2023 Gridiron

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

For the second straight season, Crestwood quarterback Javion Martin has some fresh faces on the receiving end of his passes.

Martin has helmed the Knights’ offense since he was a freshman. Over the years, the offense has generally stayed the same, but he’s had a bit of a revolving door at receiver.

Two years ago, Nick Fortune and Maki Williams led the show, but they were both seniors, leaving Martin to find some new favorite targets.

Last year, Martin was spoiled for choice. Anthony Steele returned to the sport and became an impact tight end, catching 36 passes for 826 yards and 13 scores. Dominick West caught another 50 balls for 833 yards and nine touchdowns. Nigel Johnson missed a large chunk of the season due to injury and still finished with 630 yards and eight touchdowns. Steele and Johnson both joined Martin on the All-State team.

Once again, all three of those receivers graduated and the journey to find some new wide outs began one more time.

“It’s been pretty good learning the way everybody run route and how people catch the ball,” Martin said.

There are five wide receivers vying to lead the offense this year in Kyle Mitchell, Jeremie Richardson, Jaydis Williams, Josaun Anderson and tight end Jahiem Jones. Khalil Moody will get some reps at receiver, too, but his top priority for the Knights is on the

defensive side of the ball.

Head coach Roosevelt Nelson loved the work the pass-catchers have done to get ready for the season.

“It’s a good group,” Nelson said. “They worked hard through the spring and summer. They don’t have a ton of experience for the most part, but we have our system in place. It’s about the guys buying in and doing the little things to succeed at a high level.”

While the overall structure of the offense hasn’t changed, the Knights are tweaking things to best fit their personnel.

“Our biggest thing this year was speed. We didn’t have as much speed as we had last year, but we’re still pretty good,” Martin said. “Mostly this year it will be quick passes since we don’t have as much speed as last year.”

It would be easy for these pass-catchers to view each other as competition for catches, but they just want to do their part to help the team succeed.

“It’s a great feeling to have. I’ve got my boys with me. They bring a lot to the team because they know what they’re doing on the field,” Mitchell said. “We just want to win games.”

These receivers come from different places. Mitchell and Richardson have played with Martin since they were in middle school together. Williams has been around Crestwood, as well, but he served as the JV quarterback last year. Now he’s making the jump to re-

Crestwood’s Martin looks to power another high-flying offense with new batch of receivers

ceiver. Anderson and Jones both transferred in. Jones came from Ridge View and was with the team last season but was unable to play due to injury. Anderson made the cross-county jump from Sumter High.

“Jeremie is learning the offense. Kyle has been playing varsity since last year, so he really knows it,” Martin said. “Jaydis is the same thing. Josaun has been learning it and Ja’s adapting too.”

Each receiver expressed gratitude towards Martin. His experience at the position has made each of their transitions into larger roles much easier.

“It’s been real easy because if I don’t know where I’m supposed to be, he’ll tell me,” Anderson said. “We work on it outside of practice, walking to and from the field, we’ll talk about it.”

Mitchell added, “That’s been my dog since middle school. Growing up and evolving together and running routes with each other all the time to get right.”

Williams had to learn an entirely new position, but his knowledge of the offense is making the transition a bit easier.

“It’s been pretty easy because I played quarterback for JV, so I know the playbook pretty well,” Williams said. “Starting to play receiver was a little different. It was hard but I adapted.”

Jones wasn’t able to play last season, but he had a front row seat to the success of the offense. He’s excited to

jump in.

“Every game, even though I was hurt last season, I watched just to see what they’d do,” he said. “I know I can step up to the plate.”

Anderson, meanwhile, had to learn a new offense. It’s been a major change of pace, but he’s picked things up nicely.

“It was different because I was accustomed to a lot of the hand signals and how they put routes together. I came over here and I was trying to learn where my other receivers are supposed to be at, where I’m supposed to be at, how my quarterback throws the ball. I had to get a hang of it fast so I could come out here and produce.”

Martin said he didn’t have much trouble getting the new group up to speed, but he’s also not naïve enough to think the entire season will be a walk in the park.

“You never have everything on lock, but I don’t feel like there’s going to be a buffer period, that’s why we had some spring and summer.”

Each player thinks the Knights have what it takes to make a deep playoff run boasting a primary goal of a state title. Martin said there will be one key to their offense making the jump necessary to get there.

“Turning small plays into big plays,” Martin said. “Like short routes, hitches and screens, and taking them 30 or 40 yards.”

Jones added, “We can do big things, get to state and go all the way.”

PHOTO I MICAH GREEN

Crestwood quarterback Javion Martin is entering his fourth season as the Knights' starter. For the third-straight year, he has a new batch of receivers to work with.

Sumter High preaches consistency heading

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

The Sumter High football team has been the pinnacle of consistency under head coach Mark Barnes.

The Gamecocks have lost just one region game over the stretch and have played their way to the third round or further three years in a row.

While big-name players like Zyeir Gamble, the now-Appalachian State safety, have graduated, the sky isn’t falling for Barnes. Even if that’s the only thing he hears outside of the program.

“He leaves, and everyone is like, ‘What are you going to do without Zyeir?’ What everybody doesn’t understand is that at one time, somebody left before Zyeir, and Zyeir had to start playing,” Barnes said. “As coaches, we’re used to that. We’re used to losing 11 or 12 starters every year and five or six guys that play college football.”

While a few noteworthy names graduated, the Gamecocks still have a hearty amount of returning talent. Barnes thinks those players are ready to step up to the plate for a team that’s ranked No. 6 in the Preseason S.C. Prep Football Media Poll.

“We’re not expecting the young guys to replace the guys who left last year. We’re expecting our guys that played to play better and our younger guys to come and get better every year,” Barnes said. “We’re excited about this year. I think we have the opportunity to be a really good football team. I think we’ve got 10 or 12 starters back from last year; we moved some of them from offense to defense, and we’ve got some good newcomers, but our expectations are always the same. We’re going to talk about winning the county, winning the region and being relevant toward the state championship.”

BUYING THE QB

For the first time in a few seasons, Sumter High has the same starting quarterback for two years in a row. Pate Merchant returns after a strong first season as the signal caller. He passed for 1,322 yards and seven touchdowns, adding a score on the ground in 10 games. His season ended early because of a sprained MCL, so he missed the Gamecocks’ entire postseason run.

Now Merchant is back and feeling better than ever and brings another piece of consistency.

With each changing quarterback, the Gamecocks have molded their offense to the player receiving the snap. Now they’re able to keep the same offense as last season.

“We know what we were

going to be offensively. Two years ago we were gun triple (option); last year, we were more RPO (run-pass option), and he wasn’t involved in the running game and won’t be this year,” Barnes said. “We tweaked a lot of things that we did last year and really tried to channel the things that we can be really good at and only do those things and kinda eliminate some other things.”

Merchant continues to improve at the position. Barnes noted his extreme accuracy with the football as one of his biggest strengths, but that’s not the area where Merchant has grown the most.

“Where I think he’s made his biggest gains offensively is his understanding of our route concepts and what I want him to be thinking about when we drop back. We did a really good job of that this summer with 7-on-7’s, and we’re going to continue to grow in that area.”

BACKFIELD MATES

Merchant isn’t the only familiar face in the Sumter backfield. John Peeples and Kam Fortune are both back this year after stellar sophomore campaigns. Peeples rushed for 1,446 yards and 20 touchdowns, while Fortune added an additional 732 yards and five touchdowns. Peeples even tossed a touchdown for SHS on a trick play.

With the run pass option offense Sumter runs, the continued combination of Merchant, Peeples and Fortune in the backfield is a boon for the Gamecocks.

“They know when we put the ball in John’s belly what play we’re going to run, but they know that we’re probably running an RPO, so if they cheat a guy down, then Pate is going to pull it and throw it,” Barnes said. “We do a lot of that offensively to prevent people (from loading the box to stop the run).

“John and Kam both played really well for us as sophomores and were very, very productive, so we’re blessed to have both of those guys back.”

Merchant appreciates having both of those runners back with him this season.

