Perhaps no defensive player in North Carolina has had a better two weeks than Terande Spencer.

The junior outside linebacker has done everything imaginable for a defender through two games.

Richmond Senior High is off to a positive 1-1 start under new head coach Brad Denson. The Raiders gave a top 10 team in the state, Seventy-First, a scare in a 35-28 ballgame to open up the season. A big standout for Richmond through two weeks has been the overall intensity of its defense, which Spencer is largely responsible.

At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Spencer is a freak athlete who can seemingly teleport from gap to gap and sideline to sideline with his 4.7 40-yard dash speed. When he gets to you, he brings a thump. Not many ball-carriers have been able to escape his grasp.

In the first game against Richmond, Spencer was credited with 20 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, a sack, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. The most underrated play he made was when he managed to chase down DeAndre Nance, arguably the state’s best athlete at quarterback, before he could break away for a long touchdown scramble.

Against a talented Butler team in week two, Spencer littered the stat sheet with his impacts.

He finished with 11 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Additionally, he made the two biggest plays of the game: on a Butler punt attempt, he was the first player to reach the Bulldog punter after a drop snapped and delivered a huge hit that forced the ball out. His teammate Chris Covington was able to recover it for a touchdown for the game’s final lead change. Later in the game, Butler had once last chance to score. The quarterback threw a ball into the end zone that was tipped between multiple players. Just before it finally fluttered to the ground, Spencer flew in out of nowhere to make a diving fingertips catch mere inches above the blades of grass.

Overall, Terande (pronounced Tur-Rand) has 31 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss, two sacks, three hurries, two forced fumbles, a pass breakup, a fumble recovery, and an interception so far in the 2024 season.

Some would say the ball finds its way to Spencer, but it’s the ball that can’t escape Spencer’s hauling pursuit.

Colleges have been slow to recognize Spencer’s ability. Last year, he had to deal with an injury to his wrist, but he still managed to finish the season with 67 total tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, six sacks, a forced fumble, and two pass breakups. He’s received some interest from NC A&T and Wake Forest University, but it’s time for one of the colleges in North Carolina to consider taking a shot on Spencer by making a verbal offer.

Source: highschoolot.com