumaker threw for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns and went on to become a Junior College All-American at Chowan College .

1975 – Bob McQueen took over as coach of the Tigers and won his first game, a 20-14 decision over Scotland County .  David Talton rushed for six touchdowns and over 500 yards but the Tigers lost nine straight.

1976 – The losing streak reached 16 games before South View defeated Cape Fear , 15-6.  Butch Gillis led the team from his quarterback position.

1977 – The Tigers seemed to turn the corner, winning three straight games. They recorded their first wins ever against  Seventy First and Douglas Byrd and also defeated Cape Fear .  Quarterback Johnnie Peoples rushed for four touchdowns and passed for three more as South View tied the school record for most wins in a season.

1978 – New coach Guido Maiola saw the Tigers suffer through their worst season.  The team did not win a game and scored only four touchdowns all season.  They were credited with a win when Reid Ross had to forfeit all its games.

1979 – The Tigers got another new coach, John Ward, but saw the same results – an 0-10 season that saw them score only 25 points while giving up 391. Their closest game was a 14-6 loss to Douglas Byrd.

1980 – The losing streak reached 32 as the Tigers had another 0-10 season, technically their third winless season in a row.  Again their closest game was against Douglas Byrd in a 21-15 loss.

1981 – Gene Brewer took over as the coach of the Tigers and immediately stopped the losing streak with a 10-7 win over Hoke County in his first game.  South View also defeated Cape Fear that year, 6-0.

1982 – Injuries led to another winless season as the Tigers suffered through another losing streak.

1983 – South View won its ninth game, 23-0 against Cape Fear , ending the losing streak at 19 in a row.

1984 – The Tigers won only once, a 22-16 victory over Lumberton , but gained a measure of respect when they played Reid Ross to a 0-0 tie.

1985 – It was the year the losing stopped.  After 13 losing seasons, the Tigers won six of their ten games with two of their losses coming by less than four points. Brent Gore was the inspirational leader of the team from his quarterback position.

1986 – Another 1-9 season brought the Tigers back to reality, as their only win was a 21-14 decision over Pinecrest.  South View lost four games by less than a touchdown.

1987 – South View won its last three games of the year, beating Pine Forest , Terry Sanford, and Cape Fear .  It was the first time ever a South View team had beaten a Fayetteville City school.

1988 -  The Tigers won twice, beating Pinecrest and Cape Fear .  It would be Gene Brewer’s eighth and final season as South View’s Head Coach

1989 – Bobby Poss arrived to coach the Tigers and things have not been the same since.  Poss’ Tigers set all kinds of school records and advanced to the state playoffs for the first time in school history.  Rodney Bryant rushed for 1,438 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in South View’s 9-4 season.

1990 – The Tigers won eight regular season games for the first time in school history, but did not make the state playoffs. Junior Marcus Wall rushed for 1,404 yards and 25 touchdowns.

1991 – The year of the Tigers!  Marcus Wall and company narrowly made the state playoffs as the Mid South Conference’s #3 seed with another 8-2 regular season, then marched all the way to the state 4-A championship.  Wall had 2,502 yards rushing and scored 27 touchdowns to finish as the third leading rusher in North Carolina history.  The state championship title capped an unbelievable turnaround for the school’s program. The Tigers finished with at 13-2 record.

1992 – The Tigers appeared headed for the state championship again reeling off 13 wins in a row only to lose to Northern Durham in the Eastern Regional finals.  Joey Mintz rushed for 1,313 yards and scored 20 touchdowns for South View.

1993 – Randy Ledford took over as head coach of the Tigers and compiled a 7-3 record to win a share of the Mid South Conference title.  But the Tigers lost a coin flip that would have sent them to the state playoffs.

1994 – Jimmy Bliven carried 215 times and rushed for 1,137 yards, but the Tigers lost five games by a touchdown or less.

1995 – Injuries hurt South View’s chances but the Tigers scrapped to a 5-5 record.  Chris Bryan scored 12 touchdowns to lead the team.

1996 – Jesse Steele passed for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns, but the Tigers had their second straight .500 season at 5-5.

