The Post & Courier set a precedent this August; at least as far as the football program is concerned. Consult your copy of the P&C’s high school football preview section, and you’ll find Lowcountry sportswriters and football coaches collaborated to rank Wando number one in Region 7.

Despite what the media says, a successful season is anything but a guarantee.

“When it comes down to it [rankings] are just ink on paper, and that won’t help you win games,” senior wide receiver Roddell Carter said. “You have to actually get down and do the dirty work.”

According to Head Football Coach Bob Hayes, rankings entail a figurative burden of proof.

“Once you hit the regular season, there’s no more mystery about it. Nobody’s predicting anything and you’re proving you’re worthy of [your ranking],” Hayes said.

Many believe a large part of the team’s recent success and current ranking are due to the efforts of Hayes. His winning ways have led many to acknowledge his exploits as a coach, but he is quick to deflect these praises to his players and staff.

“It’s not me, it’s not one player and it’s not one coach,” Hayes said. “We’ve got nine coaches, we’ve got 76 players and everyone from top to bottom contributes.”

Hayes approaches accreditation in the same way he approaches rankings: he would rather disregard them and focus on the task at hand.

“We’ve got to be ready to play every week,” Hayes said. “Our toughest game is always the next game.”

A major aspect of being ready to play every week is dealing with the pressure of representing your school.

“I think [pressure] makes us all perform,” Hayes said. “You want do well, you want to play hard. If it enables [the players] to be better prepared for the game, then I think it’s a good thing.”

“I think we feel the pressure to perform equally whether we’re number two or number 20 in the rankings,” senior defensive lineman Thomas Limehouse said.

While pressure may not be a factor, the team must replace some key players lost to graduation and will need its seniors to step up and become leaders.

“The main thing I expect from returning starters is leadership...The younger players look up to them, and they’re obviously pretty good players, but to be a good leader you need to work on that just like you need to work on the skills that are involved in anything,” Hayes said.

A few particular concerns are the loss of running back Michael Jefferson and a defense almost completely devoid of returning starters, but Hayes is confident that the game plan shouldn’t change much.

“We like to be balanced as far as running and passing is concerned, but we’re going to do what we need to do to win,” Hayes said. “Some weeks it may be throwing the ball and some weeks it may be running the ball.”

As far as the defensive unit is concerned, Hayes believes its members have excellent potential.

“They are going to continue to get better and I think they’re hungry to prove that they are good football players,” he said. “We’ve got to be more disciplined in terms of penalties, and we had too many turnovers. Those are things that if you don’t improve upon are going to keep you from being consistent and winning games.”

The team faces many challenges if it hopes to validate its ranking.

“Getting people to step up and make big plays when we we’re in a close game [will be the biggest challenge],” senior free safety Travis Lee said.

“I think, individually, everybody wants to contribute in every way that they can, but, as a team, everybody wants to play 15 games,” Limehouse said.

It seems that the players would rather put their faith in their own hard work and ability than in any ranking, and that is exactly what Hayes would have them do.

“I tell them that you shouldn’t believe what you read all the time,” he said. “You get a chance to prove yourself over the course of a season, and after working hard for 15 weeks, there’s no mystery about what you’ve earned.”