THUMBNAILS:  2006  •  2007  •  2008  •  2009

Scotty Wayne wasn’t out to make a statement in his first varsity football game for Southern Guilford High School back in November 2005. But he certainly gave an indication of the good things to come on that winter evening in the state 2-A playoffs.

Promoted to the varsity for the playoffs after spending the regular season on the JV's, Wayne produced two quarterback sacks from the linebacker position in a triumph over West Stokes.

“I think it was after that game I realized my potential,’’ said Wayne, now a 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior who’ll begin his third season as a two-way starter for the Storm on August 22 at East Davidson.

What Wayne accomplished in the two seasons since that auspicious beginning was enough to earn a scholarship offer from the East Carolina coaching staff in June. He eventually accepted the offer in early July after also considering opportunities at Football Championship Subdivision programs Elon and Liberty.

Southern Guilford coach Darryl Brown hasn’t been surprised by Wayne’s development into a major-college prospect. Brown was well aware of Wayne before he even enrolled at Southern.

“I got an opportunity to see him play at the middle school, and I knew he was going to be a good player,’’ Brown said. “Then he came over to us as a ninth grader to our summer workout and conditioning. We were really impressed with him. He’s just constantly gotten better each year.’’

Wayne played fullback and linebacker as a sophomore, and then shifted to running back while still holding down a linebacker slot as a junior. He rushed for 924 yards and seven touchdowns on offense and had 75 tackles and two sacks on defense.

It’s on offense as a running back that the Pirates have recruited Wayne.

Speed is a major element in Wayne’s game on both sides of the ball. He has 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash and has been clocked at 10.8 in the 100-meter dash. Wayne placed seventh at the state meet in the 100 last spring.

But Wayne says he’s not just fast.

“I do think I’m pretty explosive, but at the same time I’m smart with my cutbacks,’’ he said. “I’ve got pretty good vision. And I’m strong. If there’s not a hole, I can make one.’’

Brown can vouch for Wayne’s power and speed.

“He does so much for us in our offense,’’ Brown said. “He had two touchdown runs of over 80 yards last year. One of them came at a time when the game was tied, and the other was in the first round of the state playoff and in the fourth quarter when we were protecting a three-point lead. He just broke free and went about 86 yards.

“We had another senior who was a real good running back who split carries with Scotty last year. This year he’ll get the vast majority of carries. We’ll move him around and find different ways to get him the ball so we can use his athletic ability.’’

East Carolina began courting Wayne last spring during track season. ECU’s assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Rick Smith made the initial contact and Brown subsequently mailed the Pirates a video highlight tape of Wayne.

The highlight reel earned Wayne an invitation to ECU’s summer camp. And after a one-day appearance there, the Pirates offered him a scholarship.

Although he took his time before making a decision, Wayne was sold on the Pirates from the start, in part because of the proximity of many relatives to Greenville.

“The location, first of all, was big for me,’’ he said. “It’s near a lot of my family. I have relatives who live in Greenville, but most are in Kinston, which is only 31 miles away. A lot of them have never seen me play, except on a highlight video. So it’ll be great for them to be there to support me.

“But I also want to be a dentist, and East Carolina has a great dental school.’’

Now that Wayne has made his college decision, he’ll focus on helping Southern Guilford overcome the loss of 19 seniors from last year’s 9-4 team that reached the second round of the state playoffs.

“We’ve still got a pretty good squad,’’ he said. “We’re very disciplined this year and there aren’t a lot of egos. I think we’ll have a good season.’’

Wayne’s verbal is the 11th known commitment for the Pirates Recruiting Class of 2009. He is the second running back to make a pledge to ECU, joining Scotland High’s Damonte Terry.