By DAN BISER

The East Columbus Gator football team hopes to regain much of the composure that got away from it during the second half last Friday at Fairmont when it returns to Robeson County this Friday to take on the winless Red Springs Red Devils.

Gametime is 7:30 p.m.

East Columbus held a 12-7 halftime lead over Fairmont before a rash of turnovers and other mistakes helped the host Golden Tornadoes claim a 37-12 victory. The loss dropped East Columbus to 1-2 for the season.

Red Springs is 0-3 after losing to Porter Ridge 33-8 last Friday in Union County. Tabor City native Clay Jernigan is now in his first season at Red Devil head coach after serving as an assistant. It was the first-ever football victory for the 3A Porter Ridge squad which went winless in its inaugural 2005 season.

The rebuilding Red Springs squad was shut out by Lakewood 50-0 two weeks ago and dropped a 27-24 heart-breaker to East Montgomery in its season opener.

Gator head coach Travis Conner said that it is essential that his team shake off the effects of last week’s disastrous second half and get established early in its game at Red Springs.

“We let some frustration get the best of us (at Fairmont),” Conner said. “We lost some of our composure and we can’t let that happen when things aren’t falling our way.”

On Aug. 25, the Gators snapped a 16-game losing streak with a 41-6 homefield romp past West Columbus. East Columbus posted a 0-11 record last year and went 1-10 in 2004.

The first half at Fairmont was encouraging as the Gators stopped the Tornadoes on a fourth down less than a yard shy of the goal line while getting a 3-yard touchdown smash by Gerard Bullock and a 10-yard fourth-down TD pass from Alex Williamson to C.J. Ganus.

Wakeem Johnson, Jermaine Daniels and Demetrice McElvie led the Gator defense.

Red Springs is off to one of its slowest starts in several seasons. Last fall, the Red Devils posted a 9-4 record while advancing to the second round of the state 2A playoffs. In last year’s game with East Columbus, Red Springs charged to a 34-0 victory.

Coach Jernigan was elevated to the Red Devil head coaching position last spring after David Lovette left Red Springs to become head coach at Gray’s Creek High School.

Jernigan grew up with football in Tabor City, playing quarterback for old Tabor City High when his father Frank Jernigan served as an assistant there. Frank Jernigan went on to head coaching stints at Hallsboro, Fairmont and Purnell Swett high schools. He now serves on the football staff at Green Sea-Floyds, S.C.

Red Springs defeated East Columbus 49-6 in their 2004 encounter, and East Columbus topped the Red Devils 16-7 in 2003.