“It makes life really easy for the both of us,” the QB said. “I don’t have to worry about him, he doesn’t have to worry about me. It’s just really helpful for the run and pass game.”

NEW GUYS OUTSIDE

The wide receiver position got a major makeover during the offseason. Fred Edwards, who served as the team’s quarterback during the playoffs after Merchant’s injury, graduated and now plays collegiately for St. Andrews.

Top receiver Jordan Heyward signed with Blinn.

In their place steps an interesting batch of receivers.

Dazaun Jackson has the most experience from a year ago as a reserve. Jamie Tedder Jr. stepped away from football last year to focus on basketball, but he’s back for his senior year. Sophomore Jamirh Bey is making the jump from JV and will look to make a major impact.

“We’re confident with those three guys. We think they’re as good a group as we’ve had,” Barnes said. “All three catch the ball well; they’re different athletically. Bey is probably the most athletic guy on our team as far as change of direction and footspeed, a phenomenal catcher of the ball. Chico (Jackson) is not quite as top end fast but catches the ball really well and is physical.”

BATTLING UP FRONT

The biggest hurdle Sumter has needed to clear in each of the last two seasons has been the offensive line.

Last year, the Gamecocks were confident in their starting five only to have a rash of injuries complicate matters in the middle of the season. The injury bug struck during their first jamboree against Fort Dorchester, though the severity of those injuries is unknown. Regardless, Barnes is ready to adjust as needed to get the right group together in the trenches.

“The middle part of last year was really rough on us because we lost two centers,

tried another one and he couldn’t snap the ball on our body enough, and the ball was going over our head. It led to a middle part of the season that wasn’t that good, and then Jerius Williams moved to center and became a pretty stable guy for us,” Barnes said. “We’ve had the same problem so far this year. We had two offensive linemen get hurt in our scrimmage game, so we’re not sure about two of our best five, but that’s part of football. We’re not going to complain about it; nobody is going to feel sorry for us. We’re going to figure out a way to fix those problems.”

NEXT STARS ON DEFENSE

Sumter High is known for producing Division I level talent on the defensive side of the ball. Players like Justus Boone at Florida and O’Donnell Fortune at South Carolina, along with Gamble at App State, are just a few examples. While it can be hard to replace those players, Barnes thinks he has the next batch of stars waiting in the wings.

On the defensive line, SHS lost an All-State player in Alijah Brown but has two returners ready to pick up the mantle in Jordan Lowery and Anthony Addison. Barnes expressed enough confidence in the group that SHS moved Jaheim Rose, Gamble’s younger brother, back to linebacker to shore up that position.

“Both of those guys were sophomores that were really, really good players. We feel confident at that position,”

Barnes said. “We’ve got to find somebody at nose that we like. We’ve got a couple of guys we’re trying there, but we feel good there. We don’t really have any questions up front; we know both of those defensive ends can play.”

Rose will be an important piece of the defense in the middle, especially as a leader.

“(I’m) Trying to step up into a leadership role,” Rose said. “Right before my brother left, after the Summerville game, he said, ‘This is your team now; you have to lead.’ I won’t say I’m trying to be the

NICH PITTS / ITEM CONTRIBUTOR Sumter High running back John Peeples, seen carrying the ball during a scrimmage with Fort Dorchester, returns to the Gamecocks after rushing for 1,446 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore last year.

Crestwood ready to build on last year’s postseason run

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

Last season, the Crestwood football team started to put all the pieces together.

They had one of the most electric offenses in the state with quarterback Javion Martin and a slew of pass-catchers. The defense held its own, and the Knights were rolling as they began their postseason run.

After a 38-30 win over Aynor in the first round, Crestwood had to hit the road against Beaufort for an offensive showdown for the ages. The Knights led 28-10 at the half but couldn’t carry the momentum into the second half of a 45-42 loss.

It was a successful season that ended a little too soon, though the loss came to a worthy foe. Beaufort followed with three straight wins on their way to the SCHSL 3A state title.

“I think it took a big toll on us,” Martin said. “From a developmental standpoint, I think everyone is picking it up more; they want to get further than we did last year.”

Linebacker Jenoryen Gleaton added, “That was a state-caliber team, and we could keep up and make it to state this year.”

Head coach Roosevelt Nelson appreciates the response he’s seen from the Knights this offseason. They’ve put in the work, and now they just need to keep working on the finer details.

“Day-to-day improvement, don’t overlook the small things,” Nelson said of the key to taking another step this season. “Don’t take film study for granted, don’t take treatment for granted, weight-lifting, practicing the right way for granted. I’m a big believer in doing the small things, attention to detail, because that’s going to prepare you for the big moment.”

EXPLOSIVE OFFENSE

Crestwood had a dynamic offense a year ago, though there will be some major personnel changes.

Martin is back with his 2,840 yards and 34 touchdowns through the air from a year ago. He added an additional 481 yards and seven touchdowns in an All-State season. After him, most of the starters at the skill positions graduated.

Running back Ryan Cowell

carried most of the load in the backfield after injuries to Azarian Yates. Cowell is headed to Brevard College, so it’s time for Yates to take center stage.

“Azarian Yates is probably one of the better backs in the state that no one really talks about,” Nelson said. “Last year, he had a nagging injury, but right now he’s in a good spot. When he goes, that’s going to help us out tremendously.”

All of Martin’s top pass-catchers graduated and moved on to play college football, but the team is confident in the newcomers to the offense. Nelson thinks one carryover from last season is primed for a big year.

“I think Kyle Mitchell is a guy that’s going to take a big leap for us,” Nelson said. “He started last year as the third or fourth receiver on the depth chart but he made some big plays down the stretch.”

Crestwood also had a few losses in the trenches, but Nelson likes the way his offensive line is gelling.

“They’re coming together. They’re doing a good job, for the most part, of keeping Javion up right,” Nelson said. “That’s their No. 1 job, make sure they finish blocks and communicate up front.” Martin is confident behind them.

“You’ve always got to have faith in your O-line, but they’re coming together,” Martin said. “In the first scrimmage, they did real well.”

DEFENSE BUILT UP FRONT

The Knights return some dominant defensive linemen from a year ago.

Javion Lammie finished with 60 tackles, four sacks and 16 tackles for loss. He even intercepted a pass, blocked two kicks and scooped up a fumble. Carron Dawson added 70 more tackles, his own interception and blocked kick, along with six tackles for a loss and four quarterback pressures.

“I think everything with the defense, it starts up front,” Nelson said. “I think our defensive linemen have done a lot to prepare for the season, led by Javion Lammie, Carron Dawson and Donald Kegler. Those guys are doing a really good job of setting the tone.”

The Knights lost the most at linebacker, as their top two tacklers both graduated in Hashim Patterson and Curtis Wilson. Both signed to play collegiately. Gleaton returns from last year and is excited about what he’s seen from the newcomers around him.

“With my linebackers, I

have a lot of faith in them,” Gleaton said. “I coach them up during pre-practice. The guys are getting their confidence, and I’m confident in them. That just makes me work harder and lead by example.”

He also expects another returner in Brandon Cowell to have a breakout season.

“He’s probably the fastest person on our team, real physical and really athletic,” Gleaton said. “I feel like he doesn’t get enough credit.”

TALENT ON THE BACK END

In the defensive backfield, Crestwood has a pair of standouts in Khalil Moody and Akelle Crawford. Moody didn’t allow a reception all season, intercepting one pass and breaking up three more. He added a sack and 30 tackles, while also playing wide receiver on offense and returning kicks. Crawford had two picks, 61 tackles and two pass breakups.

“We’re going to lean a lot on Khalil Moody on both sides of the ball,” Nelson said. “My belief is that Khalil Moody is one of the best secondary guys in the state, regardless of classification. He’s going to have to show that this year. He can play corner and play safety.

“Another kid back there that doesn’t get a lot of recognition is Akelle Crawford. He’s small in stature but is a big key to the back half of the defense.”

TARGETED

After a great season last year, the Knights aren’t sneaking up on anyone, and that’s just fine in their eyes.

“Other teams are starting to realize what we’ve got going on,” Gleaton said. “To me, they look kinda scared of us.”

