High expectations: PCA football camp showcases talent, begins season’s work

Published 3:31 am Friday, June 20, 2025

By Jason O. Boyd

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BELHAVEN, N.C. — The numbers may have been small at last week’s Pungo Christian Academy football camp, but the expectations were as high as ever.

The PCA football camp unofficially kicked off a long season that has many anticipating big things for the Raiders. With eight seniors back and a lot of talent to go with it, football coach Alex Sefton is hopeful the camp literally kicks off the start of something special this season.

“Started off the week with kind of a basic instruction about football,” Sefton said. “First day, we started with some offense. So everybody got to see what it’s like to be a running back and learn how to properly take a handoff and hold a football.

“We talked about receivers. Not everybody’s gonna be playing receiver, but it’s fun to get the guys running around, and they get to know what our actual route tree is at Pungo.

“So it’s not just backyard recess football when you’re scrambling and trying to run around.”

The camp was open for ages 10-18, which means several members of last year’s team, along with those who may be interested in playing for the Raiders this season, were in attendance. Unlike the NC High School Athletic Association, which limits when and what kind of workouts can be held before the start of the season, schools like PCA don’t have to follow that routine. While it doesn’t mean they are focusing on football 24/7, it does give the Raiders some additional freedoms.

That means a football camp like PCA’s serves many purposes. Sefton can work with first-time players who are still learning the sport while also keeping seniors like Parker Byrd and McKinney Waters on top of their game.

“I like to consider it kind of a foundation that starts the season off,” said Waters, who had 59 tackles, a fumble recovery and 197 yards of offense last season. “Earlier the better, a lot of chemistry with the team.

“A lot of us are returning. And I feel like our class is a close class. And then we’ll have the help of the JV kids coming up.”

“It’s been awesome, it’s been a lot of fun,” said Byrd, who had seven touchdowns and 664 all-purpose yards in 2024. “I give a lot of thanks to Coach Sefton for being able to give his time out here.

“And also just getting ready for the season, not doing a whole lot of plays and all that, but just kind of starting our conditioning, but also bringing the younger kids up and letting them be able to play with the varsity team a little bit.”

Last year’s team was 7-1 overall, 3-0 in the Tarheel Independent Conference. The Raiders had to schedule Mattamuskeet, Community Christian and Northeast Academy for home-and-away contests.

That’s not the case this season. After opening up at Faith Christian on Aug. 22, the Raiders host St. David’s — which handed the team its only loss last season. New TIC opponent Halifax Academy will come to PCA with powerhouses Rocky Mount Academy and Parrott Academy on the road.

So while the team will be tested, the Raiders feel they have the talent to be successful again. Last week’s football camp was a small step toward making all of that a reality.

“That’s a large group of senior leadership that I’m gonna be relying on this year,” Sefton said. “Last year, we had a lot of success, had an eight-game season and felt really good about it.

“We have a ten-game schedule this year. And it’s loaded up with some heavy hitters. But as far as for expectations this year, I think that we have all the potential in the world. And the way that we’re gonna take it is one game at a time. We’re not gonna overlook anybody.”

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