Talented Millbrook team looking to surprise in first year under Bunting

By Kyle Morton, HighSchoolOT producer

Raleigh, N.C. — New Millbrook head coach Chris Bunting is regarded as one of the better defensive minds in North Carolina high school football.

A spring 2021 win over rival Leesville Road and a playoff win over Hillside last season showed what the combination of the team's talent and the former defensive coordinator's game-planning can do in big situations.

But Bunting chuckled when asked if his defensive expertise could give the Wildcats a leg up in a Northern Athletic Conference that is absolutely loaded with offensive talent.

"Honestly the game has changed so much that the defensive mindset has had to change," he said. "Not just here but all across the country... you realizes that guys are going to get their points. Offenses are too good, and too many rules are geared to help them out."

It's an acknowledgement of the way the game has changed as well as an understanding of what the Wildcats will need to do to find the way to the top of the conference.

When they broke out last season to tie for the conference championship with Wake Forest and Heritage, the Wildcats didn't win games by stifling their opposition's offenses, but by finding ways to put up more points.

The lone conference loss came by a 35-17 score to Heritage, and that was the only time Millbrook failed to score at least 27 in a conference game.

Fortunately for Millbrook, the group returns much of the offensive core that had so much success last season.

Quarterback Mason Fortune is back after a sophomore season of 3,137 yards and 40 touchdowns, and he's joined by recent Tennessee commit at wide receiver Nathan Leacock.

Leacock will step into the top receiver role vacated by Wesley Grimes, who is playing in college at Wake Forest now and posted a stunning 1,594-yard, 26-touchdown season as a senior.

Those two along with the rest of the offensive personnel will be tasked with keeping pace with offensively loaded teams like Heritage, Rolesville and Knightdale. Wake Forest is strong on both sides of the ball, and Wakefield can put up points as well.

"We've seen that first hand every week with those guys," Bunting said. "It's finding ways not to just shut down those guys... but to just minimize some of the damage... We embrace the challenge."

While holding those opponents to low point totals may not be realistic, Bunting has other benchmarks in mind like hitting a key number of turnovers and holding opposition red zone scoring percentage below a certain point to know that the unit is doing enough to keep the team in games.

Though the Wildcats shared the conference title last season, internally they still feel as though they are the underdogs.

"I think we're going to surprise a lot of teams," David Santiago said. "It'll be a different game for Millbrook offensively, and we're looking forward to it."

"I think we're kind of the underdog in the conference," Leacock said, referencing the loss of Grimes. "I actually like being the underdog... I feel like this year we have a lot of key players, and we're working hard... I think we're going to be great this year."