Key Losses:

Nigel Johnson – WR

Anthony Steele – TE

Dominick West – WR

Ryan Cowell – RB

Curtis Wilson – LB

Hashim Patterson – LB

Jasiah Oaks – DB

Jonathan Franklin – OL

Caleb Benjamin – OL

Jonathan David – OL

Key Players:

Javion Martin – QB

Jenoryen Gleaton – LB

Khalil Moody – DB/WR

Azarian Yates – RB

Akelle Crawford – DB

Javion Lammie – DL

Carron Dawson – DL

PHOTOS BY NICH PITTS / ITEM CONTRIBUTOR

The Crestwood football team, led by quarterback Javion Martin (1), marches into The Castle during the inaugural Meet the Knights event last week. The event celebrated all of Crestwood's fall sports.

Offord looking to set foundation in first season at Lakewood

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

The Lakewood football team is getting an overhaul in 2023.

After former head coach

Larry Cornelius moved on to a position at East Clarendon, the Gators had to hunt for a new head coach. They found a great option in former University of South Carolina and Minnesota Vikings safety Willie Offord, but he started behind the eight ball.

Offord was officially introduced on June 15. That meant no spring and only half of a summer with the Gators before gearing up for the season. Add in the lost players to graduation and a few transfers amid the coaching search, and the Lakewood football team got an overhaul quickly.

“We’re obviously in a rebuild stage with me taking over the job and getting in there kinda late. I’ve been on the job for a little over a month now, so the process came kinda quick,” Offord said. “The season’s here, and now it’s time to put our best foot forward and learn as we grow throughout the season.

“Right now, we’re talking about being a team and playing together. We lost a lot of guys throughout the transition, and our biggest goal is to stick together and play as a team, and our overall goal is to increase our participation.”

Offord’s NFL pedigree came with some excitement and maybe a few questions at first.

“I thought he was crazy when I first met him,” defensive back and wide receiver Donte Boykin said. “As I got to know him more, I knew he meant business and knew what he was talking about.”

Wide receiver and linebacker Javell Jones added, “I would say my coach brought a new energy. I like his energy; I like how he coaches. He’s strict, and he has fun with it. You can tell he wants it just as bad as us. You can tell he wants us to succeed.”

With a late start, some coaches may focus on one side of the ball to establish a team’s identity. Offord wanted the team to set a base level together so they could take their best step forward as a unit.

“We just knew at the time that we just needed to put everything together as a group, as a whole. We’re trying to solidify every aspect of the program in a short amount of time, and so it’s been a grind,” Offord said. “But we’re excited about the process; everyone’s buying in. The morale seems to be great. Within a few weeks here, we’ll see

where we’re at.”

As a former defensive standout, Offord’s priority on that side of the ball was simple: Be great at the basics.

“We want to play with discipline and fundamentals,” the Gator head coach said. “We make sure we’re harping on the fundamentals and the technique, then the attributes and playing with great effort.”

Jones has appreciated Offord’s attention to detail in the little time they’ve had together.

“Coach is key on being in the right spots, being in the right alignment. That’s key because if you’re not in the right alignment, it’s all going to go fail,” said the linebacker. “Being physical, all hats to the ball, all 11. The pursuit drills we do in practice keep us on our toes, keep us not tired in the fourth quarter so we can keep pushing.”

Boykin added, “I feel like we can play more aggressive instead of playing passive and not be bored in coverage.”

Boykin and Jones will both be key contributors on the defense along with senior defensive ends Tyjalek Isaac and Hunter Dellinger. Dwayne Wilson returns with plenty of varsity snaps defensively as another senior.

“We’re kinda striving on the defense for guys to step up and make plays, be positive and be leaders,” Offord.

Offord’s focus on details carries over to the other side of the ball. On top of the “take what the defense gives us” approach, Lakewood will look to establish themselves on the ground, especially with a young quarterback in sophomore Jaden Green.

“We want to run the football first and take what they give us in the passing game,” Offord said. “(We have) a younger guy that hasn’t been used to playing quarterback so to speak. Jaden Green is doing a great job, though. He’s taking the coaching. He’s getting better every single practice. He does have some leadership qualities, and we’re hoping he matures and grows through this process.”

Lakewood has a fascinating group up front with the likes of sophomore David Rogers leading the way. Offord is excited the group will have time to learn and grow as a unit.

“They are young, and that’s exciting to know that we’re going to have those kids for the future,” Offord said. “The sport is definitely won up front, and we’ve been fortunate enough to assemble a group together in a short amount of time that has

grown tremendously in the last two or three days. We’re excited about the group.”

Wilson, Jones and Boykin will be the skill players Lakewood builds its offense upon. Wilson returns as a running back, while Jones and Boykin will split out wide. Outside of that trio, Offord wants to see who’s ready to step to the plate.

“These guys are playmakers, and then from there we still want to be, collectively as a whole, a do-your-job type of offense,” Offord said. “On any given Friday night, one kid can have the hot hand, one kid could have a great game but did what we needed as a team.”

The Gators feel doubted, especially after the late coaching change, so they want to go out and prove people wrong.

“People have been doubting Lakewood football for the last four years, and we want to

show them something, that we have athletes,” Boykin said.

Regardless of the results, Offord wants to build a foundation that will last in his first season.

“For one, continue to get our participation numbers up,” Offord said of how he’ll mark a successful year. “Two, we want to win, but we also have a bigger goal in mind, and that’s to establish a program to be dominant. For us to be on the right track with that, we have to make the playoffs and win a playoff game. I think that would set us up for the future.

“Even if we don’t do that, I think the foundation for this season is already going to be set. These kids are buying into what we’re preaching, and it feels good. We are, in a short amount of time, becoming very close because we spend a lot of time together,

and it’s fun. Right now, we’re just trying to have fun, get the participation up and go out on Friday nights and put our best foot forward and try to win as many games as possible.”

PHOTOS BY NICH PITTS / ITEM CONTRIBUTOR

ABOVE: Lakewood head coach Willie Offord brings big-time football experience to the Gators. He played under Lou Holtz at South Carolina before a four-year NFL career. BELOW: Lakewood sophomore Jaden Green (6) throws a pass during the Gators’ scrimmage against East Clarendon.

Seniors lead the way as Wilson Hall seeks SCISA 3A crown

“Last year we said we were setting a new standard; we wanted to change the culture and make it kinda like it used to be. This year, we want to go past that; we want to take that next step, take the next approach to what we want to do and go a little further.”

FOCUS ON THE TRENCHES

While the Barons are full of athletes, they don’t have the same volume of large offensive linemen. Jarecki’s top priority throughout the offseason has been establishing his starting five up front.

"We're trying to find the right five up front," Jarecki said after their first scrimmage against Cardinal Newman. “We're trying to find the right personnel, and we mixed some people in.”

skill players. Clark Kinney is back at quarterback, leading an offense with the likes of Blake Van Patten at receiver, running backs that include Dylan Jones and M. Van Patten.

Jarecki is going to make sure to take advantage of the athletes he has in the backfield and split out wide.

“You want to distribute the wealth a little bit. We don’t want people to focus on this one thing,” Jarecki said. “With what we do, our passing game is a step off our option game, a lot of read routes, a lot of decisions that the quarterback has to make, but that makes it

“This is kinda the year we’ve been looking at down the road, and this is something we’ve been kinda waiting on.”

That’s what Wilson Hall head coach Adam Jarecki had to say about the 2023 season and for good reason.

The current crop of seniors marks one of the school’s largest groups of athletes in recent memory, though the juniors and sophomores right behind them may give them a

run for their money.

“This is the first year we’re going to have the three classes together,” Jarecki said. “The three classes together have been successful at the B Team and JV levels, and they’ve been very successful at all athletics. The numbers of athletes in these three groups, this is the first time we’ve had this number of athletes and quality athletes together.”

Those pieces started to fall into place a year ago. Wilson Hall snapped a streak of five-straight losing seasons on their way to a 7-4 re-

cord. They won their playoff opener comfortably before a heartbreaking 19-17 loss to Florence Christian in the state semi-finals. Now they’re aiming to take that next step.

