The Duplin War

About the book

DUPLIN WAR

Two brothers. One county. No second chances.

When Devin Newkirk returns home as head coach of Wallace-Rose Hill, he’s chasing redemption for the fumble that derailed his legacy and his life. Across the county, his older brother Montrel takes the reins at rival James Kenan, carrying a clipboard in one hand and a lifetime of resentment in the other.

The Duplin Bowl has always meant everything in this corner of North Carolina. But this year, the stakes are different. A small-town mayor has bet $30,000 on the Bulldogs’ season. A former QB1 has switched sides. And a community already divided by county lines is fracturing along deeper fault lines, ones that run straight through the Newkirk family.

As the season unfolds, old grudges resurface and new leaders rise, on the field, on the sidelines, and on the dance line. Devin and Montrel are both fighting for wins, but underneath every play call and late-night film session, they’re really fighting over something older and uglier: who their father loved more, who deserved more, and who gets to finally be right.

The Duplin Bowl isn’t just a rivalry game. It’s a reckoning twenty years in the making.

Duplin War is a Southern sports drama full of heart, humor, and hometown pride, perfect for fans of Friday Night Lights and When the Game Stands Tall.