1997 – Phillip Hart was the offensive leader of the team, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring 13 touchdowns, but it was not enough to keep the Tigers from having a 4-6 record.

1998 – Sophomore quarterback Chris Roncketti passed for 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns as the Tigers compiled a 9-2 regular season mark and returned to the state playoffs.  South View advanced to the third round before falling to Garner, losing 38-30.

1999 - Wesley Fulmore rushed for 1,331 yards and scored 18 touchdowns as South View won ten straight before losing to Pine Forest in the season finale.  The Tigers again advanced to the third round of the playoffs, losing 9-0 to Douglas Byrd on Thanksgiving Friday.

2000 – A season of perfection – almost!  The Tigers won 15 straight games before falling to Charlotte Independence in the state championship game at Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill .  Marcus Johnson rushed for 2,313 yards and scored 24 touchdowns to lead the Tigers in their record-breaking year.

2001 – After losing many seniors from the 2000 team, the over-achieving Tigers led offensively by Kelvin Haywood and L.J. Hill compiled a 12-2 record, winning the first conference championship of the new Two Rivers Conference. The team advanced to the third round of the state playoffs before losing to perennial state power Richmond County .

2002 – The 2002 team featured an offense with a young, inexperienced backfield and receiving corps, bolstered by a senior ladened offensive line and a stalwart defense that posted seven shutouts.  With a 11-3 overall record and a 5-1 conference record, the Tigers tied for the Two Rivers Conference championship with E.E. Smith.  The Tigers advanced to the third round of the 4AA State Playoffs before losing to the #1 seed - New Bern .

2003 - After starting the season 1-3 with several key players injured and a new offensive line, the Tigers rebounded by winning eight of their last ten games to win the Two Rivers Conference Championship with a 5-1 record and an overall record of 9-5.  The Tigers were led on offense by first team all conference seniors that included quarterback Todd Jeffreys, with 1,554 yards passing and 12 TD passes; Howard Fuller, with 1,335 yards rushing and 15 TDs; and receiver Mark Jackson with 30 receptions for 611 yards. The defense posted three shutouts and was led by junior Ellis McDowell with 145 tackles. The Tigers once again advanced to the third round of the 4AA NCHSAA Championship Playoffs for the sixth year in a row, only to be beaten for the second straight year by the #1 seed, New Bern .

2004 – Led by seniors Jonathan Hannah and Gary Tatum on offense and Ellis McDowell on defense, the Tigers ran off fifteen straight victories, including the 4AA Eastern Championship before losing to nationally ranked Charlotte Independence in the 4AA NCHSAA State Championship game at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.  For the fourth year in a row, South View either won or tied for the Two Rivers Conference Championship.   TE Jonathan Hannah was an All State selection, RB Greg James and LB Ellis McDowell were Two Rivers Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and Coach Randy Ledford was Two Rivers Coach of the Year as well as runner-up for the NCHSAA 4A State Coach of the Year. 

2005 – Senior Running Back and Two Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Greg James, led the Tigers to a 10-2 record and the Two Rivers Conference championship. James set several South View career rushing and scoring records and combined with senior running back, Brandon McLaurin for 2,862 yards rushing accounting for 70% of the Tigers offense. The defense gave up less than twelve points per game and was led by senior Justin Bordeaux with 123 tackles and 2 interceptions.  South View once again qualified for the NCHSAA State Championship Playoffs as the #3 seed in the 4AA East but suffered a disappointing loss to Cary in the second round.

2006 – After starting the season with six straight victories, and entering Two Rivers Conference play, the Tigers lost two conference games and finished the season in third place.  The Tigers made the NCHSAA Championship playoffs for the ninth consecutive year as a 13^th seed in the 4AA East, but drew a tough first round game vs. county rival, Jack Britt, and were eliminated 14-7 marking the first time the Tigers had lost a playoff first round game.  South View was led on offense by  2^nd Team All Conference QB Ryan Everitte who passed for 1,144 yards and 11 TDs; 1^st Team All Conference RB Carlos Nurse who rushed for 1,221 yards and 14 TDs; 1^st Team All Conference RB Joey Burke who rushed for 860 yards and 11 TDs; and 1^st Team All Conference WR Josh McLaurin, who caught 29 passes for 553 yards and 5 TDs.  The defense was led by 1^st Team All Conference Nick Jeffries and 2^nd Team All Conference Brendan Hair with 124 tackles each.