“We’ve had a tremendous offseason, and I think that goes back to the last game, the semi-final game. That’s when this year started,” Jarecki said. “We got going in the weight room immediately, and hats off to all my guys; they did a tremendous job in the offseason, and that’s just kinda filtered up into what we’ve got going this year.

The trenches are the biggest question for Wilson Hall on both sides of the ball, but Jarecki likes some of the answers they have on the roster. Players like Cooper Scott will be big on both sides of the ball. Carson Wilsey and Adam Baker are both back. Miles Van Patten returned after a season at Thomas Sumter and will line up at defensive end, while playing running back on offense. Luke Pederson will also be crucial to the defensive front.

SKILL PLAYERS ACROSS THE BOARD

On both sides of the ball, Wilson Hall is loaded with

CAL CARY / SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

Wilson Hall quarterback Clark Kinney is back for his senior season under center after passing for 1,417 yards and 16 touchdowns, while adding another eight scores on the ground.

SEE WILSON HALL, PAGE B13

Laurence Manning sets sights on another championship appearance

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

The Laurence Manning football team has set a high standard for success.

The Swampcats have played for SCISA state championships in three of the last four seasons, the first two coming in SCISA 3A before playing for the title of the newly formed SCISA 4A a year ago.

While LMA is yet to come away with a title in those three tries, the goal is simple. They want to get back.

“Our expectations in Manning are always high. We expect to compete for state championships, and we definitely think this year we’ll have the opportunity to compete for one again,” head coach Will Furse said. “First, we’ve got to take care of Lake City, so that’s our top priority right now.”

After losing to Hammond in last year’s championship game, Laurence Manning immediately got to work preparing for another title run.

“Last year we lost the state championship on a Friday night, the next week was Thanksgiving break, so we had a team meeting that Monday, and workouts started then,” Furse said. “We let them know the expectations. We didn’t do enough last year

to win it, so we have to do more this year, and they really answered the call. It’s a culture thing, and it gets passed down from generation to generation.”

A lot has changed since then. Brandon King, a star linebacker and receiver for the Swampcats, graduated and is now playing for Coastal Carolina. James Olden and Joe Wilson were two stalwarts on the offensive line. There are definitely some changes, but LMA feels they have the talent to fill in the gaps.

Offensively, the line is starting to come together.

“There’s about seven guys in that rotation trying to iron out who is going to be the starting five. We’re replacing a center, a guard and a tackle this year, so we really had to find three guys. We feel like we’re heading in the right direction.”

The real wild card offensively is Tyler June. The LMA quarterback is committed to play baseball at South Carolina. As he shifted attention to baseball, he transferred to P27 Baseball Academy in the spring, leaving the Swampcats to find a replacement. After a semester away, June transferred back, leaving LMA with some interesting decisions to make.

“Tyler has a bright future

ahead of him in baseball, and he went to go focus on that, which I understood,” Furse said. “He’s going to play some quarterback for us this year, and we have a freshman in Grainger Powell who is also going to play some quarterback for us this year. Tyler is so athletic; he’s got such a tremendous skill set that we felt like we can use him in other ways other than only quarterback. He’s going to play some defensive back, some wide receiver and quarterback.”

June’s ability to move across the offense and defense is mirrored by several other skill players. Thomas Sumpter and Jackson Brunson will line up at running back and receiver. Both also start in the defensive backfield. Players like Josiah Burson and Noah Tanner at receiver, along with Ian Harris and Bryson Smith at running back, should make for a dynamic offense.

“I think the line is much better this year, and we’ve got a bunch of good, athletic players all over the field,” Brunson said. “Looking at Tyler and Grainger at quarterback, we’re looking really good.”

With so much flexibility offensively, Furse is looking forward to putting some pressure on opposing defenses.

“We’re really going to be able to move people around

and stress defensive coordinators out because they’ll know who’s in the game, but they won’t know exactly what position they’re playing,” the head coach said.

Defensively, King, Olden and Landon Prescott are big losses in the front seven, but Furse is excited about their options for replacements.

Chappell Brogdon will step into King’s role, and Furse thinks he’s up for the challenge.

“He’s physical, he’s quick. He’s got a nasty streak to him where he’s not afraid to hit somebody,” Furse said.

Up front, Bryson Hodge will lead a group that includes Nate Hawthorne, Jack Wellborn and Bryce Manlove.

“He’s just a force to be reckoned with, extremely coachable,” Furse said of Hodge. “He’s one of the leaders of our team. He controls our locker room a bit, which is nice. He doesn’t miss a workout; he does exactly what you want him to do.”

Brandt Reynolds was the only graduating member of the starting secondary, as Sumpter is back at corner and both Burson and Brunson return at safety.

“We have a ton of experience back there. We feel really good about it,” Furse said.

As a team, there’s only one

goal, playing for a state championship. But players stressed the desire to improve individually to help achieve that goal. “I want the team to be successful, making the championship and hopefully win,” Sumpter said. “Individual goals are just to be better than last year, especially on the defensive side. I feel like I have a lot of things to improve upon like coverage and being in the run fit. On the offensive side, just being a threat with the ball, making guys miss, scoring touchdowns and putting points on the board.”

Lee Academy takes aim at 2nd-straight state title after undefeated season

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

Championship appearances are becoming the norm at Lee Academy. The Cavaliers have played for the last three SCISA 1A state championships, finally taking down Thomas Heyward last season to claim the title. While Lee Academy lost 15 seniors from that squad, the expectations remain the same.

“I think it’s been established we’ve won a lot of games in the last eight years,” head coach David Rankin said. “Somebody told me the other day we’re 79-23 over the last eight years, so it hasn’t been just a one-year deal. Every senior doesn’t want to be the one that doesn’t win nine, 10 or 11 games. I think that’s kinda the driving force with our program.”

Lee Academy has nine returning seniors this year, and they didn’t spend their offseason celebrating a championship. They went back to work.

“We’ve got nine outstanding senior young men, and we had a great summer,” Rankin said. “We wore the weight room out again. We talk all the time that we win our games in the summertime, and this group did a great job in the weight room.”

For senior William West, one championship isn’t enough.

“We’ve just stayed hungry,” West said. “We’ve been working really hard all summer, just getting after it.”

With 15 graduated seniors,

there will be some changes. Offensively, Rankin likes his options at receiver, so the Cavs will likely look to throw the ball a bit more. The only question becomes who will do the passing. Clayton Catoe returns from injury and could see time at both wide receiver and quarterback. Andrew Bowers backed up his older brother Jesse last year at the position. West, who primarily plays as a wing in the backfield, could see some time at QB, while top returning running back Deshon Hadden has gotten some looks as a wildcat quarterback.

Of course, Lee Academy still wants to pound teams into the ground with the rushing attack. While the Cavaliers had a big hole to fill with the graduation of Hampton Gaskins, Rankin has a few strong options in the backfield.

“We feel like we have three good tailbacks in Deshon,

Bryson Muldrow, Tucker Boyce,” the Lee Academy coach said. “We use William as a wing and Bryson Muldrow as a wing, and both of them had great years last year, and we feel like they improved in the weight room and their overall speed improved.” West knows Gaskins will be a hard player to replace, but he’s confident in the Cavalier backfield.

“There’s definitely a lot more pressure to get stuff done,” West said. “When you lose all of those people, there’s a lot of gaps to fill. It’s definitely a load you carry, but I think we’ll get it done.”

In the trenches, Eli Tomlinson is a big loss on both sides of the ball, lining up on the offensive and defensive line, as well as linebacker. Offensively, Aubrey Boyce and Trace June return as guards, while freshmen Dawson

Daniels, Tom Katko and Tyler Berry round out the offensive line. Tight ends, led by Lance Freidenberger, will get into the mix up front to open up some holes for the running backs, as well.

Losing 15 seniors is a major changing of the guard, but Rankin doesn’t think his team is lacking in leaders.

“Most of our leadership is by example, how you practice, how you carry yourself in school, that kind of thing,” Rankin said. “Our crew last year wasn’t real vocal, and this crowd probably won’t be vocal either. But they lead by example. We just put our head down and go to work, and if the seniors go to work, everybody else does.”

