Area teams prepare for 2024 football season
By Justin Jarrett
LowcoSports.com
Heavy rain brought by Debby put things on ice for a few days, but high school football season has arrived in the Lowcountry.
Teams from around the region converged Thursday, Aug. 1, at FWDG Furniture in Beaufort for the annual WHHI-TV High School Football Media Day, one day before S.C. High School League programs were permitted to begin preseason practice.
The window to get in the work before the season opener was narrowed by a few days thanks to the storm system drenching the area, meaning teams will have even less time to prepare for their first games beginning Aug. 16 and Aug. 23.
Here’s a first look at what to expect from the Beaufort-area squads this season.
Beaufort High
The Eagles return to Class 4A after a two-year stint in Class 3A that included a state title, and a number of key players from the championship roster are now seniors in leadership roles. That includes QB Samari Bonds, who figures to be one of the most electric dual-threat quarterbacks in the area, if not the state, and he has some potent weapons at his disposal, including WR Amare Patterson.
Last year’s senior class included major contributors, such as OL/DL Adrian Lamb and RB Jadyn Andrews, but coach Bryce Lybrand and his staff have developed plenty of depth and displayed a knack for making mid-game and mid-season adjustments to personnel. LB Will Codding returns to anchor a veteran defense.
The coaches in the new-look Region 6-4A agree Beaufort is the team to beat, but they also recognize the margins are awfully thin from top to bottom in what should be a highly-competitive region.
Battery Creek
Coach Ed Susi’s first season at the helm resulted in a winless campaign in Burton, but the Dolphins were competitive for much of the season before mounting injuries took their toll, and a renewed focus on the weight room should have them better prepared for the grind of a long season.
QB Chase Olsen returns from injury to lead an offense with big-play potential, thanks to RB Damien Freeman and WR Derrick Smalls Jr. The play of the offensive line and the defense will determine whether the Dolphins are able to get the most out of their skill positions and contend in Region 6-3A, where the last two playoff spots appear to be up for grabs.
Whale Branch
A consistent contender in Class 1A, the Warriors jump up a class this season and join a tough Region 5-2A that includes natural rival Hampton County and perennial power Barnwell. Whale Branch returned its entire starting offensive line from a year ago, when the Warriors started 7-0 before dropping their regular-season finale and their first-round playoff game, though they lost OL Raheim Saunders to a torn ACL this summer.
Nonetheless, Whale Branch will once again boast a strong ground game, and QB Jermon Bowers gets another shot under center after an extra year of seasoning. The defense led by LB Alonzo Allen and DB Dayaun Brown should be strong, as usual. Coach Jerry Hatcher’s squad should be right in the mix for a region title and poised for a playoff push.
Beaufort Academy
It was a roller coaster in Nic Shuford’s first season at Beaufort Academy, as the Eagles roared out to a red-hot start and looked like a state championship contender before injuries decimated a generational backfield, which was then ravaged by graduation. But BA lured RB/LB Nyc Underwood over from Battery Creek to help plug a huge hole and plug in another playmaker alongside QB Dietrich Shuford and WR Devin Fripp.
There are a ton of question marks on defense, and the Eagles might have to lean heavily on two-way players early in the season while they continue to develop depth from the bottom up. The region is incredibly competitive with BA among the potential favorites along with Thomas Heyward, Patrick Henry, and Colleton Prep. THA has the most talent coming back, but BA, PHA, and CPA have all shown the ability to reload from their pipelines of talent year after year.
John Paul II
The Golden Warriors enter their second season under coach Shayne Milligan in search of leaders to step up and fill the void left by the graduation of do-everything star Christian Tilton, and they think they’ve found one in new QB Connor Brown. Brown says he understands his role — that of game manager — and is excited to get RB Bryant Jolley and WR Jackson Sanders involved in the offense and set them up for success.
JPII returns plenty on defense, including three all-region picks in the box with DL Sebastian Slusne, DL Lukas Yackley, and LB Ephrain Jimenez, giving them a nice core to build around on that side of the ball. On paper, the Golden Warriors appear to be in the middle of the pack in SCISA Region 1-3A, but their biggest threats lie at the end of the season, so they have plenty of time to round into form and challenge for more.
Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports.com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.