2007 – The Tigers once again won the Two Rivers Conference title with a perfect 6-0 record and 13-1 record overall. Led by their defensive unit which posted 4 shutouts and allowed less than ten points per game, the Tigers finished #7 in the NC Associated Press Final Season Poll and were a #3 seed in the NCHSAA Championship Playoff 4AA East Region.  South View had a perfect season but lost in the third round of the playoffs to Raleigh Leesville Road , 17-7. Offensively, Senior QB and 1^st team all conference, Ryan Everitte set several passing records and led the offense along with all conference Running Back, Carlos Nurse, and wide receivers, Gary Green, Justin Poage, and Craig Sanders.  The offensive line was bolstered by all conference selections, Justin McLaurin and Lance Johnson.  The defensive unit was led by all conference selections defensive line, Aaron Salked, Justin Cole, and Tim Rogers; linebackers Timmy McCall and Brenden Hair, and defensive backs, Reggie Green, Nigel Bryant, Lamont Saffore and Jamaal Bethea.  

2008 – South View started 2-3 in non-conference play but rebounded to win the final year of the Two Rivers Conference with at 5-1 record and 9-5 overall.  In the eight years of the Two Rivers Conference, South View either won or shared the title in seven of those years. The Tigers once again advanced to the third round of the NCHSAA 4AA Championship State Playoffs. It was the ninth time in the past eleven years, that South View had advanced as far as the third round.  The offense was led by Two Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year and All Cape Fear Region QB, junior DeShean Townsend.  Townsend set several passing records and became the most prolific passer in South View history with over 2,000 yards and 23 TD passes for the season.  All Conference Wide Receiver Craig Sanders also set several receiving records and had 12 TD receptions.  Sophomore running backs Trey Booker and Andrew Brown and senior Vincent Tompkins combined to rush for 2,300 yards behind a junior laden offensive line.   The defense was led by first team All Conference selections Quentin Pate, Charles Tobin and Richard Jeffery

2009 – In the first year of the newly realigned Mid South Conference, South View struggled to at 7-5 record which included a forfeit win from Terry Sanford.  The schedule included games with all four finalists for the 4A and 4AA state championship games the previous year. After the forfeit, the Tigers finished second in the conference with a 5-1 conference.  South View advanced to the NCHSAA Championship Playoffs as a 10^th seed in the 4AA bracket.  The Tigers were eliminated from the championship in the first round by Lumberton in a rare shutout loss.  Four players made 1^st team all conference, OL Corey Raven, WR Anthony McDonald, DL Charles Tobin and DB Sherrod Parker. Senior QB DeShean Townsend broke several career passing records to include completions, touchdown passes and passing yards while passing for 11 touchdowns and 1,486 yards for the season. Juniors Trey Booker and Justin Frederick rushed for a combined 2,452 and 19 rushing touchdowns

2010 – The Tigers played one of the toughest schedules in the state in 2010.  Seven of their eleven opponents were ranked at one time or another in the AP Top Ten 4-A or 3-A poll and their opponents finished with a 77-45 regular season  record (.631).   The offense did not return any starters from 2009 and struggled all season scoring only 135 points and averaging only 213 yards per game.  Offensive linemen Albert Raynor and Leo Gonzalez were selected 2^nd team Mid South All Conference.  Sophomore Deshawn Ford led the team in rushing with 649 yards and 4 TD’s.  Senior QB Dale Urquhart passed for 847 yards and 4 TDs.  The defensive was led by 1^st team Mid South All Conference players Dahman McKinnon and Tommy Cain and 2^nd team All Conference players B.J. Fields, Kris Johnson, and Greg Gilmore.  Junior McKinnon led the team with 144  tackles and junior Fields led the team with five interceptions.  The Tigers tied for third place in the Mid South Conference with a 3-3 record and were an automatic selection in the NCHSAA Championship State Playoffs in the 4-AA Mid East as a #7 seed.  South View’s season ended with a 1^st round playoff loss to Cary Panther Creek.