Defensively, the Cavaliers have some returning talent in the box. Muldrow and T. Boyce return at inside linebacker, with Boyce filling in for Gaskins after serving as a reserve last season. Hadden is back at outside linebacker. Up front, A. Boyce and June return with experience on the interior. Freidenberger and Carson Wilkes will start at defensive end, but the Cavaliers have a ton of depth at the position.

The question mark defensively is on the back end, where only West returns from the starting lineup. Catoe and Noah Brazell will start at corner, while Andrew Bowers and Kane June are competing for the other safety spot alongside West.

Across the board, Rankin thinks his defense will be able to fly to the ball.

“Athleticism, we’re a bit quicker on defense and offense than we were last year,” Rankin said. “We’re not near as big but probably a little faster, so I feel like we’ll rally to the ball better than we did at times last year, although we did real well last year.”

The biggest question, as it tends to be with many SCISA 1A teams, is depth.

“We do not have the depth we’ve had in the past,” Rankin said. “If we get some injuries, things will change a little bit. We’re going to have to be consistent; our offensive line has to get tons better, but I think they can. Our defensive backs and our offensive line is, I wouldn’t say weak spot, but where we don’t have a lot of experience in.”

TIM LEIBLE / SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO

The Lee Academy football team surrounds head coach David Rankin as the Cavaliers celebrate winning the SCISA 1A state championship last fall.

Manning Monarchs work to build on 9-win season with fresh faces

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

The Manning High football team had a massive turnaround last season.

After going winless in 2020 and winning three games in 2021, the Monarchs went 9-3 last year, winning a dramatic 44-42 triple-overtime contest with Lakewood in the first round of the playoffs.

Manning will look to carry that success into the upcoming season, but they’ll do so with a new cast of characters.

A total of 22 seniors graduated last year, including star quarterback Justin Daniels and a pair of stud defensive linemen in Monteque Rhames and Michael Brown.

Still, head coach Reggie Kennedy thinks the Monarchs are up to the task.

“We knew we had a lot of holes to fill,” Kennedy said.

“The good thing about it is I’m going into Year 5, and we’re at the point in our program where we don’t rebuild, we reload. So far, it seems to be that way after spring ball and summer workouts and our first scrimmage. It’s looking like we have some good pieces in place.”

The Preseason S.C. Prep Football Media Poll agrees, as the Monarchs were the 10thranked team in SCHSL 3A before the start of the season. After a strong year, there’s no sneaking up on teams this season.

“I do feel like there’s a target on our back because we went 9-3 last year,” running back Triston Thames said. “I’m just hoping we can win all of our games this year.”

The biggest hole to fill offensively is at quarterback, where Daniels used his arms and legs to carry the unit. JaRae Mitchell comes over from Lakewood to take over the quarterback position, and while he’s not an immobile quarterback, he’s not the freestyle scrambler that Daniels was last year. As a result, Manning will see some offensive shifts, which includes fewer four-receiver sets and more condensed looks.

“For the stuff with the legs, I think we can replace that

with a little more two-back stuff this year,” Kennedy said. “We don’t have a lot of runners at quarterback; we have guys that can manage the game for us. I think our running backs are going to carry the load for us in the running game, and our quarterbacks, it won’t be a lot of home runs; it’ll be a lot of singles and doubles.”

Thames will lead the running back group that will work alongside Mitchell in the backfield. Jeffrey Ceasar and Jamari Wilson are both back at receiver after starting in the slot last year. Kennedy doesn’t want Mitchell to play hero ball like Daniels. He just

SEE MANNING, PAGE B14

Cornelius works to bring winning culture to East Clarendon

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

Larry Cornelius knows about building a program.

The former Lakewood coach helped lift a struggling Gator program into playoff contention.

Now he’s looking to do the same thing at East Clarendon, where the Wolverines have won just five games in the last three seasons combined. Turning around a program can take some time, but Cornelius thinks they have the pieces in place to hit the ground running.

“A lot of times when you come into a program that hasn’t had success in the win

column, it takes three to five years, and that’s tough for seniors. Honestly, with the talent we have, I feel like we can win now,” Cornelius said. “I’m not going to say how many wins or anything like that, but I believe we have the ability as long as we execute, and that’s tough to do. If you haven’t won for a long time, you forget about the little things that have to go into it, the mentality, how you respond after a loss to get the next win.

“It’s going to be a trying situation, but it’s a great situation because we have the ability to win right now. We can surprise some folks. My personal goals are county cham-

pionship, region championship and how far we can make it in the playoffs, and I don’t care if we’re a big school or a small school.”

Cornelius was hired during the summer, so he didn’t have a full offseason with the team. That meant setting certain priorities to key in on with the time they had.

“Being hired late is tough; you can’t do everything that you want. You don’t have a full offseason for weightlifting, which I think is one of our weaknesses at East Clarendon,” Cornelius said. “We focused on the offensive side of the ball early on. Honestly, it was about us learning them

and them learning me. You have to get the mentality right first.”

Cornelius runs a complicated offense that includes a lot of motion from the backs and receivers. He had to figure out who fit where in the offense and moved on from there.

“A lot of times, coaches will take an offense, and you have to build the kids into your offense. I’m the other way around. I see what we have, and we’re going to meld our offense to what our talents are,” Cornelius said. “It’s tough when you come in late because we’re still trying to

Key Losses:

Players:

Scott’s Branch looks to continue progress in Year 2 under State

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

The Scott’s Branch football team has seen its share of ups and downs during the last few seasons.

The program went through head coaching changes for four straight years, though two of those coaches were the same person, as Leonard Johnson returned for his second and third stints with the Eagles.

Last season, Scott’s Branch hoped they made their last change for a while, as Randall State took over the program.

At the start of the season, everything was looking up.

The Eagles won State’s debut 26-16 over Hunter-Kinard-Tyler. After that, the team took

some lumps. A 32-14 loss to county rival Manning was followed by a forfeit and another loss to Cross.

Then Scott’s Branch started to right the ship.

A 20-16 win over St. John’s preceded a great battle against Lee Central, where the Eagles narrowly found themselves on the losing end 12-8. After two tough region losses, Scott’s Branch closed out play in Region V-1A with wins over Hemingway and East Clarendon. They then faced Baptist Hill in a defensive battle, falling 8-0.

All in all, a step in the right direction for a team that went 1-9 a year prior. Now State is looking to keep the momentum rolling in Year 2.

“Year 2 is a lot better. We’re

not in a rush this year,” State said. “Last year we were scrambling to get people on the roster and get people in shape. Year 2 we had a full spring and a full summer and had about 20-25 guys regularly throughout the summer. In 1A, you can win with that.”

The players have felt a different energy around the program heading into the season.

“I feel like this season is going to be a whole lot better,” Kaleb Rolle said. “We’re going to turn up, I promise you that.”

There are going to be some major changes for the Eagles this season.

Last year, the offense was driven primarily by three seniors, Randy Gibson, Tyler Kind and Ernie Calloway.

Kind’s twin brother, Jordan, is a year behind in school and back for his senior season, but the offense has a lot of production to replace.

On top of the basic yardage, how players slot into the overall offense will change. Gibson and T. Kind rotated around the offense, each spending time at quarterback, running back and receiver. Calloway was a consistent workhorse in the backfield. Johnquell Jackson will now step in at QB as State looks to build a runheavy offense.

“They carried the team offensively, but it’s like I was telling the coaches, we lost three good ones, but it seemed like we gained 10 more of about the same talent, about

Jyre Fulton WR/LB Rod Shaw RB/LB

Cade Cook -QB

Luke Robinson – LB

John Michael Hardy LB

Key

Ryan Sullivan LB/H-Back

Jyre Fulton – WR/LB

Rod Shaw – RB/LB

Whit Nesbit – WR/DB

Takoda Cornelius WR/DB Mike Woods - OL

SEE EAST CLARENDON, PAGE B14

SEE SCOTT'S BRANCH, PAGE B14

Experience key for Lee Central as they look to take next step

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

Every high school coach wants to lead an experienced group of players, but there may not be many coaches more thankful for a roster with some games under its belt than Lee Central head coach Justin Danner.

