Hillside's lines lead the way

How do you top perfection?

Durham Hillside blasted through the 2010 season and finished 16-0 with the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A championship.

The Hornets graduated 25 players, including 14 who played major roles on last season's title team.

There are plenty of replacements, but one huge question remains: Who is going to make the big plays that quarterback Vad Lee made in the Hornets' only two close games last season?

Lee helped Hillside nip Southern Durham 13-12 in the game that eventually determined the PAC 6 title, and he dashed 62 yards for the winning touchdown in the Hornets' 12-7 win over New Bern in the state semifinals. Without Lee, who is now at Georgia Tech, Hillside might have lost.

The key part of the phrase is "might."

Lee led an offense so prolific (40.1 points and 421.4 yards a game) that the defense often was overlooked. Only two teams, Lee County and Person, managed to score three touchdowns on the Hornets' defenders, and both instances came in lopsided wins. Hillside allowed only 10.1 points per game.

"Obviously, Vad was a great player and a huge part of our success," Hillside coach Antonio King said. "Any school in the state would have been better to have him. But truthfully, the strongest parts of last year's teams were our offensive and defensive lines. Those are going to be our strengths again."

Defensive end Jamal Marcus, who is a national recruiting target, leads five returning starters on defense. The offensive line returns Casey Perry, Daniel Jordan and Dominic Lynn. And Khris Francis is an experienced runner.