Predicting Every Eastern Sandhills Team’s MVP

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We started conference-wide coverage earlier this preseason, and we've been running one "every team's MVP" piece each day. So far, we've covered nearly 15 conferences. Here, we're looking at an intriguing conference in the east, the Eastern Sandhills 5A/6A Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Predicting Eastern Sandhills 5A/6A Conference Team MVPs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Note: Since we started these much later in the offseason, we rolled these into conference previews. We'll preview conferences in the future, but here, we're just focusing on team MVPs.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Other Team MVP Pieces:&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-albemarle-conference-teams-mvp/">Albemarle 2A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-southern-carolina-teams-mvp/">Southern Carolina 6A/7A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-quad-city-seven-teams-mvp/">Quad City Seven 8A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-carolina-pines-teams-mvp/">Carolina Pines 6A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-each-big-carolina-teams-mvp/">Big Carolina 6A/7A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-eastern-plains-teams-mvp/">Eastern Plains 2A/3A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-big-east-teams-mvp/">Big East 5A/6A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-each-cap-8a-teams-mvp/">CAP 8A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-northeastern-coastal-teams-mvp/">Northeastern Coastal 3A/4A/5A</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-four-rivers-teams-mvp/">Four Rivers 3A/4A</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-carolina-1a-2a-teams-mvp/">Carolina 1A/2A</a></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Douglas Byrd Eagles</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1969385' first='Nicolas' last='McRae']</strong> | RB/LB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year was a struggle for Douglas Byrd, but McRae was a bright spot. The two-way player led the Eagles in rushing and had a long pick-six during their winless season. McRae should see an uptick in volume on offense, and he's a solid defender, both in the running game and as a pass defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">St. Pauls Bulldogs</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1656785' first='Antwan' last='McKoy']</strong> | DL</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While I have some questions about the offense, there's no doubt St. Pauls' defense will once again be elite. McKoy is a recent Georgia commit with ample high school production, despite missing some time last season. He anchors the middle for the Bulldogs and opens up plenty of opportunities for his teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2111037' first='Dallas' last='Richardson']</strong> (Edge), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1953581' first='Dontez' last='Leach']</strong> (LB)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">E.E. Smith Golden Bulls</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1709614' first='Cassell' last='Cruickshank']</strong> | Edge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cruickshank was our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-of-the-2028-rankings-spring/">biggest stock-riser</a> in the 2028 class during our last update, as he's starting to turn some of his outrageous potential into down-in, down-out production. This summer, he looks more comfortable at edge rusher than he ever has, and 2026 could be the year that he puts it all together. Smith had a difficult season last year, both on and off the field, and a fresh start in 2026 should do the Golden Bulls a lot of good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>Nicolas Smith</strong> (QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1815493' first='Aiden' last='Washington']</strong> (RB)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Seventy-First Falcons</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='653512' first='Shon' last='Pone Jr']</strong> | RB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After being the secondary option in the backfield for three straight years, it's finally Pone's turn to be the primary ball carrier. He's a big, powerful runner who should have no issues adding to his workload. The Falcons finished 9-3 last season, but there's a general feeling that they weren't far off from a much better season. As they return much of their production, expectations are high for 2026 within the program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1334992' first='R'Maunni' last='Watson']</strong> (QB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1408808' first='John' last='Archer']</strong> (DL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">South View Tigers</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2229992' first='Cristian' last='Simmons']</strong> | RB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South View wasn't far off from being a great team last season, and Simmons was a big part of that. He ran for over 1,300 yards and also averaged nearly 20 yards per catch. The Tigers were 0-3 in one-score games last year, but return plenty of production. If they can get just a bit more consistency, they'll take a huge step forward. Simmons should help with veteran leadership and proven production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2003831' first='Geovanie' last='Iglesias']</strong> (DL), <strong>Malyk McLean</strong> (RB/WR)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Westover Wolverines</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1719071' first='Eric' last='Kline']</strong> | QB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't know of any other three-win team in the state with a positive point differential last season. The Wolverines were clearly better than their record suggested, and Kline was far better than you'd think, given the record. He threw 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading a strong offense. The Wolverines lose almost all of the rest of their offense, so I'm interested to see if Kline can elevate the new faces around him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2225732' first='Emmanuel' last='Edwards']</strong> (Edge)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Our preseason coverage is just getting started. Coaches, if you want your team featured in a team preview,&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB9YBH_he_sOP-lhvI26XRh0P9vobS8PsVJy_5QCJ4jQLTvQ/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=118251332469799088451">fill out our survey</a>.&nbsp;Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Help them get 30% off their first billing cycle with promo code Helms30.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->