The Stallions spent the last two seasons recovering from a year of lost athletics at Lee Central. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, Lee Central went an entire school year with no sports, leaving many players behind the eight ball for years to come.

In the first year back, the Stallions had a handful of players that had some varsity experience from 2019. Last season, most of their roster was getting its first taste of varsity football. Lee Central took its lumps, winning just three games before a first-round exit in the playoffs, but Danner thinks the year of experience will pay off this season.

“Going into last season, we had a lot of younger kids, and they needed an opportunity to get out there for themselves and play,” Danner said. “That’s a part of coaching is you’re going to have some older teams, and you’re going to have some younger football teams. We felt that last year was an opportunity for us to get a lot of experience, and we’re very hopeful that we can benefit from it going into this season.”

That experience already has the Stallions playing with more confidence.

“We play more aggressive, more together,” running back and defensive back Nyi’Zeair Burroughs said.

Last season also showed

Danner that the Stallions had one glaring thing to focus on in the offseason.

“Coming off last year, we knew we were not physically where we had been previously, so the weight room was a must for us,” the head coach said. “We worked through the holidays, and it paid dividends for us.”

Lee Central is built offensively on the back of its rushing attack, so they need some beef up front to open some holes. Trenton Richardson and Everett Burns were two big losses up front, but Danner likes the players he has ready to step in.

Cam Dinkins and Tyicus Holloman are two veterans in the trenches, while Champ Martin, Tyler Ford, Dominic Spann, Nate Pitts and Nykeyce Porter are all in the mix up front.

That experience carries over to the defensive line, as well, as three key players are back up front.

“We really were fortunate to have some guys that weren’t necessarily known last year but are really, really hard workers,” Danner said. “Up front, we’ve put together a nice little crew of guys on the offensive line, and we did return our down guys on the defensive line. We’re excited with what we can do with this group.

“I think our strength, probably, is within our defensive line.”

There are some offensive changes this season, though.

Chuck Harry moves from quarterback, where he replaced his brother Kwantre last season, to wide receiver.

“It’s good,” Harry said of the move. “I think coach Danner thinks I can make a big impact on the team catching the ball,

giving me shots down the field. I feel like me and my quarterback have good chemistry. He knows where to put the ball so I can go get it.”

With Harry no longer at quarterback, Danner is using two interchangeable signal callers this season in Tavion McFadden and Ja’Quarius Davis.

“We’ve kinda been a two-headed monster right now,” Danner said, noting that both quarterbacks are running the same style of offense. “They work well together; they kinda build off one another. Both of those guys have some different strengths. Believe it or not, both of those guys are defensive kids, so they kinda bring that hard-hat mentality.”

Those quarterbacks will work alongside a slew of running backs in the three-back system Lee Central runs. Burroughs will see plenty of snaps alongside De’Marion Morgan, Joe Anderson, Nycer Henry, Rico Hickmon and Shadrack Williams, while some other players may have a chance to mix in.

Defensively, many of those offensive players flip over to the other side of the ball, including both quarterbacks. McFadden lines up at outside linebacker, while Davis plays defensive back. Harry will also line up in the defensive backfield. Williams returns as a starter at linebacker, as well.

With all of this experience, Danner thinks his team is ready to take the next step.

“Our goal is to play when it gets cold outside; we want to play when there are fewer teams playing,” Danner said. “We know there’s a lot of hard work with that, and I like the

way that this football team is kinda rallying with each other and blocking out the outside noise.”

Danner said Lee Central’s actions off the field will affect their chance at success as much as their play does.

“For our team to take that next step, I feel like we’ve done what we needed to do in the offseason to be better physically, but it’s going to be about decisions. It’s going to be about choices that we make that can impact Friday night,” Danner said. “I feel like, right now, this team is doing that; they’re holding each other accountable.”

Harry is trying to be one of the main players leading the charge of that accountability.

“I want to be better than last year, do my assignment, do my job,” Harry said. “I’m trying to be a leader, speak up a lot, get people on the right track.”

Chuck Harry WR/DB

Nyi’Zeair Burroughs RB/DB

ADAM FLASH / SUMTER ITEM

Lee Central head coach Justin Danner, center, is joined by Nyi'Zeair Burroughs, left, and Chuck Harry during The Sumter Item Football Media Day on Aug. 5.

Young Generals look to keep development train running

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

Thomas Sumter head coach

Brannon Tidwell has stressed since he took over the program in 2020 that the rebuild with the Generals was a marathon, not a sprint.

Three years later, they’re starting to inch closer to that finish line.

The Generals are starting to check off some of the boxes he’s aimed for since joining the program. TSA has a junior varsity squad this year, a far cry from the 13 players he met when he walked in the door.

“Our goal was to get to this

year,” Tidwell said. “The previous classes helped build this, but it’s a fresh start, I guess; it’s new kids, new adults, the way we attack each day, the way we attack the weight room, the way we attack practice. Everyone’s mindset has changed. I think the school’s mindset has changed.”

The overall depth in the program has been a blessing this season. For the first time, the Generals will mostly have 11 players starting on each side of the ball. While some players will still see some time on both sides of the field, they have enough depth to keep

guys fresh. Tidwell plans to use that to TSA’s advantage in SCISA 2A.

“One thing we can’t do is get frustrated early in the game because pretty much every team we’re going to play except maybe one or two is going to be playing guys on both sides of the ball,” Tidwell said. “If we can just keep throwing the body shots, we’ll be there in the end.”

One major change from a year ago is the graduation of Gatlin Kimbro, Thomas Sumter’s Swiss Army knife. Kimbro played pretty much every position outside of the offensive line a year ago and was

the centerpiece of the offense. Tidwell thinks having a more balanced offense will change how opposing teams view the Generals.

“Coach (David) Rankin said last year before the Lee game, ‘If we stop 3, we’re going to win,’” Tidwell said. “And I think now we have so much speed all over the field, it’s going to help us because people can’t really focus in on one kid.”

Noah Steele-Allen was able to ease into the quarterback position last year, slowly taking over from Kimbro

SEE THOMAS SUMTER, PAGE B13

Clarendon Hall seeks diversity on offense as Larrimer takes the helm

BY TIM LEIBLE tim@theitem.com

For the second-straight season, the Clarendon Hall football team has a new head coach. Luckily, he’s a familiar face.

Athletic director Todd Larrimer, who served as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach a year ago, takes over the program from Justin Logan, who elected to return to his roots at Lee Academy. While there are some changes, it’s a far cry from a year ago.

Last season, Logan took over a program that was returning to 11-man football after a long run playing eight-man. Larrimer now jumps up to head coaching duties with some consisten-

cy in the number of players on the field and, perhaps more importantly, both coordinators remain intact. Matt Braxley continues to lead the offense, along with O-line duties, while Stewart Price remains in charge of the defense.

“It’s definitely been a little more stressful, but that was expected,” Larrimer said. “I’m just excited to start the year. I have a great staff behind me and a great group of seniors that have an outstanding amount of leadership.”

Senior Kole Elliott was glad to see a coach he knew take over the program.

“We’ve been able to warm up to him, and he’s been able to

warm up to us,” Elliott said. “That helps a lot as we build a relationship with him as a coach.”

The Saints will make some changes this season, though. Offensively, they were centered around one player. Darius Aiken rushed for 1,471 yards and 18 scores, accounting for a lion’s share of the offense. Larrimer wants to spread the ball around a bit more this season.

“We want to be a little more versatile this year,” the head coach said. “We want to be able to spread the ball around and not focus on one focal point in the offense. We’ll be a little more balanced this year.” Larrimer still thinks Aiken

will have a chance to be an even better running back. He’s an excellent athlete who’s been able to thrive on pure physical talent. Larrimer thinks he can unlock another level, especially without the pressure of the entire offense on his shoulders.

“My focus with Darius is the fundamentals,” Larrimer said. “I want him to be a fundamental running back and not just build off the speed. We want to teach him how to actually run the football. We’re looking forward to him being that much better.”

Another carryover offensively is quarterback Brock Mathis.

SEE CLARENDON HALL, PAGE B13

hard to prepare for. That’s why we do it.”

The Baron offense has a lot of moving pieces, so having an experienced quarterback like Kinney should help Wilson Hall hit the ground running early.

“With an option-type offense, it’s a lot of reading. Clark, you could tell last year especially from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, his decision-making was a lot better,” Jarecki said. “I always stress with Clark that there’s no such thing as a bad decision, just some are better than others. He’s done a nice job of adapting to that. Owen Meyers, too, as our backup quarterback.”

The seniors have played together enough that the offense has become pretty second nature.

“I feel like Clark and I, he knows where I’m going to be, and I know where he’s going to put it every time,” Jones said. “Same with Clark and Blake; Clark can just lob it up there, and Blake can go run up under it every time. I feel like that chemistry really built a lot from last year.”

On defense, Grayson Alexander and Meyers return at inside linebacker. Meyers led the team with 94 tackles a year ago, while Alexander had 80. Landon Gilley leads a mostly intact defensive back field with his six interceptions last year. Jones and B. Van Patten will both see time in the secondary.

“The new defense we installed last year, now we can take it a step further,” Jarecki said. “Guys know what they’re doing and kinda have a clue with the big picture of what we want to do. They see it now. That experience and having some success last year, success brings success.”

The experience in the

He threw for 432 yards and seven scores last year, adding an additional 317 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Larrimer expects his QB to thrive in the new and improved offense.

“Mentally, he’s definitely come around this season,” Larrimer said. “Physically, the tools are there. He’s got an arm; he can move. Our big focus in the offseason was getting him right mentally in the offense we’re trying to run.”

The Saints do have other returning offensive players who should see some more action. Elliott and Wilder Robinson are back at receiver, along with running back Griffin McIntosh. Peyton McGee also makes the move over from Laurence Manning at running back.

“The continuity that we’re building off from last year is what’s allowing us to do that,” Larrimer said of changing the offense with several returners.

The offensive line was a work in progress last season. That’s the position group that had the largest adjustment from eight-man football, and the group took a while to get their feet under them. The loss of Trey Bagnal up front hurts, but the other four linemen are all back. Evan Reynolds also joins from LMA to fill a spot in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

“We lost a big piece in Trey Bagnal, but we’ve kinda built around it,” said offensive lineman Karson Fields. “We’ve basically had the same line; we just have another piece we put in. I feel like we’ll be solid on the line.”

Most of Clarendon Hall’s offensive talent flips right over to the other side of the ball. Larrimer is excited about Aiken’s potential to really have a special defensive season with less offensive pressure.

“That’s going to be huge.

secondary is crucial because each of the defensive backs has a great idea of where his teammates will be on every play.

“It helps that we’ve played together since JV,” Gilley said. “We all know (our teammate is) going to be there when I need him to be there, and I can count on him.

“We’ve definitely grown from last year. That new defense started out funky last year, but we’ve gotten used to it, and it’s going to work this year.”

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

The Barons have no intention of resting on their laurels after making it to the state semifinals a year ago. Jarecki has loved the intensity of their effort to improve during the offseason.

“With last year, we preach and preach about buying in and everyone being all in and having faith and trust in one another. I think with the success, they kinda see, ‘Hey, he’s right,’” Jarecki said. “I think our emphasis this year, we do a lot of things in practice, and we try to hurry it and speed through things and do a lot of little things. I think they understand why we have to do those little things and how important those little things are. They’re hungry for it.”

Success also comes with exterior expectations. The Barons can feel that target on their back, but they’re ready for the challenge.

“I think it puts a lot of pressure on us to live up to those expectations,” Alexander said. “I think we’ve done a good job of it so far. Hopefully we carry that with us this year.

“I think we’re playing with a chip on our shoulder with the loss last year. It’s exciting to see how we play this year.”

With taking a couple of carries off him offensively, that’ll free him up to play full speed non-stop on defense all game,” Larrimer said. “I think that’s going to help not only the offensive side of the ball, but defense and special teams.”

Aiken is part of a defensive secondary that also returns Robinson and Elliott at cornerback.

“Our secondary is pretty solid,” Larrimer said. “I’m pretty confident in the secondary, and I’m pretty confident with our linebackers. Nothing against the defensive line, but that secondary and linebackers are pretty stout.”

That linebacking group is led by the Saints’ offensive signal-caller. Mathis is the rare player who plays both quarterback and linebacker and has continued to be an anchor for CH.

“Brock’s not the loudest person on the team, but when he goes from offense to defense, he comes out a little bit,” Larrimer said. “He’s honestly more of a quarterback on defense than on offense.”

Overall, Larrimer expects the defense to continue to improve, as they have just about everyone back on that side of the ball.

“We’re a little bit quicker than we were last year, I think,” said the head coach. “We’re still kinda young, at least on defense. But with coach (Stewart) Price on our defensive side of the ball, we’re going to be pretty solid.”

Larrimer thinks the Saints should continue to improve on their 6-5 record from a year ago, but he’s not going to look too far into the future.

“I’ve been preaching one game at a time. There’s no reason to get ahead of ourselves and start looking at state championships,” Larrimer said. “Not that we can’t do it, but we’re really focused on one week at a time.”

leader he was, but I’m trying to be a leader in my own way.”

Gamble was known for his ability to intercept passes, holding the school record for 20 in his career. Opposing teams may be more likely to try some deep shots without him roaming down field, but that may be ill-advised.

“We hope they do,” Barnes said of teams testing Sumter’s secondary. “We hope they try that position because I think we’re probably going to end up moving Jauron Bennett to that position, who’s a guy who’s started for two years for us, and he’ll punish them as well.”

Rose also noted a couple other defensive backs he’s excited to see this year.

“Camorrie Wells, when Jauron went down last year, he stepped in, and he did a great job,” Rose said. “And a 10th-grader, Bryce Allen. We don’t know if he’s starting yet, but when he does get on the field, he does his job well.”

HOPING FOR A LITTLE LUCK

Sumter High head coach Mark Barnes knows that it doesn’t matter how strong of a team he builds if the Gamecocks can’t catch a few breaks.

Last season, SHS was in prime position to make a strong playoff run before Merchant went down. They still managed to win two games before falling to Summerville 7-0 in the third round. With Merchant in the backfield, things might have been different, especially because Sumter beat Summerville 16-0 in the regular season.

This season, the Gamecocks are hoping to be on the right end of some of that luck.

“I’ve been in this business a long time. You’ve got to be good. We talk a lot about winning every day,” Barnes said. “What I have learned through the 30-something years of doing this is you’ve got to be lucky. Last year, we were unlucky. If (Merchant) doesn’t get injured, we’re probably in the state semifinals, and who knows what happens. You try to build as much depth as you can; you try to get better every day. You deal with adversity that’s going to get thrown at us during the season because it’s going to be.

“But at the end, you have to be fortunate with injuries. We would be extremely happy if the guys we start next week we could dress for a playoff game. Every coach in the state would say the same thing. The most talented team doesn’t always win, and we need to be as talented as we can, work hard as we can and be fortunate as we can when it comes to injuries.”

THOMAS SUMTER FROM PAGE B12

throughout the season. He’s ready to take a big leap this year thanks to a wealth of talent at the skill positions. Ryan Gregory will be a focal point at running back and wide receiver, but TSA will have plenty of weapons.

“Gavin McCaskill at tight end is going to be a big threat. Sam Matthews playing some H (back), Joey Lowder is about a 6’2” receiver who can run real well. Then we have a 6’3” kid in Trey Tisdale who has been in the program but has the confidence now to go out there,” Tidwell said. “There’s some height, and there’s some quickness. Bradden Krammer is another; he’s an eighth-grader, but he plays like an 11th-grader. He had an interception for a pick-six in a scrimmage. Sam Petrauschke, who had 400 yards receiving last year, will be a sophomore.”

On the line, TSA only has to make one change, as the undersized Max Moreno gets to focus on defense and is replaced by Holden Trimnal. Everyone else started by the end of last season. That group includes Aiden Smith, Colvin Linville, Jackson Barnes and Mitchell Birket. Linville and Birket are both sophomores, while Smith and Barnes are juniors.

“The O-line is definitely going to be better just because they’re a year older, and we replaced one position where Max (Moreno) went to play outside backer with a kid that’s 100-and-something pounds heavier with a lot of experience,” Tidwell said.

Steele-Allen quipped, “As a quarterback, it’s nice to know I’ll have guys around me that I won’t be killed by every play.”

Defensively, the Generals are young. Seven

sophomores will start on that side of the ball, though many come with experience from last season. The defensive line is the only position with seniors.

“(We have) Three seniors on the D-line, which is a good position to have them in,” Tidwell said. “Jake James kinda anchors that group as a four-year starter. He’s the last one I have that was there with me at the beginning, part of that original 13. He’ll play defensive end along with Sam Matthews and Holden Trimnal, and Aiden Steele-Allen is going to play these two defensive line spots along with Jake Lessard.”

At linebacker, junior Jordan Tillman will play with Linville and Moreno.

The secondary is all young. Carter Hill is the most experienced as one of three sophomores along with Krammer, the eighth-grader.

“We’re young there, but they’re really fast,” Tidwell said. “Defensively last year, I thought we flew to the ball; any time they caught it, there was about five hats sitting right there.”

The Generals are ready to start winning, but Tidwell isn’t setting specific goals for wins and losses.

“When it comes to overall goals, I’ve never really set that,” Tidwell said. “My thing is that the overall goal of Jan. 5 when you get back into school until we play against Clarendon Hall on the 18th, that we’ve done everything we can and, to this point, we have.

“If you do that kinda stuff, the hard work does pay off.”

CLARENDON HALL FROM PAGE B12

wants him to drive the car.

“JaRae can do what we ask him to do,” Kennedy said.

“He ain’t real vocal; he’s still just a junior, but coach Cornelius did a good job with him at Lakewood last year.

He’s real polished, a real fundamental guy. “

The offensive line sees Jamon Brock and Jevon Murray return up front, but Kennedy is still trying to find a starting five.

“It’s starting to come together. We had several different combinations in spring football, and we’ve got six guys fighting for those five spots,” Kennedy said. “All these guys have been in our program, so it’s that nextman-up mentality.”

While Manning lost a few massive players on the defensive line, Kennedy likes what he has back this season.

Alongside Brock and Murray, Jalynn Coard will be one of the biggest keys to the Monarchs’ success up front.

“One thing about the football players at Manning is they will hit you. Even though we lost some bigname guys up front, I think we’ve still got some guys that will hit you up front and that’ll get to the football,” Kennedy said. “That’s probably the strongest part of the team is our defensive line. We’re pretty deep.”

Without some of those noteworthy defensive linemen, Coard has seen teams approach him differently during scrimmages.

“I’ve seen all different attack angles,” Coard said.

“I’ve been taught by my coaches, and I just attack.”

Behind that defensive front, Lamar Hilton returns as a starting inside linebacker, though the Monarchs are still trying to lock down who will start alongside him and DJ McFadden. Ceasar, an all-region defender a year ago, and Deyvon Jamison return in the secondary.

Kennedy thinks this group can continue what last year’s team started. The key will be getting out to a fast start.

“I think we’ve got to have early success. We’ve got a young ball club, so you want to start out with success early and build off that,” the Monarch head coach said.

“Every coach’s goal going into the season is to win a state championship. That’s our goal. (Last year) We came in second in the region; our goal is to win the region championship. First, we want to have a winning season.

“Is that going to happen? I don’t know. It just depends on what these guys do on and off the football field for us to achieve those goals.”

the same ability, but younger,” State said. “We’ve got quarterback Johnquell Jackson, he’ll be a sophomore. He started on JV last year. Throughout the first scrimmage, he looked pretty poised in the pocket. A big, strong kid; I think he can get the job done. We’ve got a whole load of running backs, Dreshawn Blanding, Jamuri Calloway, Nigel Lawson, RJ Williams.”

find out certain things. I feel like we have most of the pieces in place.”

One of the players who moved around was Jyre Fulton. He played receiver until the change in offensive system, and now he’s lined up at receiver.

“When coach C first came here, I was at running back, and he was telling me, ‘This position is for you,’ Fulton said of the position change. “Every day I worked it hard and got better every day, and I feel like I’m the best fit for the offense at receiver.”

That’s the kind of buy-in that Cornelius looked for from Day 1. The players got a great sense of his intentions early and were ready to follow suit.

“When he first walked in, I knew he meant business, and if we weren’t going to win this year, they’ll win in the future,” linebacker and H-back Ryan Sullivan said.

The biggest question offensively is at quarterback. The system puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback to make good decisions, and Cornelius is still trying to land on a starter at the position. Bennett and Hunter Matthews are both fighting for the starting job. The head coach’s son, Takoda, is also getting reps as the most experienced player in the system, though his primary position is receiver.

“It’s tough. The way we do things, you have to know where everyone’s at. The motion changes the whole concept,” Coach Cornelius said. “It’s difficult, and everyone gets mad at the quarterback for this and that, and sometimes it’s the receiver because we run option routes. It’s a little more complicated than what they’re used to.”

As the battle at QB rages on, Cornelius is thrilled with the players in the trenches. East Clarendon returned a ton of talent up front, and the Wolverines are confident in seven players who could see action in five spots on

J. Kind will serve as backup quarterback along with his role as wide receiver. Like his brother, he may mix in at running back as well.

“It’s the only way,” J. Kind said of filling the role his brother left. “He told me to go out there and just play.”

If the Eagles are going to move the ball, they need to find a strong group of linemen up front. That was State’s biggest hurdle last year, and it contin-

the offensive line.

“I think that’s the strongest part of our offense,” Cornelius said. “Last year at East Clarendon, I think they were all underclassmen starting, so they got some reps under their belt. Obviously, what we do up front is a lot different than what they did last year with the different run and pass schemes, but the last scrimmage, I thought that was the best unit that we had, and I feel like we have a little bit of depth.”

Other key players offensively include running backs Rod Shaw and Jay Webb, along with receivers Whit Nesbit, Walker Partee, Darius McCray and Colby McKenzie.

On the other side of the ball, Cornelius is looking to keep things simple.

“Being hired late, I felt like we could only be complicated on one side of the ball,” Cornelius said. “I’ve been a defensive coordinator a long time ago. I don’t think you have to be complicated on defense. I think it’s about recognizing what the offense is doing, the formations, lining up properly and gap control.”

Cornelius raved about his linebacking corps, which includes Sullivan, Shaw, Fulton, Hunter Mixon, Tucker Owens and Jordan Wright. East Clarendon will run a 4-4 defense, which frees up the defensive line and linebackers to “fly around a little bit more,” according to Cornelius, though that puts pressure on the three defensive backs in the passing game.

“The strength of our defense is our linebacker corps; that’s why we’re running four linebackers for the most part. Sometimes we’ll go to a 4-3 with two high safeties,” Cornelius said. “I feel like we have six young men for those four spots, and we’re still trying to figure out who those four will be, and that’s a good spot.

ues to be a challenge, but State likes the steps the line is taking.

“We’ll have some heavy guys, but they’ll be young,” State said. “We were hoping to get some guys to come back and play with us from last year, and we’ve got a few, Javary Watson and DeWayne Fludd, and we’ve got a couple of younger guys, Jaiden Holiday and Zion Starks, Grant Leonard. We’ve got to put them in and get them some experience.” That trio that led the offense last

year also led the defense a year ago. Zion Thompson will be put in the driver’s seat as a defensive leader for the Eagles at linebacker, while J. Kind will lead the secondary.

“Defensively, it’s get 11 to the ball, stay tough, get off blocks and never give up,” State said. “Our linebackers (are our strength). We’ve got Zion back there, Mr. Blanding, our MVP last year. Jordan made some big plays at the 7-on-7. We’re looking for those guys to lead.”

Good Luck This Season!

SCOTT'S BRANCH FROM PAGE B10